{"nrhp_refnum":"72000467","name":"Will County Historical Society Headquarters","other_names":["Illinois and Michigan Canal Office Building","See Also:Lockpor"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"803 S. State St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Lockport","county":"Will County","state":"IL","lat":41.58919069700005,"lon":-88.05479101799995,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1972-05-17","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Commerce","Engineering","Transportation"],"significance_levels":["national"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A building at 803 South State Street, Lockport, Will County, Illinois, built in 1845 as the office of the Illinois and Michigan Canal Commission. A two-story residence wing was added in the decade after the Civil War, and the building now serves as a museum.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the building is significant for its association with the Illinois and Michigan Canal, described as the single most important force in the development of northern Illinois. It was the first building of importance erected in Lockport, a town laid out in 1836 to serve as canal headquarters. It also illustrates two popular nineteenth-century architectural styles.","narrative":"Built in 1845 at 803 South State Street in Lockport, this building first served as the office of the Illinois and Michigan Canal Commission. It is a modified example of Greek Revival design, with a symmetrical facade, a low hipped roof, a recessed porch, and classical detailing over the windows and on the porch posts. A two-story residence wing was added at the south end in the decade after the Civil War. Its low pitched roof, deeply moulded eaves, heavy brackets and turned porch supports are Victorian in character, though its window sizes echo the earlier structure. The Commission laid out Lockport in 1836 as canal headquarters, and this office was the first building of importance erected in the town. The canal, completed in 1848, was central to northern Illinois development and helped Chicago overtake St. Louis economically. The building now houses a historical society museum and was documented in a 1936 historic buildings survey.","period_of_significance":"19th Century (specific date 1845, construction)","architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":"Modified Greek Revival (1845 office); Victorian (post-Civil War residence wing)","criteria":[],"status_note":"Listed as occupied and in fair condition, used as a museum by the Will County Historical Society. A later grant covered rebuilding three brick chimneys, repairing roof framing and installing a new roof.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:55:35.993493-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/53/8943/28894353/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_IL/72000467.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/72000467/30d82c2d52-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/72000467/30d82c2d52-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Teemu08 at en.wikipedia","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:WillCoHS.JPG\" rel=\"noopener\">Teemu08 at en.wikipedia</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:WillCoHS.JPG"},"district":{"nrhp_refnum":"11000907","name":"Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal Historic District","url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/districts/illinois/chicago-sanitary-and-ship-canal-historic-district-11000907/"},"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/28894353","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Will_County_Historical_Society_Headquarters","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q16903444"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/illinois/will-county/will-county-historical-society-headquarters-72000467/"}