{"nrhp_refnum":"76000731","name":"Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Hall","other_names":["Memorial Hall"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"211--215 N. Main St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Rockford","county":"Winnebago County","state":"IL","lat":42.27247962100006,"lon":-89.09311360899994,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1976-01-31","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Military","Politics/Government"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A neoclassic memorial hall of Bedford stone at 211-215 North Main Street in downtown Rockford, Winnebago County, Illinois, built in 1903 at a cost of $59,136.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the hall is militarily significant for its Civil War and Spanish-American War artifacts and as the meeting place for local veterans groups. It is also believed to be the first war memorial building dedicated to veterans of all wars. Politically, it was dedicated on June 3, 1903 by President Theodore Roosevelt. State staff later argued it qualifies for local significance and architecture.","narrative":"Memorial Hall, at 211-215 North Main Street in downtown Rockford, is a neoclassic building of Bedford stone completed in 1903 for $59,136. Its columns are about three feet across and thirty feet high. The lower level holds a kitchen, a dining room seating roughly 240, and game rooms. The main floor has a Post Room decorated with oak carvings and Civil War paintings, a display hall of war artifacts, and a reading room. A third-floor auditorium with a balcony holds about 600. For many years it served as the social center of Rockford, hosting weddings, dances and parties, and it remains home to veterans groups. Its collection includes Civil War uniforms, weapons and diaries, along with Spanish-American War items. Research suggested it was the first war memorial building dedicated to veterans of all wars rather than only the Civil War. President Theodore Roosevelt dedicated it on June 3, 1903, speaking from the front steps. Exterior changes are limited to sandblasting and a fire escape added in 1965.","period_of_significance":"1903","architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":"Neoclassic (Neo-Classical Revival)","criteria":[],"status_note":"Occupied and in use as a museum and meeting place for veterans groups; condition good, with only minor alterations (sandblasting and fire escape in 1965, new boiler, electrical work).","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:55:35.287226-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/29/8944/28894429/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_IL/76000731.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/76000731/3967682161-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/76000731/3967682161-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY 2.5","author":"IvoShandor","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Rockford_Il_Memorial_Hall2.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">IvoShandor</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:Rockford_Il_Memorial_Hall2.jpg"},"district":{"nrhp_refnum":"07000899","name":"West Downtown Rockford Historic District","url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/districts/illinois/west-downtown-rockford-historic-district-07000899/"},"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/28894429","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Memorial_Hall_(Rockford,_Illinois)","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q6815436"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/illinois/winnebago-county/soldiers-and-sailors-memorial-hall-76000731/"}