{"nrhp_refnum":"86001484","name":"West Side Historic District","other_names":["See Also:Copley, Col. Ira C., Mansion","Healy Chapel"],"category":"district","location":{"address":"Roughly bounded by W. Downer Pl., Lake St., Garfield Ave., and S. Highland St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Aurora","county":"Kane County","state":"IL","lat":41.74943727550004,"lon":-88.32872085126739,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1986-08-13","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture","Social History"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A residential historic district in Aurora, Kane County, Illinois, about three blocks west of the Fox River next to downtown. It centers on Downer Place and its cross streets and holds 96 structures built mainly between 1856 and 1922.","why_significant":"The nomination presents the district as one of Aurora's most prestigious and impressive neighborhoods, and as the largest and most cohesive group of mid-nineteenth to early twentieth century homes in the city. It shows a wide range of architectural styles, with Queen Anne, Italianate and Colonial Revival the most common. Seventy-nine percent of the structures contribute to its character.","narrative":"West Side Historic District is a residential neighborhood in Aurora, Illinois, roughly three blocks west of the Fox River and beside downtown. It is organized around Downer Place and the streets that cross it, between Lake Street and Highland Avenue, and between Galena Boulevard and Garfield Avenue. The district holds 96 structures, and about 79 percent contribute to its historic character. Most are single-family houses built between 1856 and 1922 on tree-lined streets that keep their original widths. Queen Anne is the most common style, followed by Italianate and Colonial Revival, with Shingle, Neo-Classical Revival, English Period Revival and Prairie School examples also present. Notable buildings include a brick Second Empire house and large Neo-Classical Revival homes with columned porticos. The area was developed as one of Aurora's most prestigious neighborhoods and has remained one of its most desirable places to live. Boundaries exclude commercial strips and altered areas, so the district keeps its cohesive residential identity.","period_of_significance":"1856-1922","architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":"Queen Anne, Italianate, Colonial Revival, with Shingle, Neo-Classical Revival, English Period Revival and Prairie School examples","criteria":[],"status_note":"Mostly occupied private residences, with some commercial and religious use; 79 percent of structures contribute, 13 percent are non-contributing and 8 percent are intrusions built after 1945.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:55:35.388181-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/36/8931/28893136/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_IL/86001484.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/86001484/f45920bdfc-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/86001484/f45920bdfc-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Teemu08","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Charles_P._Burton_House.JPG\" rel=\"noopener\">Teemu08</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:Charles_P._Burton_House.JPG"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/28893136","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_Side_Historic_District_(Aurora,_Illinois)","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7986510"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/illinois/kane-county/west-side-historic-district-86001484/"}