{"nrhp_refnum":"80001411","name":"Freeman, Clarkson W., House","other_names":["Freeman-Hughes House"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"704 W. Monroe St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Springfield","county":"Sangamon County","state":"IL","lat":39.79928790500003,"lon":-89.66382278399999,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1980-09-29","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A two-story frame single-family house built in 1878 at 704 West Monroe Street, Springfield, Sangamon County, Illinois, for Clarkson W. Freeman. It is also known as the Freeman-Hughes House.","why_significant":"The nomination presents the house as a simple vernacular structure embellished with high-style elements to make it more fashionable. Its Carpenter-Gothic trim is described as the most elaborate of any surviving in Springfield. The house also remained in one family for about a century and retains original furniture.","narrative":"Built in 1878 on West Monroe Street in Springfield, this two-story frame house was the home of Clarkson W. Freeman, a farmer who later worked in the transfer and storage business, and his wife Katherine. Its form is a vernacular take on the Italianate, with two perpendicular wings, a front porch, a bay window, steeply pitched gable roofs and tall, narrow shuttered windows. Intricate Carpenter-Gothic woodwork on the porch and gable ends is described as the most elaborate surviving in the city. The house stayed in the Freeman family, passing to a nephew, Arthur Freeman Hughes, in the 1920s. Changes were modest: a garage and storage room added in the 1930s, removal of three exterior chimneys in the 1960s, and a replaced front door. Original stairways, doors, hardware, trim and furniture survive inside. Its listing reflects its architectural character and its remarkably intact condition.","period_of_significance":"1878-c.1930","architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":"Vernacular Italianate with Carpenter-Gothic detailing","criteria":[],"status_note":"Described as in good condition, occupied, and used as a private residence and museum; the owners intended to create a museum of late 19th century lifestyle and local history.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:55:35.910595-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/30/8940/28894030/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_IL/80001411.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/80001411/c4d828bdb8-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/80001411/c4d828bdb8-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Jaknelaps","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Clarkson_W_Freeman_House.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Jaknelaps</a>, <a href=\"https://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:Clarkson_W_Freeman_House.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/28894030","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clarkson_W._Freeman_House","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q19461840"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/illinois/sangamon-county/freeman-clarkson-w-house-80001411/"}