{"nrhp_refnum":"84001146","name":"Maid-Rite Sandwich Shop","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"118 N. Pasfield St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Springfield","county":"Sangamon County","state":"IL","lat":39.80265657100006,"lon":-89.65834682599996,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1984-08-16","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Commerce"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A small wood-frame sandwich shop at 118 North Pasfield in Springfield, Sangamon County, Illinois, built in 1926 and part of the Maid-Rite chain.","why_significant":"The nomination presents it as an early example of the American roadside drive-in/walk-up restaurant of the 1920s and an early form of fast-food trademark architecture. It is described as the oldest Maid-Rite store operating continuously at its original site and probably the oldest continuously operating sandwich shop in Springfield. It has also long been a gathering place for generations of Springfield High School students.","narrative":"Built in 1926 at 118 North Pasfield in Springfield, this small red-and-white wood shop serves Maid-Rite sandwiches, a loose ground beef sandwich with seasoning and onions, along with homemade root beer. It has a low-pitched roof, a cupola whose hinged ceiling sections once worked as an air conditioner, and rows of narrow windows that still serve for drive-up customers. The interior holds a three-stool counter and booths for thirteen. The building was extended twelve feet to the east around 1930, and its west windows were later filled in. Its significance rests on its place in the 1920s growth of roadside restaurants for an increasingly mobile public, and on its early use of a catchy name and a distinctive building look. It is described as the oldest Maid-Rite in the chain of about 150 stores still operating on its original site, after 58 years, and a long-time hangout for Springfield High School students.","period_of_significance":"1900-","architect_builder":"Unknown","architectural_style":null,"criteria":[],"status_note":"Occupied and in commercial use as a sandwich shop; described as in good condition and altered only slightly from its 1920s appearance.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:55:35.601536-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/70/8940/28894070/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_IL/84001146.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/84001146/5dd5d2fcad-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/84001146/5dd5d2fcad-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY 2.5","author":"Rklawton","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Maid-Rite_Drive_Thru.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Rklawton</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.5\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY 2.5</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Maid-Rite_Drive_Thru.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/28894070","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maid-Rite_Sandwich_Shop_(Springfield,_Illinois)","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q6735278"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/illinois/sangamon-county/maid-rite-sandwich-shop-84001146/"}