{"nrhp_refnum":"83000310","name":"Harrer Building","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"8051 Lincoln Ave.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Skokie","county":"Cook County","state":"IL","lat":42.02761221600008,"lon":-87.75406769199998,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1983-02-17","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Commerce","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A two-story brick Italianate commercial building at 8051 Lincoln Avenue in Skokie (formerly Niles Center), Cook County, Illinois. Michael Harrer built it in 1874 as a meat market with family living quarters above.","why_significant":"The nomination presents it as the oldest commercial structure in Skokie and a good example of Italianate commercial architecture in the late 19th century. It is also tied to the Harrer family, who helped establish local government, including Adam Harrer, the village's first president. It served as a base for early local commerce on the town's main street.","narrative":"Built in 1874 by Michael Harrer, this two-story brick building on Lincoln Avenue in Skokie, then called Niles Center, served as the town's first meat market, with the family living upstairs. It is described as the oldest commercial structure in Skokie and the only one built in the Italianate style. Features include semicircular-headed windows, hooded second-story windows with prominent keystones, and a broad frieze with double brackets. A keystone over the attic window carries the 1874 construction date. The storefront was remodeled in the 1960s, and a dormer, concrete steps and a cellar stairway were added around 1950. Later uses included a warehouse, flower shop, dress shop and delicatessen. The Harrer family took part in local government: Michael served as a village trustee, his son Adam became the first village president in 1888, and Michael's brother Henry held several local offices. The building is valued as an early commercial structure linked to the village's growth.","period_of_significance":"1800-1899","architect_builder":"Builder: Michael Harrer; architect unknown","architectural_style":"Italianate","criteria":[],"status_note":"Described as in good condition and occupied; the first floor is commercial (a delicatessen at the time of the form) and the building is also used as a private residence. The storefront was altered, and restoration was intended.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:55:36.004811-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/38/8922/28892238/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_IL/83000310.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/83000310/c61173f0bc-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/83000310/c61173f0bc-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 4.0","author":"Zol87 from Chicago, IL, USA","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Harrer_Building.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Zol87 from Chicago, IL, USA</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 4.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Harrer_Building.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/28892238","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harrer_Building","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5663899"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/illinois/cook-county/harrer-building-83000310/"}