Zion Chapter House

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Zion Chapter House
Zion Chapter House, American Women's League.jpg
Front and western side
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Location2715 Emmaus Ave., Zion, Illinois
Coordinates 42°26′44″N87°49′41″W / 42.44556°N 87.82806°W / 42.44556; -87.82806 Coordinates: 42°26′44″N87°49′41″W / 42.44556°N 87.82806°W / 42.44556; -87.82806
Area1.1 acres (0.45 ha)
Architect Helfensteller, Hirsch and Watson
Architectural style Prairie School
MPS American Woman's League Chapter Houses TR
NRHP reference No. 80001382 [1]
Added to NRHPNovember 28, 1980

The Zion Chapter House is a historic building located at 2715 Emmaus Avenue in Zion, Illinois. The building was constructed between 1909 and 1910 as a meetinghouse for Zion's chapter of the American Woman's League. The American Woman's League was a political and social organization founded by magazine publisher Edward Gardner Lewis in 1908. The organization was created to promote feminist causes, particularly the women's suffrage movement; Lewis also intended for the organization to promote and sell his women's magazines. Lewis commissioned the St. Louis architectural firm of Helfensteller, Hirsch & Watson to design five classes of buildings which the League would use as meetinghouses. The Zion Chapter House is an example of a Class II building, which was designed for clubs with 60 to 100 members. The building was designed in the Prairie School style and cost $2,500. After the club disbanded, the building was converted to a private home. [2]

The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places on November 28, 1980. [1] It is one of nine American Woman's League chapter houses on the National Register in Illinois.

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References

  1. 1 2 "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  2. Meyer, Pauline (July 12, 1980). "American Woman's League Chapter Houses in Illinois Thematic Resource". Heritage Conservation and Recreation Service . Retrieved February 5, 2014.