{"nrhp_refnum":"78001163","name":"Jones House","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"314 E. Madison St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Pontiac","county":"Livingston County","state":"IL","lat":40.87946924700003,"lon":-88.62590347599996,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1978-05-05","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Commerce","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A two-story brick Gothic Revival residence at 314 E. Madison Street in Pontiac, Livingston County, Illinois, finished in 1858 for John Dehner. The architect and builder are unknown.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the house is architecturally important because it is locally unique: one of the few pre-Civil War Gothic Revival residences surviving in Livingston County and the second oldest brick house in Pontiac. It is also significant as the home of two prominent Pontiac businessmen, John Dehner and later Henry C. Jones.","narrative":"Built in 1858 at 314 E. Madison Street in Pontiac, this two-story brick house is a pre-Civil War example of Gothic Revival design. It has 8-inch brick bearing walls on a limestone rubble and brick foundation, a symmetrical five-bay front, and three gables with Gothic casement windows. The original front door with sidelights and transom survives, and much of the interior plaster, pine flooring, trim, doors and stairs remains. Its architect and builder are unknown. The house is considered locally unique as one of few surviving pre-Civil War Gothic Revival residences in Livingston County and the second oldest brick house in Pontiac. It was first the home of John Dehner, a businessman involved in an early railroad venture and the area's first coal mining operation. Later it was home to Henry C. Jones, who founded the Free Press and developed the local light and power company. After fire damage in 1975, the county historical society bought it in 1976 to restore it as a museum.","period_of_significance":"1800-1899","architect_builder":"unknown","architectural_style":"Gothic Revival","criteria":[],"status_note":"Damaged by fire in 1975 and slated for demolition, then bought by the county historical society in 1976 for restoration as a county museum; condition marked fair and altered.","vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:55:35.589858-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/57/8934/28893457/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_IL/78001163.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/78001163/6dc926a5e4-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/78001163/6dc926a5e4-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"IvoShandor","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Pontiac_IL_Jones_House5.JPG\" rel=\"noopener\">IvoShandor</a>, <a href=\"http://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:Pontiac_IL_Jones_House5.JPG"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/28893457","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jones_House_(Pontiac,_Illinois)","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1703377"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/illinois/livingston-county/jones-house-78001163/"}