{"nrhp_refnum":"04000983","name":"Koerner, Gustave, House","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"200 Abend St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Belleville","county":"St. Clair County","state":"IL","lat":38.51341595900004,"lon":-89.97784816099994,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"2004-09-17","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Politics/Government","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["national"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A two-story brick Greek Revival house at 200 Abend Street in Belleville, St. Clair County, Illinois, built in 1848-1849 and rebuilt in 1854-1855 for lawyer and politician Gustave Koerner.","why_significant":"The house is nominated for national significance under Criterion B for its association with Gustave Koerner, who was a prominent figure in local, state and national politics. He helped found the Republican Party, was a close ally of Abraham Lincoln, and gave the German community in Illinois and the Midwest a political voice. It is also listed for architecture, and Koerner lived there until his death in 1896.","narrative":"This large two-story brick house at 200 Abend Street in Belleville, Illinois, was built in 1848-1849 and rebuilt in 1854-1855 as the home of Gustave Koerner. It has a side-hall plan, a rear service wing, limestone foundations and modest Greek Revival details such as a recessed entrance with transom and sidelights. Around 1875 the eaves were extended and a pentagonal bay was added to the rear wing. Koerner was born in Germany, fled to the United States in 1833 and became a lawyer, state supreme court justice and lieutenant governor. He broke with the Democrats over the Kansas-Nebraska Act, helped organize the Republican Party, aided Abraham Lincoln's campaigns and served as minister to Spain from 1862 to 1864. He lived in the house until his death in 1896. Late twentieth-century apartment conversion left the staircase, mantels, trim and floor plan largely intact. The property is listed for his political importance and for its architecture. It is currently vacant.","period_of_significance":"1849-1896 (Politics/Government); 1855 (Architecture)","architect_builder":"Unknown","architectural_style":"Greek Revival","criteria":["B"],"status_note":"Converted to a four-unit apartment building in the late twentieth century; current function listed as vacant/not in use, with restoration plans to remove non-original partitions and ceilings.","vacant_flag":true,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:55:37.351634-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/54/8941/28894154/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_IL/04000983.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/04000983/95fa3ca835-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/04000983/95fa3ca835-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Mascou","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Koerner-haus-2009.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Mascou</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Koerner-haus-2009.jpg"},"district":{"nrhp_refnum":"76002165","name":"Belleville Historic District","url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/districts/illinois/belleville-historic-district-76002165/"},"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/28894154","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gustave_Koerner_House","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5621298"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/illinois/st-clair-county/koerner-gustave-house-04000983/"}