{"nrhp_refnum":"73000714","name":"Holcomb, William H., House","other_names":["Carl Vandre House"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"526 N. 7th St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Rochelle","county":"Ogle County","state":"IL","lat":41.92311959400007,"lon":-89.07217594099995,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1973-10-25","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["state"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A two-story brick Victorian Italianate house at 526 North Seventh Street in Rochelle, Ogle County, Illinois, built in 1872-73 for railroad man William H. Holcomb.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the house is an excellent example of 1870s design with elaborate interiors, including woodwork, parquet floors, etched glass and ornate fireplaces seldom seen even in elegant Chicago houses. It is also significant for Holcomb, who served as Rochelle's third mayor and was superintendent of four railroad lines important to the growth of U.S. rail transportation.","narrative":"Built in 1872-73 of locally made brick with limestone trim, this two-story house at 526 North Seventh Street in Rochelle shows the Victorian Italianate style through its large wooden cornice, widely projecting eaves and ornate brackets. Inside, a central hall ends in an oval spiraling staircase lit by an oval skylight. Rooms include a parlor and dining room with marble fireplaces and mirrored overmantles, a dining room with leather-like papier mache wall covering, and a library mantle with gold-leafed figures holding torches. The lot is surrounded by a wrought iron fence of the same date as the house. It was built for William Horace Holcomb, a Civil War veteran who came to Rochelle in 1871 as a railroad freight agent. He later served as alderman, mayor and school board member, and became superintendent of several railroads. The house is valued for its architecture and interiors, and for Holcomb's role in railway development.","period_of_significance":"1872-73","architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":"Victorian Italianate","criteria":[],"status_note":"Condition listed as excellent; used as a private residence and returned almost to its original condition after minor alterations.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:55:35.046148-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/1/8938/28893801/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_IL/73000714.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/73000714/d2a48d3eaa-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/73000714/d2a48d3eaa-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY 2.5","author":"Andy McMurray","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Rochelle_Holcomb_House1.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Andy McMurray</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.5\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY 2.5</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Rochelle_Holcomb_House1.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/28893801","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_H._Holcomb_House","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q8010448"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/illinois/ogle-county/holcomb-william-h-house-73000714/"}