{"nrhp_refnum":"83000319","name":"Stolp Woolen Mill Store","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"2 W. Downer Pl.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Aurora","county":"Kane County","state":"IL","lat":41.75702047100003,"lon":-88.31648290799995,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1983-09-01","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Industry","Commerce","Exploration/Settlement"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A two-story, 80' by 25' brick commercial building on Stolp Island at the corner of Downer Place and Stolp Avenue in downtown Aurora, Kane County, Illinois. It was built in 1860-61 as a salesroom for Joseph G. Stolp's woolen mill and extended in 1889.","why_significant":"It is one of the oldest surviving buildings on Stolp Island and the most significant remaining structure tied to woolen mill founder Joseph Stolp, a key figure in Aurora's history. It is a visible reminder of the island's early industrial development, and its 1889 extension reflects the shift to commercial and governmental uses. Despite modern storefronts, it retains enough integrity to convey its significance.","narrative":"Standing on Stolp Island in downtown Aurora, this two-story brick building was put up in 1860-61 by Joseph G. Stolp as a free-standing salesroom for his Aurora Woolen Mill. Stolp began carding and dressing wool on the island in 1837 and built a brick mill there in 1849. After the mill closed in 1887, tenants including a watchmakers' tools producer and a decorating firm occupied the store. In 1889 Stolp had builder E.D. Briggs add a front extension, which survives on the Downer Place side with an oriel bay, limestone sills and lintels, and decorative brick piers. The mill itself burned in 1906, and Stolp's house has been demolished, leaving this store as the most important surviving structure linked to him. Its early date and 1889 addition show the island's change from industry to commerce and government. Modern storefronts have replaced the original ground-floor fronts, but enough detail remains to convey its history.","period_of_significance":"1800-1899","architect_builder":"1860-61: Unknown; 1889: E.D. Briggs (builder); L.H. Waterhouse (contracting mason for 1889 work)","architectural_style":null,"criteria":[],"status_note":"Occupied and in good condition; altered with modern wood and glass storefronts and painted yellow.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:55:35.181208-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/4/8932/28893204/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_IL/83000319.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/83000319/44c804e84a-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/83000319/44c804e84a-1600.webp","licence":"CC0","author":"Smallbones","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Stolp_Woolen_Mill_Store.JPG\" rel=\"noopener\">Smallbones</a>, <a href=\"http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/deed.en\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Stolp_Woolen_Mill_Store.JPG"},"district":{"nrhp_refnum":"86001487","name":"Stolp Island Historic District","url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/districts/illinois/stolp-island-historic-district-86001487/"},"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/28893204","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stolp_Woolen_Mill_Store","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7618680"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/illinois/kane-county/stolp-woolen-mill-store-83000319/"}