NPS Form 10 900 OMB No. 1024 0018
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NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Registration Form This form is for use in nominating or requesting determinations for individual properties and districts. See instructions in National Register Bulletin, How to Complete the National Register of Historic Places Registration Form. If any item does not apply to the property being documented, enter "N/A" for "not applicable." For functions, architectural classification, materials, and areas of significance, enter only categories and subcategories from the instructions. Place additional certification comments, entries, and narrative items on continuation sheets if needed (NPS Form 10-900a). 1. Name of Property historic name LaSalle Downtown Commercial District other names/site number Name of Multiple Property Listing (Enter "N/A" if property is not part of a multiple property listing) 2. Location street & number 400 to 800 blocks of First Street (both sides); the 900 and 1000 not for publication blocks of First Street (north side); the 400 to 700 blocks of Second Street (both sides); and the 100 and 200 blocks of Wright, Gooding, Marquette and Joliet streets city or town LaSalle vicinity state Illinois county LaSalle zip code 61301 3. State/Federal Agency Certification As the designated authority under the National Historic Preservation Act, as amended, I hereby certify that this nomination request for determination of eligibility meets the documentation standards for registering properties in the National Register of Historic Places and meets the procedural and professional requirements set forth in 36 CFR Part 60. In my opinion, the property meets does not meet the National Register Criteria. I recommend that this property be considered significant at the following level(s) of significance: national statewide local Applicable National Register Criteria: A B C D Signature of certifying official/Title: Deputy State Historic Preservation Officer Date Illinois Historic Preservation Agency State or Federal agency/bureau or Tribal Government In my opinion, the property meets does not meet the National Register criteria. Signature of commenting official Date Title State or Federal agency/bureau or Tribal Government 1 United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 LaSalle Downtown Commercial District LaSalle County, Illinois Name of Property County and State 4. National Park Service Certification I hereby certify that this property is: entered in the National Register determined eligible for the National Register determined not eligible for the National Register removed from the National Register other (explain:) Signature of the Keeper Date of Action 2 United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 LaSalle Downtown Commercial District LaSalle, Illinois Name of Property County and State 5. Classification Ownership of Property Category of Property Number of Resources within Property (Check as many boxes as apply.) (Check only one box.) (Do not include previously listed resources in the count.) Contributing Noncontributing X private building(s) 96 16 buildings X public - Local X district site public - State site structure public - Federal structure object object 96 16 Total Number of contributing resources previously listed in the National Register 2 6. Function or Use Historic Functions Current Functions (Enter categories from instructions.) (Enter categories from instructions.) Commerce/trade Commerce/trade Business Business Professional Professional Organizational Organizational Specialty store Specialty store warehouse 7. Description Architectural Classification Materials (Enter categories from instructions.) (Enter categories from instructions.) Late Victorian: Italianate, Queen Anne, Romanesque Revival, Colonial Revival foundation: Limestone, concrete, brick Wood, stone, terra cotta, stucco, Late 19th and early 20th century American ceramic tile, glass, synthetics movements: Commercial style walls: (aluminum) Asphalt shingles, rolled composition roof: roofing other: 3 United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 LaSalle Downtown Commercial District LaSalle County, Illinois Name of Property County and State Narrative Description (Describe the historic and current physical appearance and condition of the property. Describe contributing and noncontributing resources if applicable. Begin with a summary paragraph that briefly describes the general characteristics of the property, such as its location, type, style, method of construction, setting, size, and significant features. Indicate whether the property has historic integrity). Summary Paragraph The LaSalle Downtown Commercial District includes the 400 to 800 blocks of First Street, the 900 and 1000 blocks of First Street (north side only), the 400 to 700 blocks of Second Street, and the 100 and 200 blocks of Wright, Gooding, Marquette and Joliet streets. The downtown is a traditional small business district that combines commercial and public buildings mainly dating from the 1870s through the 1920s. Commercial buildings were originally occupied by a variety of uses, including retail, offices, garages, auto dealerships, and department stores. The downtown also features two high style public buildings—LaSalle City Hall and the city’s former post office—as well as a club building/meeting hall that was erected by the Knights of Columbus, a fraternal organization. The oldest buildings are strung out along First Street while larger early 20th century buildings are generally located along Second Street. The district features a total of 114 resources, of which 98 were identified as contributing and 16 were identified as non-contributing. Two of the contributing buildings are individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places: Hotel Kaskaskia at 217 Marquette Street and the LaSalle City Hall at 745 Second Street. The district exhibits sufficient integrity for listing on the National Register. ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Narrative Description LaSalle is in northeastern Illinois, about 95 miles southwest of Chicago. The city, which is located in LaSalle County, has a population of about 10,000. The city boundaries extend from the Illinois River and the Illinois and Michigan Canal about a mile northward to the vicinity of Interstate 80, and from the city of Peru on the west to the village of Utica on the east. Starved Rock State Park is located about five miles to the east of the city. LaSalle’s Downtown Commercial District is situated on a bluff overlooking the canal and river. The stretch of historic canal within the city boundaries remains watered and retains two of its stone lift locks. Lock 14 has been restored and its wooden gates reconstructed. Lock 15 is largely submerged but its upper courses of stone remain visible. It is situated in-between the former Canal Boat Basin (to the east) and Steamboat Basin (to the west), the outlines of which remain discernible. The LaSalle Downtown Commercial District exhibits a grid street pattern with its two primary streets— First and Second—oriented in an east-west direction. Midwestern towns of the mid to late 19th century often have a linear configuration, where commercial buildings extend along a single thoroughfare that parallels a major transportation route, such as a road, river, or railroad. In the case of LaSalle, First and Second streets parallel the I&M Canal, the Illinois River, and the railroad tracks situated below the bluff. Its secondary cross streets—Wright, Gooding, Marquette and Joliet—descend southward to the waterways and train tracks. The downtown is compact and walkable and its wide streets readily accommodate the automobile with diagonal parking. A small number of narrow service alleys run behind properties. 4 United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 LaSalle Downtown Commercial District LaSalle County, Illinois Name of Property County and State Typical streetscape characteristics of a small town business district are found in LaSalle: uniform setbacks, party walls, front sidewalks at the curb line, and street lamps. Downtown buildings are generally sheathed in brick and are one to three stories in height with flat roofs. Both First and Second Streets exhibit a distinctive appearance. First Street—originally known as Main Street—is LaSalle’s oldest commercial thoroughfare. Its cohesive streetscapes feature a generally uniform appearance with small scale buildings about 25 feet in width that share party walls. Most buildings along First Street date to the late 19th century and Italianate is the predominant architectural style. The 700 block of First Street in downtown LaSalle exhibits the city’s best-preserved cluster of canal-era commercial buildings. Most blocks along First Street are intact, except for the south side of the 600 block where several buildings have been razed. In contrast, Second Street was generally developed in the early 20th century. Its buildings—and those on its cross streets—are typically larger, freestanding, and feature a