{"nrhp_refnum":"92001851","name":"Colwell, E. B., and Company Department Store","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"208 S. Main St. and 211 S. A St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Monmouth","county":"Warren County","state":"IL","lat":40.91024626800004,"lon":-90.64859071999996,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1993-02-03","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Commerce"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A three-story commercial building with a four-story annex at 208 South Main Street and 211 South A Street in Monmouth, Warren County, Illinois. The department store was built in 1904 to designs by J. Grant Beadle of Galesburg, and the annex was added in 1911.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the store is locally significant under Criterion A for early 20th century commercial history. Its construction in 1904 marked the start of large-scale merchandising in Monmouth, then the main retail center for Warren County. E. B. Colwell was the town's foremost retailer from 1896 until his death in 1936, and the store was the only true department store in the city.","narrative":"Built in 1904 and designed by J. Grant Beadle of Galesburg, this three-story Chicago style building on South Main Street housed E. B. Colwell and Company, Monmouth's only true department store of its day. The red brick structure has an orange and yellow brick facade, brick pilasters, wide horizontal windows on the upper floors and a metal cornice. A four-story annex facing South A Street followed in 1911, linked to the main building by a three-story ell. Inside, mahogany finishes, pressed metal ceilings and hardwood floors survive. The store carried forty-eight departments and offered free delivery, an elevator, a rest room lounge, floorwalkers and a beauty salon. It marked the start of large-scale merchandising in Monmouth, the main retail center for Warren County. Its significance is tied to commerce between 1904 and 1936, the years of founder E. B. Colwell's leadership. The annex now serves as a senior center.","period_of_significance":"1904-1936","architect_builder":"Beadle, J. Grant","architectural_style":"Chicago","criteria":["A"],"status_note":"The annex was sold to the City of Monmouth in 1973 and operates as a senior citizens' center in very good repair. The main building is in current use as a specialty store and for social/civic functions; its first floor was altered in 1911 and the 1960s.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:55:37.305601-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/51/8942/28894251/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_IL/92001851.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/92001851/a3dfeadd44-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/92001851/a3dfeadd44-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Nyttend","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:E.B._Colwell_and_Company_Department_Store.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Nyttend</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:E.B._Colwell_and_Company_Department_Store.jpg"},"district":{"nrhp_refnum":"05001604","name":"Monmouth Courthouse Commercial Historic District","url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/districts/illinois/monmouth-courthouse-commercial-historic-district-05001604/"},"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/28894251","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/E._B._Colwell_and_Company_Department_Store","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q24061640"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/illinois/warren-county/colwell-e-b-and-company-department-store-92001851/"}