{"nrhp_refnum":"90001726","name":"Whitney, Col. Nathan, House","other_names":["Franklin Grove Nursery and Orchards"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"1620 Whitney Rd.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Franklin Grove","county":"Lee County","state":"IL","lat":41.81849008200004,"lon":-89.29369276699998,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1990-11-02","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A two-story Italianate frame farmhouse built circa 1860 for Colonel Nathan Whitney, about one mile south of Franklin Grove, Lee County, Illinois, on the site of the former Franklin Grove Nursery and Orchards.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the house is an outstanding local example of Italianate architecture under Criterion C. Its ornate brackets, dentil cornices, floor-to-ceiling windows and cupola contrast with the plainer farmhouses nearby. It was the fourth and most elaborate home built for Whitney's family and symbolized the success of the family nursery business.","narrative":"Set about 600 feet east of Whitney Road, roughly one mile south of Franklin Grove, this Italianate farmhouse was built around 1860 for Colonel Nathan Whitney. Whitney, a War of 1812 veteran who came west from New York, settled near Franklin Grove in 1836 and founded the Franklin Grove Nursery and Orchards. The house was the fourth home built for his family and the most elaborate. It has two stories, a low-pitched hip roof, a cupola with tall arched windows, large paired brackets, dentil cornices, and a central projecting porch with molded columns and railings. Floor-to-ceiling windows with molded frames appear on every side. A one-and-one-half-story kitchen wing extends to the rear. Inside, an open stair rises from the foyer, and the original plan remains largely intact. Nearby farmhouses are much simpler, which sets this one apart. It was recognized for its architecture, with a significance period of about 1860 to 1900.","period_of_significance":"ca. 1860 - ca. 1900","architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":"Late Victorian / Italianate","criteria":["C"],"status_note":"Under restoration at the time of nomination, with plans to open it as a bed and breakfast inn; the original floor plan is largely intact.","vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:55:35.459108-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/39/8934/28893439/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_IL/90001726.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/90001726/17d45d29ae-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/90001726/17d45d29ae-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 4.0","author":"Jim Roberts","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Colonel_Nathan_Whitney_House.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Jim Roberts</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:Colonel_Nathan_Whitney_House.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/28893439","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Col._Nathan_Whitney_House","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q15211151"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/illinois/lee-county/whitney-col-nathan-house-90001726/"}