{"nrhp_refnum":"76000725","name":"West Bluff Historic District","other_names":["See Also:Judge Jacob Gale House","Pettingill-Morron House"],"category":"district","location":{"address":"Randolph, High and Moss Sts., E of Western St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Peoria","county":"Peoria County","state":"IL","lat":40.69702683050005,"lon":-89.60874011465953,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1976-12-17","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Transportation","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["state"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A residential historic district of about 365 acres on the bluffs above the Illinois River in Peoria, Illinois, centered on Randolph, High, and Moss streets. Its buildings date mainly from about 1850 to 1930.","why_significant":"The nomination calls the district a well-preserved reminder of the wealth and tastes of Peoria's notables in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Its architecture is of better than average quality, and parts of Randolph, High, and Moss are described as unsurpassed in the state. The largely undeveloped bluff face gives the large houses along the crest an open setting. Residents of the area helped Peoria grow into a major industrial center.","narrative":"West Bluff Historic District covers roughly 365 acres on the bluffs above the Illinois River in Peoria. It is mainly a residential neighborhood of single-family houses, with masonry buildings nearest the bluff edge and frame houses toward the interior. The largest houses sit along the crest, especially on Randolph, High, and Moss streets, while more modest homes lie behind them. Styles range from Italianate and French Second Empire to Queen Anne, Classical Revival, and other revival forms, and the district includes two works by Frank Lloyd Wright and the Prairie School. Settlement began with farming in the 1840s, and more intensive residential building followed around mid-century as the city's commercial center expanded. The district was judged significant for its well-preserved architecture and for the open bluff setting, and for the prominent Peoria business and civic figures who lived there. A few modern commercial buildings, parking lots, and apartment buildings are noted as intrusions, mostly in the eastern part.","period_of_significance":"1900- (box checked); text also refers to the 19th and early 20th centuries","architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":"Mixed 19th and early 20th century styles: Italianate, French Second Empire, Queen Anne, Classical Revival, other revival styles, and Prairie School","criteria":[],"status_note":"Condition marked excellent; occupied. Land use is predominantly residential, with some commercial, religious, and educational uses and a few modern intrusions.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:55:35.295718-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/61/8938/28893861/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_IL/76000725.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/76000725/a0b0701f8f-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/76000725/a0b0701f8f-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY 2.0","author":"mrknightgbs","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Francis_W_Little_House_I_(Modified).jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">mrknightgbs</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY 2.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Francis_W_Little_House_I_(Modified).jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/28893861","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_Bluff_Historic_District","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7984492"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/illinois/peoria-county/west-bluff-historic-district-76000725/"}