{"nrhp_refnum":"97000815","name":"Belvidere High School","other_names":["Belvidere Junior High School"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"Jct. of Pearl and First Sts.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Belvidere","county":"Boone County","state":"IL","lat":42.25487810900006,"lon":-88.84092938099997,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1997-07-25","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A complex of four historic school buildings, connected by later additions, at the northeast corner of Pearl and First Streets in Belvidere, Boone County, Illinois. It includes the 1893 Garfield School, a circa 1900 powerhouse, the 1916 high school and a 1939 auditorium/gymnasium.","why_significant":"The 1916 high school is argued to be an excellent local example of Prairie School architecture with Classical Revival features, designed by Grant C. Miller. The 1939 Art Deco auditorium and gym, designed by Raymond Orput with WPA funding, is called the best example of that style in Belvidere. The complex also reflects the consolidation of Belvidere's two high schools and the growth of public education.","narrative":"Four connected school buildings at Pearl and First Streets in Belvidere, Illinois, make up this complex, which grew between 1893 and 1939. The oldest part is the 1893 Garfield School, later used as a high school annex. A circa 1900 powerhouse with its smokestack supplied heat, and that existing heating plant was one reason the site was chosen in 1915 for a consolidated high school. Chicago architect Grant C. Miller designed the 1916 building, which combines Classical Revival massing and symmetry with Prairie School brickwork, terra cotta ornament and a red tile roof. The cost was reported as $135,508. In 1936 and 1939, with Works Progress Administration funding, Rockford architect Raymond Orput modernized the 1893 building and designed an Art Deco auditorium and gymnasium of poured concrete with stucco. Later additions from the 1950s and 1960s connect the buildings but are considered non-contributing. The complex was listed for its architectural significance.","period_of_significance":"1893-1939","architect_builder":"Grant C. Miller of Miller, Fullenwider and Dowling (1916 high school); Raymond Orput (1936 alterations and 1939 auditorium/gymnasium); no architect or builder recorded for the 1893 school","architectural_style":"Prairie School, Classical Revival, Art Deco","criteria":["C"],"status_note":"Form lists current functions as vacant/not in use, with recreation and culture (auditorium). Windows in the 1893 section and the 1916 building are boarded, though the gymnasium has continued in use as an exercise area.","vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:55:37.232212-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/20/8917/28891720/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_IL/97000815.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/97000815/984ae59192-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/97000815/984ae59192-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Teemu08","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Belvidere_High_School.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:Belvidere_High_School.JPG"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/28891720","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_Belvidere_High_School_(Belvidere,_Illinois)","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q15263738"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/illinois/boone-county/belvidere-high-school-97000815/"}