{"nrhp_refnum":"83000333","name":"Christ Church of Lower Kickapoo","other_names":["Christ Church"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"W of Norwood Park on Christ Church Rd.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Norwood Park","county":"Peoria County","state":"IL","lat":40.70712217000005,"lon":-89.71672846199994,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1983-02-10","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture","Religion","Social History"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A small fieldstone Gothic Revival Episcopal chapel in western Peoria County, Illinois, one mile north of Route 116 on Christ Church Road. The original chapel was completed in 1845 and a bell tower was added in 1889.","why_significant":"It is described as one of the oldest Episcopal churches in Illinois, founded in 1834 and organized in 1837 by Bishop Philander Chase. Its construction was funded largely by English donations, including from the Dowager Queen Adelaide, and its plan and detailing follow the medieval English parish church. The timber-trussed roof, fieldstone walls and dark woodwork against white plaster tie it to English antecedents.","narrative":"Christ Church of Lower Kickapoo is a small fieldstone chapel standing on a rise behind its parish cemetery in western Peoria County, Illinois. Completed in 1845, it serves a congregation founded in 1834 and organized in 1837 by Bishop Philander Chase. Many parishioners were English immigrants, and most of the $1,500 cost came from English donors, among them the Dowager Queen Adelaide. The design follows the medieval English parish church, with a simple rectangular plan, pointed-arch windows, rough limestone walls and an exposed timber truss roof. Walnut paneling covered the oak trusses in 1880, and a square bell tower was added at the west entrance in 1889 to mark the fiftieth anniversary of Queen Victoria's reign. Inside, white plaster contrasts with dark woodwork, original box pews, and a walnut altar and cherry font made by early parishioners. After services lapsed in the early twentieth century, a restoration fund led to repairs in 1937, and regular weekly services resumed after 1960.","period_of_significance":"1800-1899","architect_builder":"Architect unknown; Builder: Parishioners","architectural_style":"Gothic Revival","criteria":[],"status_note":"Occupied and in excellent condition, altered; weekly services have been held since 1960 as a parochial chapel staffed from St. Paul's Cathedral of Peoria.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:55:35.914553-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/53/8938/28893853/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_IL/83000333.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/83000333/591d6d6ab9-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/83000333/591d6d6ab9-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"LeeT","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:ChristChurchLimestone.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">LeeT</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:ChristChurchLimestone.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/28893853","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christ_Church_of_Lower_Kickapoo","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5108836"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/illinois/peoria-county/christ-church-of-lower-kickapoo-83000333/"}