Old Nichols Library

Last updated
Old Nichols Library
Old Nichols LIbrary, Naperville, IL.jpg
Photograph of the Old Nichols Library building in Naperville, Illinois
Location110 South Washington Street, Naperville, Illinois
Coordinates 41°46′26″N88°8′51″W / 41.77389°N 88.14750°W / 41.77389; -88.14750
Built1897
Architect Mifflin E. Bell
Architectural style(s) Richardsonian Romanesque
Governing bodyNaperville City Landmark
USA Illinois location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Location of Old Nichols Library in Illinois
Usa edcp location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Old Nichols Library (the United States)

The Old Nichols Library is a historic building on Washington Street in Naperville, Illinois. The building was designed by Mifflin E. Bell [ citation needed ] in the Richardsonian Romanesque style. [1] The building served as the original public library for Naperville from its construction in 1897 until 1986, when the library operations moved to the new, modern Nichols Library on Jefferson Avenue in Naperville. [2] [3]

The building is constructed with yellow brick and indigenous limestone, of a much lighter design than is typical for the style. The building has a hipped roof with a gable centered in front. The center of the primary facade is stepped forward, with a broad, rough limestone arch that rises over the front door. [1]

James L. Nichols, a professor at North-Western College (now North Central College) and successful author and publisher, established the library with a $10,000 bequest. In 1962, the City of Naperville built an addition, of a modern design, connecting to the south wall of the original building. [2]

In 1996, the City sold the building to a local church. A developer bought the building from the church in 2017. [4]

The Old Nichols Library building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as a contributing resource to the Naperville Historic District. [5]

In 2017, the City designated the building as a local landmark under Naperville historic preservation ordinances. [6]

In 2022, renovations on the Old Nichols Library building were finished, and it opened as an Italian restaurant. [7]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Naperville, Illinois</span> City in Illinois, United States

Naperville is a city within the Chicago Metropolitan Area in DuPage and Will counties in the U.S. state of Illinois. It is a southwestern suburb of Chicago located 28 miles (45 km) west of the city on the DuPage River.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Plainfield, Illinois</span> Village in Illinois, United States

Plainfield is a village in Will and Kendall counties, Illinois, United States. The population was 44,762 at the 2020 census.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Architecture of Chicago</span> Regional architecture

The buildings and architecture of Chicago reflect the city's history and multicultural heritage, featuring prominent buildings in a variety of styles. Most structures downtown were destroyed by the Great Chicago Fire in 1871.

Mather Tower is a Neo-Gothic, terra cotta-clad high-rise structure in Chicago, Illinois, United States. It is located at 75 East Wacker Drive in the downtown "loop" area, adjacent to the Chicago River.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Morris–Butler House</span> Historic house in Indiana, United States

The Morris–Butler House is a Second Empire-style house built about 1864 in the Old Northside Historic District of Indianapolis, Indiana. Restored as a museum home by Indiana Landmarks between 1964 and 1969, the American Civil War-era residence was the non-profit organization's first preservation project. Restoration work retained some of its original architectural features, and the home was furnished in Victorian and Post-Victorian styles. Its use was changed to a venue for Indiana Landmarks programs, special events, and private rentals following a refurbishment in 2013. Regular daily tours of the property have been discontinued.

<i>Fountain of Time</i> Sculpture by Lorado Taft in Chicago

Fountain of Time, or simply Time, is a sculpture by Lorado Taft, measuring 126 feet 10 inches (38.66 m) in length, situated at the western edge of the Midway Plaisance within Washington Park in Chicago, Illinois, in the United States. The sculpture is inspired by Henry Austin Dobson's poem "Paradox of Time". Its 100 figures passing before Father Time were created as a monument to the 100 years of peace between the United States and the United Kingdom following the Treaty of Ghent in 1814. Father Time faces the 100 from across a water basin. The fountain's water was turned on in 1920, and the sculpture was dedicated in 1922. It is a contributing structure to the Washington Park United States Registered Historic District, which is a National Register of Historic Places listing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ogle County Courthouse</span> Local government building in the United States

The Ogle County Courthouse is a National Register of Historic Places listing in the Ogle County, Illinois, county seat of Oregon. The building stands on a public square in the city's downtown commercial district. The current structure was completed in 1891 and was preceded by two other buildings, one of which was destroyed by a group of outlaws. Following the destruction of the courthouse, the county was without a judicial building for a period during the 1840s. The Ogle County Courthouse was designed by Chicago architect George O. Garnsey in the Romanesque Revival style of architecture. The ridged roof is dominated by its wooden cupola which stands out at a distance.

John Shellette Van Bergen was an American architect born in Oak Park, Illinois. Van Bergen started his architectural career as an apprentice draftsman in 1907. In 1909 he went to work for Frank Lloyd Wright at his studio in Oak Park. At Wright's studio he did working drawings for and supervised the Robie House and the Mrs. Thomas Gale House. Van Bergen designed prairie style homes in the Chicago area, mostly in the suburbs of Oak Park and River Forest. His home designs are recognized as excellent examples of Prairie style architecture and several are listed as local landmarks. A few of his homes are listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">George Furbeck House</span> Historic house in Illinois, United States

The George W. Furbeck House is a house located in the Chicago suburb of Oak Park. The house was designed by famous American architect Frank Lloyd Wright in 1897 and constructed for Chicago electrical contractor George W. Furbeck and his new bride Sue Allin Harrington. The home's interior is much as it appeared when the house was completed but the exterior has seen some alteration. The house is an important example of Frank Lloyd Wright's transitional period of the late 1890s which culminated with the birth of the first fully mature early modern Prairie style house. The Furbeck House was listed as a contributing property to a U.S. federal Registered Historic District in 1973 and declared a local Oak Park Landmark in 2002.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Altgeld's castles</span>

"Altgeld's castles" are buildings in the Gothic Revival style in five Illinois universities, all built at the initiative or inspiration of Illinois Governor John Peter Altgeld. During his term as governor, Altgeld expressed certain opinions on how buildings should be erected in the state of Illinois. In his second biennial message to the state legislature, he discussed how buildings were being constructed without consideration for their outward appearance. He stated that it was time for buildings to become more aesthetically pleasing in addition to being functional, and he suggested the "Tudor-Gothic style" as the most inexpensive way to do this. Consequently, several of the state universities in Illinois erected buildings which resembled castles in his honor. College folklore states that these buildings have aligned corridors and rooms so that they could all be "put together" to create one large building, but there is no evidence to support this rumor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, Inc.</span> American architecture firm

Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, Inc. (WJE) is an American corporation of architects, engineers, and materials scientists specializing in the investigation, analysis, testing, and design of repairs for historic and contemporary buildings and structures. Founded in 1956, WJE is headquartered in Northbrook, Illinois, and has over 600 professionals in twenty offices across the United States. WJE personnel are specialized in architectural, structural, and civil engineering; materials conservation, chemistry and petrography, and testing and instrumentation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">First Church of Christ, Scientist (Rock Island, Illinois)</span> United States historic place

The former First Church of Christ, Scientist, is an historic Christian Science church building located at 700 22nd Street, Rock Island, Illinois, United States. Designed by architect William C. Jones of Chicago in the Palladian style, it was built between 1914-1915. Its exterior walls are of brick covered by Bedford limestone. Its superimposed front portico is supported by six 2 story columns with egg-and-dart capitals. Its dome actually consists of 2 domes: an outer dome and an inner dome which are separated by a space for lighting fixtures and maintenance. The inner dome consists of some 8,000 colored fish scale glass panes on a wooden support structure. The inner dome is similar to the inner dome of First Church of Christ, Scientist in Kalamazoo, Michigan, which was designed by William C. Jones in 1913.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mifflin E. Bell</span> American architect

Mifflin Emlen Bell, often known as M.E. Bell, was an American architect who served from 1883 to 1886 as Supervising Architect of the US Treasury Department. Bell delegated design responsibilities to staff members, which resulted in a large variety of building styles, including Second Empire, Châteauesque, Queen Anne and Richardsonian Romanesque.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gethsemane Lutheran Church</span> Historic structure in Austin, Texas

Gethsemane Lutheran Church is a historic Lutheran church in downtown Austin, Texas. Designated as a Recorded Texas Historic Landmark and listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the building currently holds offices of the Texas Historical Commission.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Naperville Historic District</span> Historic district in Illinois, United States

The Naperville Historic District is a set of 613 buildings in Naperville, Illinois. Of these 613 buildings, 544 contribute to the historical integrity of the area. The district represents the town as it was originally platted and a few early additions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jamaica Savings Bank</span> Historic commercial building in Queens, New York

The Jamaica Savings Bank was a bank incorporated in 1866 in the Jamaica section of the borough of Queens in New York City. It had four branches across Queens before it was acquired by North Fork Bank in 1999, which itself was acquired by Capital One Bank in 2008.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lincoln School (Rock Island, Illinois)</span> United States historic place

Lincoln School was a historic building located in Rock Island, Illinois, United States. It was designated a Rock Island Landmark in 1984, individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1985, and became part of the Broadway Historic District when it was listed on the National Register in 1998. It was torn down in 2012 and delisted from the National Register in 2020.

Richard Sharp Smith was an English-born American architect, noted for his association with George W. Vanderbilt's Biltmore Estate and Asheville, North Carolina. Smith worked for some of America's important architectural firms of the late 19th century—Richard Morris Hunt, Bradford Lee Gilbert, and Reid & Reid—before establishing his practice in Asheville. His most significant body of work is in Asheville and Western North Carolina, including dozens of buildings that are listed on the National Register of Historic Places or are contributing structures to National Register Historic Districts.

Preservation Chicago is a historic preservation advocacy group in Chicago, Illinois, which formally commenced operations on October 23, 2001. The organization was formed by a group of Chicagoans who had assembled the previous year to save a group of buildings which included Coe Mansion, which had once housed Ranalli's pizzeria and The Red Carpet, a French restaurant that had been frequented by Jack Benny and Elizabeth Taylor. Other preservation campaigns that were instrumental in the founding of Preservation Chicago included St. Boniface Church, the Scherer Building, and the New York Life Insurance Building.

References

  1. 1 2 Bach, Ira J. (1981). A guide to Chicago's historic suburbs on wheels and on foot (Lake, McHenry, Kane, DuPage, Will & Cook Counties) . Wolfson, Susan. Chicago: Swallow Press. ISBN   0804003742. OCLC   7553324.
  2. 1 2 "Naperville Public Libraries: celebrating one hundred years of community service :: The Naperville Heritage Collection". www.idaillinois.org. Retrieved 2018-02-08.
  3. "Naperville 2010 Report" (PDF). City of Naperville. Retrieved 2018-02-07.
  4. "hpc20170822p.pdf" (PDF). City of Naperville. Retrieved 2018-02-07.
  5. "200212.pdf" (PDF). Illinois HIstoric Preservation Agency. Retrieved 2018-02-07.
  6. Hegarty, Erin. "Landmark status granted for Naperville's old Nichols Library". Naperville Sun. Retrieved 2018-02-08.
  7. "Gia Mia an unlikely new tenant in old Nichols Library in downtown Naperville". Daily Herald. 2022-09-16. Retrieved 2022-09-27.