{"nrhp_refnum":"85002403","name":"Giant City State Park Lodge and Cabins","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"RR #1","address_restricted":false,"city":"Makanda","county":"Jackson County","state":"IL","lat":37.59201183700003,"lon":-89.18324621499994,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1985-03-04","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A rustic stone lodge and twelve single cabins in Giant City State Park near Carbondale and Makanda, Jackson County, Illinois, built 1933-1939 by Joseph F. Booten on about four acres.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the lodge is a strong example of the picturesque rustic mode, second only to the lodges at Pere Marquette and Starved Rock, using an interplay of wood and stone to enclose a large cathedral-like space. It also contributes to the theme of recreation in the Illinois state park system, set in a park known for its dramatic topography and historic features. The form links the strong design to the large CCC presence in the park.","narrative":"Giant City State Park Lodge and Cabins is a rustic complex in southern Illinois near Makanda, built between 1933 and 1939. The lodge is a rectangular building of random coursed variegated limestone, with a two-story central block flanked by one-story wings. Its main feature is a two-story lounge, rising twenty-two feet to exposed log trusses, with a massive stone fireplace and a U-shaped log balcony. Windows are wood casements with iron hinges, stone sills and wood lintels. Twelve single board-and-batten cabins sit south of the lodge in a wooded area at the foot of a bluff, arranged in a flattened figure 8. The complex was recognized for its architecture, which combines wood and stone in the picturesque mode and ranks just behind the lodges at Pere Marquette and Starved Rock. It was also recognized for its role in recreation within a park known for its sandstone formations, prehistoric stone walls and Civil War-era lore. The form ties the building's strength to the many Civilian Conservation Corps workers active there.","period_of_significance":null,"architect_builder":"Joseph F. Booten","architectural_style":"Picturesque rustic mode","criteria":["C"],"status_note":null,"vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:55:34.921902-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/70/8911/28891170/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_IL/85002403.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/85002403/7b09748f1f-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/85002403/7b09748f1f-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 4.0","author":"Kbh3rd","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Giant_City_SP_Lodge_interior-20201002T031726.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Kbh3rd</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:Giant_City_SP_Lodge_interior-20201002T031726.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/28891170","wikipedia":null,"wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q130559290"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/illinois/jackson-county/giant-city-state-park-lodge-and-cabins-85002403/"}