{"nrhp_refnum":"78003102","name":"Elmwood Cemetery Gates","other_names":[],"category":"structure","location":{"address":"S. Cross and Charles Sts.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Sycamore","county":"DeKalb County","state":"IL","lat":41.98258423300007,"lon":-88.69786025699995,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1978-11-28","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Art"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"Two identical sets of cast and wrought iron entry gates at Elmwood Cemetery in Sycamore, De Kalb County, Illinois, facing Charles Street to the north and South Cross Street to the east. Construction is dated to about 1865, though the exact date is unknown.","why_significant":"The gates are argued to be a notable example of cast iron used for urban furniture at a time when decorative cast iron mostly appeared on building facades. The wrought iron sections show fine craftsmanship, and the overall design joins cast and wrought iron. The Illinois Historic Structures Survey is cited as naming them the best representative of iron cemetery gates in Illinois.","narrative":"Two matching sets of iron entry gates mark the north and east boundaries of Elmwood Cemetery in Sycamore, Illinois, facing Charles Street and South Cross Street. Each set has a wide central double gate flanked by pedestrian gates, in the three-opening Serlian pattern popularized by Palladio. Four square cast iron columns, topped with urns, carry an arch inscribed with the cemetery name and the incorporation date of 1865. Between the columns, the wrought iron gates combine alternating straight and turned posts, bands of scrollwork and trefoil finials. Early cemetery records burned, so the construction date is uncertain, but 1865 newspaper notices of the cemetery's incorporation suggest the gates belonged to the original plan. The gates were listed because they show cast iron used for street and grounds furnishing rather than building fronts, paired with skilled wrought iron work. A state survey named them the best example of iron cemetery gates in Illinois, and no alterations are known.","period_of_significance":"1865 (?)","architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":"Serlian (Palladian) motif tripartite gates","criteria":[],"status_note":"Described as being in good condition, with no known alterations to the north or east gates; the cemetery remains in operation as a separate corporation.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:55:34.524515-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/22/8927/28892722/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_IL/78003102.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/78003102/df7cc2972e-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/78003102/df7cc2972e-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY 2.5","author":"Andy McMurray","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:ElmwoodCemeteryGates1.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:ElmwoodCemeteryGates1.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/28892722","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elmwood_Cemetery_Gates","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5366964"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/illinois/dekalb-county/elmwood-cemetery-gates-78003102/"}