{"nrhp_refnum":"07000453","name":"Geister, Christian, House","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"302 S. Main St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Algonquin","county":"McHenry County","state":"IL","lat":42.165359942000066,"lon":-88.29405818199996,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"2007-09-25","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A three-story frame Queen Anne house at 302 South Main Street in Algonquin, McHenry County, Illinois, completed in 1894 and presumed built by local carpenter Amos Wilburn.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the house is a good local example of Queen Anne architecture under Criterion C. It retains its turret, patterned shingles, sunbursts, roundels, porches and other ornamentation, with its exterior largely unchanged since 1909.","narrative":"Completed in 1894 at 302 South Main Street in Algonquin, Illinois, this three-story frame house is a Queen Anne residence with a steeply pitched cross-gabled roof and a square corner turret. Wood clapboard covers a limestone foundation, and the exterior carries patterned shingles, fish scales, brackets, scrolls, sunbursts, roundels and gingerbread. Leaded stained glass windows, an etched Eastlake door and two-story and east porches add to the detail. Local carpenter Amos Wilburn is presumed to have built it, based on his name carved into a stair plank found during a 2004 rehabilitation. Local newspapers called the house palatial when it was new. It was later converted to sleeping rooms during World War II and is now a business. Apart from a 1909 porch and a removable ADA ramp, the exterior is described as unchanged since completion. It was listed for its value as a good local example of Queen Anne architecture.","period_of_significance":"1894","architect_builder":"Wilburn, Amos","architectural_style":"Late Victorian: Queen Anne","criteria":["C"],"status_note":"Now used as a business (specialty store/spa). Rehabilitated in 2004 with new plumbing, electrical work and added interior walls; an easily removable ADA ramp was added.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:55:37.48437-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/30/8936/28893630/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_IL/07000453.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/07000453/751bd78c83-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/07000453/751bd78c83-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Smallbones","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Christian_Geister_House.JPG\" rel=\"noopener\">Smallbones</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Christian_Geister_House.JPG"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/28893630","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_Geister_House","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q14687448"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/illinois/mchenry-county/geister-christian-house-07000453/"}