{"nrhp_refnum":"82002589","name":"Mercer County Courthouse","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"SE 3rd St. (IL 17)","address_restricted":false,"city":"Aledo","county":"Mercer County","state":"IL","lat":41.19948743700007,"lon":-90.74880964299996,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1982-06-17","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Politics/Government"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A three-story Romanesque sandstone county courthouse on SE Third Street (Illinois Highway 17) in Aledo, Mercer County, Illinois, built in 1894 to designs by M. E. Bell.","why_significant":"The courthouse has strongly influenced the life and development of Aledo's rural farm community and is the town's dominant structure. It was funded through a public-private effort by county residents. It also relates to the DuPage County Courthouse, a more elaborate design by the same architect, and retains its essential character despite window replacement.","narrative":"Rising above the farm town of Aledo, Illinois, the Mercer County Courthouse is a three-story Romanesque building of Berea sandstone completed after its cornerstone was laid in April 1894. Its five vertical sections, arched doorways on ornamental columns, flanking spires and central clock tower with belfry and observation deck make it the dominant structure in the community. The county seat was decided in Aledo's favor by an 1857 election over Keithsburg, and in 1893 the County Board of Supervisors authorized a new courthouse costing no more than $60,000, asking Aledo citizens to contribute $10,000. Residents pledged over $12,000. Architect M. E. Bell also designed the DuPage County Courthouse, a more elaborate version of this plan, and L. L. Leach & Sons served as builder. The original windows were replaced in 1977, yet the building keeps its essential character. Its local importance rests on its role in county government and community development.","period_of_significance":"1800-1899","architect_builder":"L. L. Leach & Sons/M. E. Bell","architectural_style":"Romanesque","criteria":[],"status_note":"Occupied and in good condition; original windows were replaced in 1977 with double-glazed aluminum-frame windows. Three of four entrances are in daily use.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:55:35.26706-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/35/8937/28893735/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_IL/82002589.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/82002589/ceeddcdd6b-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/82002589/ceeddcdd6b-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Boscophotos","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Mercer_County_Courthouse_Image.jpeg\" rel=\"noopener\">Boscophotos</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:Mercer_County_Courthouse_Image.jpeg"},"district":{"nrhp_refnum":"16000328","name":"Downtown Aledo Historic District","url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/districts/illinois/downtown-aledo-historic-district-16000328/"},"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/28893735","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mercer_County_Courthouse_(Illinois)","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q23302813"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/illinois/mercer-county/mercer-county-courthouse-82002589/"}