{"nrhp_refnum":"07000475","name":"Westclox Manufacturing Plant Historic District","other_names":[],"category":"district","location":{"address":"300-315 5th St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Peru","county":"LaSalle County","state":"IL","lat":41.32924763300005,"lon":-89.10782443109147,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"2007-06-01","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Industry"],"significance_levels":["national"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"An industrial historic district at 300-315 5th Street (US Route 6) in Peru, La Salle County, Illinois, on the north bank of the Illinois River. It holds the surviving buildings of the Westclox clock factory, which grew from an 1885 start to a plant of over 600,000 square feet.","why_significant":"The district is significant under Criterion A for its contribution to the economic and social development of Peru, the Illinois River area, the state and the nation, and for advances in time mechanisms. Clocks, alarms, watches and military fuses were produced here and shipped worldwide. The period of significance runs from 1885 to 1956, when the major additions were complete.","narrative":"Along US Route 6 in Peru, Illinois, a sprawling brick factory complex marks the site where Westclox made clocks from 1885 until the plant closed in 1980. Over decades, new buildings were joined to old ones, producing what reads as one very large structure of more than 600,000 square feet. Forty-four buildings once stood here; twenty-one remain, after the mechanical buildings and smokestacks were demolished following closure. The buildings facing Route 6, largely designed by architect Victor Andre Matteson, have pilasters, patterned brick and terra cotta ornament, and a main entrance with a steel clock face. An administration building from 1922 sits across the road. Clocks, alarms, watches and military fuses made here reached customers across the country and abroad. The district was listed for its role in the economic development of Peru and the region and for advances in time mechanisms, with a significance period of 1885 to 1956.","period_of_significance":"1885-1956","architect_builder":"Matteson, Victor Andre","architectural_style":"Early 20th Century Industrial","criteria":["A"],"status_note":"The plant closed in 1980; of the original 44 buildings, 21 remain. Current uses listed are commerce (specialty stores) and office. Route 6 windows of Building #15 were boarded up in the early 2000s, and roof maintenance problems have caused glass breakage and water damage.","vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:55:37.555512-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/23/8934/28893423/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_IL/07000475.pdf"},"photo":null,"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/28893423","wikipedia":null,"wikidata":null},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/illinois/lasalle-county/westclox-manufacturing-plant-historic-district-07000475/"}