{"nrhp_refnum":"92001015","name":"Amboy Illinois Central Depot","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"50 S. East Ave.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Amboy","county":"Lee County","state":"IL","lat":41.71396615900005,"lon":-89.33203714899997,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1992-08-18","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Transportation"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A two-story red brick railroad depot and division headquarters at 50 South East Avenue in Amboy, Lee County, Illinois, built in 1876 for the Illinois Central Railroad. It is now used as a museum.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the building meets Criterion A for its role as a division headquarters and town depot of the Illinois Central Railroad. It represents nineteenth-century railroad divisional headquarters and keeps nearly intact exterior and most interior features. It served railroad purposes through 1942.","narrative":"Built in 1876 beside the Illinois Central Railroad's former mainline, this two-story brick building in Amboy served as both a town depot and a division headquarters. It replaced earlier facilities after a fire destroyed the adjacent depot and hotel in 1875. The building measures 32 by 88 feet, with red brick walls, limestone trim, eight pilaster-chimneys, a brick frieze and many large windows. The second floor held the superintendent, engineer, trainmaster, telegraphers and business office, while the first floor combined crew rooms and baggage areas with waiting rooms for local passengers. From Amboy, the railroad directed its Northern Division, covering 345 miles and 53 stations, until the division was downgraded in 1894. Passenger service ended in 1939, and the first floor was partly remodeled around 1940. Exterior and interior changes are limited, and the original layout can still be read. The depot is listed for its transportation history, with a period of significance from 1876 to 1942. It is now a museum.","period_of_significance":"1876-1942","architect_builder":"Nocquet, James; Egan, Francis","architectural_style":"Late Victorian; Italianate","criteria":["A"],"status_note":"Current function is listed as museum; owned by the City of Amboy. The mainline beside it has been removed.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:55:35.12477-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/51/8934/28893451/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_IL/92001015.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/92001015/41fe6ea265-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/92001015/41fe6ea265-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY 2.5","author":"IvoShandor","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Amboy_Il_Depot6.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">IvoShandor</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:Amboy_Il_Depot6.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/28893451","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amboy_station","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q4741687"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/illinois/lee-county/amboy-illinois-central-depot-92001015/"}