{"nrhp_refnum":"80001341","name":"Briggs, Alexander, House","other_names":["The Stone House"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"210 Jackson St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Charleston","county":"Coles County","state":"IL","lat":39.49349064100005,"lon":-88.18552112199995,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1980-05-31","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Community Planning and Development","Architecture","Social History"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A two-story sandstone house at 210 Jackson Street in Charleston, Coles County, Illinois, built in 1894 for Alexander Briggs, a stonemason and contractor. It is also known as The Stone House.","why_significant":"The house is tied to Alexander Briggs, a skilled mason and prominent Charleston citizen of the late nineteenth century. It is the only completely stone house known to be standing in Coles County. It is an unusual vernacular interpretation of Italianate and Renaissance Revival styles that were waning in larger cities by 1894.","narrative":"Built in 1894 at 210 Jackson Street in Charleston, Illinois, this two-story house is made of rough-faced native sandstone quarried within three miles of town. Roughly thirty by thirty-nine feet, it has a rusticated limestone basement, limestone quoins, and five belt courses of marble, sandstone and granite. Windows have segmental arch heads in two colors of stone. A contemporary newspaper described a slate roof, tile-lined walls and modern conveniences including electric lights and a hot air furnace. The house was built by Alexander Briggs, who learned stonemasonry from his father, studied the trade in Europe, and ran a marble and monument business before working as a contractor. His projects included the county jail and Old Main at Eastern Illinois University. The house is considered the only entirely stone house known in Coles County. Its low roof and tall windows recall Illinois Italianate houses, while its stark massing suggests Renaissance Revival influence.","period_of_significance":"1800-1899","architect_builder":"Alexander Briggs","architectural_style":"Vernacular Italianate with Renaissance Revival influence","criteria":[],"status_note":"Listed as a private residence; occupied. Alterations include an asphalt roof replacing slate, an attached carport, and a wash house converted to a garage in the 1920s.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:55:35.522165-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/92/8918/28891892/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_IL/80001341.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/80001341/34845c53ab-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/80001341/34845c53ab-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Nyttend","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Alexander_Briggs_House.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Nyttend</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Alexander_Briggs_House.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/28891892","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_Briggs_House","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q16824347"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/illinois/coles-county/briggs-alexander-house-80001341/"}