{"nrhp_refnum":"85000979","name":"von KleinSmid Mansion","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"218 W. Center","address_restricted":false,"city":"Sandwich","county":"DeKalb County","state":"IL","lat":41.64516989200007,"lon":-88.62496119699995,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1985-05-09","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["state"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A 2½-story, 20-room red brick mansion in the Italian Villa style with Second Empire influences, at 218 West Center in Sandwich, DeKalb County, Illinois. Completed in 1875 for hardware merchant George (von) KleinSmid, it sits on a wooded site of about two acres.","why_significant":"The nomination calls it an excellent example of the Italian Villa Revival style with Second Empire features, and the only residence in Sandwich built in the Italianate/Second Empire styles. It was built by George KleinSmid, who founded one of the first major businesses in DeKalb County. His son Rufus von KleinSmid, later president and chancellor of the University of California, grew up there.","narrative":"Completed in 1875 at 218 West Center in Sandwich, Illinois, this 20-room red brick mansion combines Italian Villa and Second Empire design. It has a T-shaped plan, irregular massing, a protruding three-and-a-half-story central tower, and a Mansard roof with wood dentils and heavy cornices. Stone-headed windows, a grand wood entry stairway, and a keystone carved with the family crest and the date 1875 mark the exterior. Inside are walnut stair balusters, Italian marble fireplace mantels, and sliding wood doors between the parlor and library. It had the first indoor bathroom plumbing in Sandwich and central gas lighting. George (von) KleinSmid, a hardware merchant who arrived in Sandwich in 1856 and served on its first city council, had it built for his family of thirteen children. His son Rufus von KleinSmid later led the University of California. It is the only Sandwich house in the Italianate and Second Empire styles. Its original verandas are missing and were slated for rebuilding.","period_of_significance":"1865-1900","architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":"Italian Villa Revival style with Second Empire features","criteria":[],"status_note":"Described as in excellent structural condition but needing minor exterior and interior repairs and replacement of the wood verandas and stairways; the exterior was being restored.","vacant_flag":true,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:55:35.166324-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/10/8927/28892710/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_IL/85000979.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/85000979/76ebb2bee6-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/85000979/76ebb2bee6-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY 2.5","author":"A. McMurray A mcmurray","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Von_KleinSmid_Mansion1.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">A. McMurray A mcmurray</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:Von_KleinSmid_Mansion1.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/28892710","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Von_KleinSmid_Mansion","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7941468"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/illinois/dekalb-county/von-kleinsmid-mansion-85000979/"}