{"nrhp_refnum":"82002606","name":"Allen, Willis, House","other_names":["Bernard A. Paul Home"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"514 S. Market St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Marion","county":"Williamson County","state":"IL","lat":37.726785128000074,"lon":-88.92748205699996,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1982-02-11","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Law","Politics/Government"],"significance_levels":["state"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A two-story, ell-shaped brick Italianate dwelling at 514 South Market Street in Marion, Williamson County, Illinois, built in 1854 by Congressman Willis Allen as the main house of his farm.","why_significant":"The house was built by Willis Allen, the first Williamson County man elected to the U.S. House of Representatives. Allen also taught law to future prominent lawyers including John A. Logan and Robert G. Ingersoll. The nomination calls it the oldest house in Marion and a fine example of pre-Civil War architecture.","narrative":"Built in 1854 at 514 South Market Street in Marion, Illinois, this two-story brick house was the main residence of Willis Allen's farm. Allen, a Congressman and judge, was the first Williamson County man to serve in the U.S. House of Representatives. The ell-shaped Italianate dwelling has four-course brick exterior walls on a sandstone foundation, a hipped roof with an extended cornice and paired three-point arch braces, and a rear wing with a steep gable roof. Builders used handmade bricks, hardwoods cut on the farm, and hardwood pegs. Allen also trained young men in law by apprenticeship, including John A. Logan and Robert G. Ingersoll, and he helped pass the legislation that created Williamson County. The house lost its front porch in the 1940s and had interior changes, but it keeps two working fireplaces and a walnut staircase. It is described as the oldest house in Marion and sits on the last of the city's brick-paved streets.","period_of_significance":"1800-1899 (specific date 1854)","architect_builder":"Unknown (built by Willis Allen using local craftsmen)","architectural_style":"Italianate","criteria":[],"status_note":"Occupied private residence in excellent condition, with some exterior and interior alterations.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:55:35.570831-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/65/8943/28894365/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_IL/82002606.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/82002606/f07178e528-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/82002606/f07178e528-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Nyttend","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Willis_Allen_House.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Nyttend</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Willis_Allen_House.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/28894365","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Willis_Allen_House","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q16238563"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/illinois/williamson-county/allen-willis-house-82002606/"}