{"nrhp_refnum":"78001116","name":"Griggs, Clark R., House","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"505 W. Main St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Urbana","county":"Champaign County","state":"IL","lat":40.113438848000044,"lon":-88.21370647299995,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1978-11-30","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Transportation","Politics/Government","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A small two-story Italianate brick residence at 505 West Main Street in Urbana, Champaign County, Illinois, built in 1871 by Clark R. Griggs.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the house is one of the last Italianate buildings in Urbana and keeps an unusual degree of architectural integrity, with both exterior and interior largely intact. It is also tied to Clark R. Griggs, an influential figure who helped win the land grant university for Urbana and developed railroads.","narrative":"Built in 1871, this small two-story brick house at 505 West Main Street in Urbana is a well-preserved example of Italianate design. Paired brackets support the projecting eaves, basket-handle brickwork tops the windows, and the front porch carries fleur-de-lis trim and an X-patterned balustrade. The bricks were handmade in sand molds, the foundation is random-cut limestone, and the floor joists are sawn walnut. Inside, a curved stairway with its original walnut handrail, leather paneling and an etched glass window remain. Two early additions provided kitchen space, and little else has changed. The house was built by Clark R. Griggs, a Massachusetts native who farmed near Philo, served as a sutler in the Civil War, became mayor of Urbana, and as a legislator helped bring the land grant university to Urbana. He also developed railroads in several states. His son, not Griggs himself, lived in the house. It is valued for its integrity, its rarity locally, and its link to Griggs.","period_of_significance":"1800-1899","architect_builder":"Built by Clark R. Griggs; no architect named","architectural_style":"Italianate","criteria":[],"status_note":"Occupied private residence; altered only by early additions and modern plumbing and heating, with little change since 1871.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:55:35.042274-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/28/8918/28891828/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_IL/78001116.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/78001116/adfecb75ca-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/78001116/adfecb75ca-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0 us","author":"Dori","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:ClarkRGriggsHouse_Urbana_Illinois_4436.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Dori</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/us/deed.en\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 3.0 us</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:ClarkRGriggsHouse_Urbana_Illinois_4436.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/28891828","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clark_R._Griggs_House","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q18151125"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/illinois/champaign-county/griggs-clark-r-house-78001116/"}