{"nrhp_refnum":"06001019","name":"Brown Shoe Company Factory","other_names":["Big Four Commons Branch of Brown Shoe Co.","Adenca, Inc."],"category":"building","location":{"address":"212 S. State St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Litchfield","county":"Montgomery County","state":"IL","lat":39.173989590000076,"lon":-89.65463041899994,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"2006-11-15","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Industry"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A four-story red brick factory and office building at 212 South State Street in Litchfield, Montgomery County, Illinois, completed by early 1917 for the Brown Shoe Company. It was designed by St. Louis architect Albert Barleton Groves and expanded in 1922-1924.","why_significant":"The factory is significant under Criterion A in the area of Industry. It was built with community-raised funds in a record fifty working days, and became one of Litchfield's largest industries. It provided many needed jobs from 1917 until the early 1950s.","narrative":"This four-story red brick factory and office building at 212 South State Street in Litchfield, Illinois, was built for the Brown Shoe Company and finished by early 1917. St. Louis architect Albert Barleton Groves designed it, with Murch Brothers Construction Company as contractor. Originally T-shaped, it gained additions in 1922 and the mid-1920s that produced its present F shape. Its plain, open floors hold wooden columns and wood flooring, and the exterior still carries painted company lettering. The factory was financed with a reported $70,000 raised by the community, which competed to attract the company, and it was erected in fifty working days. Hundreds of workers were making shoes within weeks of completion, and the plant supplied many jobs in Litchfield and nearby towns until the early 1950s. It is recognized for its role in local industry between 1917 and 1956. A 1957 restroom wing, later shop and loading dock additions, and a rebuilt powerhouse are considered non-contributing.","period_of_significance":"1917-1956","architect_builder":"Groves, Albert Barleton (architect); Aegerter, A. A. (structural engineer); Murch Brothers Construction Company (contractor)","architectural_style":"Late 19th and 20th Century American Movements: Industrial","criteria":["A"],"status_note":"Current function listed as vacant; the building is described as in good condition overall, though interiors show deterioration, and the separate powerhouse has been condemned by the city.","vacant_flag":true,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:55:37.615755-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/63/8937/28893763/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_IL/06001019.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/06001019/d8883a0445-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/06001019/d8883a0445-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Adt1982","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Brown_Shoe_Company_Factory.JPG\" rel=\"noopener\">Adt1982</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 3.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Brown_Shoe_Company_Factory.JPG"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/28893763","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brown_Shoe_Company_Factory","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q4976262"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/illinois/montgomery-county/brown-shoe-company-factory-06001019/"}