{"nrhp_refnum":"69000058","name":"Edwards Place","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"700 N. 4th St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Springfield","county":"Sangamon County","state":"IL","lat":39.809506559000056,"lon":-89.65031779599997,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1969-12-17","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"Edwards Place is a 14-room, 2-1/2 story brick house at 700 North Fourth Street in Springfield, Sangamon County, Illinois. The oldest part, now the kitchen areas, dates to 1833, and the house was enlarged in the 1850s.","why_significant":"The nomination presents the house as the oldest house on its own grounds in Springfield and a long-time center of the city's cultural life. It was the home of Benjamin S. Edwards, whose family was linked to Abraham Lincoln, and it hosted guests during Lincoln's funeral. It is also described as an outstanding Italianate Villa with no equal in Springfield for that period.","narrative":"Edwards Place is a 14-room brick house at 700 North Fourth Street in Springfield. Its oldest section, now the kitchen areas, was built in 1833 by Dr. Thomas Houghan. Benjamin S. Edwards, a lawyer and son of Illinois governor Ninian Edwards, bought the house in 1843 and in the 1850s enlarged it from a story and a half into a spacious Italianate villa with thick brick walls, deep bracketed cornices and a cupola. The home was a center of social and political life before and during the Civil War. Abraham Lincoln once spoke from an upper window to a crowd in the grove, and guests stayed there during Lincoln's funeral. Edwards's daughter deeded the property to the Springfield Art Association in 1913, and it has served as a club, museum and art school since. A gallery was added in 1937-38 and enlarged in 1968-69. The nomination calls it the finest example of its period style in the city.","period_of_significance":"19th Century (specific dates: 1833 original part, enlarged ca. 1850)","architect_builder":"Built by Dr. Thomas Houghan (original portion); enlarged by Benjamin S. Edwards","architectural_style":"Italianate Villa","criteria":[],"status_note":"Good condition; occupied and used as a museum and art association facility, with an adjoining gallery and studio for art classes.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:55:35.542701-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/0/8940/28894000/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_IL/69000058.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/69000058/964438a1c6-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/69000058/964438a1c6-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Notmatisse","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:EdwardsPlace.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Notmatisse</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:EdwardsPlace.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/28894000","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edwards_Place","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q19461546"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/illinois/sangamon-county/edwards-place-69000058/"}