{"nrhp_refnum":"83000302","name":"Skinner, Richard M., House","other_names":["The House with the Deer"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"627 E. Peru St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Princeton","county":"Bureau County","state":"IL","lat":41.37179684700004,"lon":-89.45379566099996,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1983-02-10","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A three-story Second Empire style house at 627 East Peru Street in Princeton, Bureau County, Illinois, built in 1878 and known locally as \"The House with the Deer.\" The nominated site also includes a small octagonal garden structure.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the house is a notable example of Second Empire domestic architecture with Italianate features. It was the first home of this style in the immediate area, where large homes had mostly been Georgian, Gothic, Greek and Colonial Revival. It was designed by Princeton-born architect Joseph Plummer Bryant.","narrative":"Built in 1878 at 627 East Peru Street in Princeton, Illinois, this three-story house with a brick basement is known locally as \"The House with the Deer,\" for the cast-iron deer that has stood on its lawn since the 1890s. It was designed by Joseph Plummer Bryant, a Princeton-born architect who trained in Chicago. The house shows Second Empire character through its mansard roof with concave sides, seven dormer windows and a defined central front pavilion, along with Italianate touches such as bracketed eaves. Ornamental veranda moulding was made in West Flushing, Long Island. Inside, the symmetrical plan, oak floors, six fireplaces, shutters and staircase survive. Available evidence suggests this was the first Second Empire home in the area, where other large houses followed Georgian, Gothic, Greek and Colonial Revival styles. A small octagonal garden structure also stands on the grounds. The house was listed for its architectural achievement and its preserved period features.","period_of_significance":"1800-1899","architect_builder":"Joseph Plummer Bryant","architectural_style":"Second Empire, with Italianate features","criteria":[],"status_note":"Described as in excellent condition, altered, on its original site, and occupied as a private residence; the current owners have restored interior and exterior features.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:55:35.14085-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/44/8917/28891744/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_IL/83000302.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/83000302/6002acfb02-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/83000302/6002acfb02-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"JERRYE AND ROY KLOTZ MD","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:RICHARD_M._SKINNER_HOUSE;_BUREAU_COUNTY,_ILLINOIS.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">JERRYE AND ROY KLOTZ MD</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:RICHARD_M._SKINNER_HOUSE;_BUREAU_COUNTY,_ILLINOIS.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/28891744","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_M._Skinner_House","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q24883353"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/illinois/bureau-county/skinner-richard-m-house-83000302/"}