{"nrhp_refnum":"99001377","name":"Lesem, S.J., Building","other_names":["Quincy Casket Company"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"135-37 N 3rd St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Quincy","county":"Adams County","state":"IL","lat":39.93495535200003,"lon":-91.41222636399999,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1999-11-22","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A four-story brick Italianate commercial building at 135-37 North Third Street in Quincy, Adams County, Illinois, built in 1871 for S.J. Lesem Brothers Dry Goods Company.","why_significant":"The nomination argues it is one of the most important examples of an Italianate commercial building in Quincy. It has an extensive set of cast iron elements, including quoins, window hoods, cornice and storefront columns. It is the only survivor of the four Italianate buildings once known as Wholesale Row.","narrative":"Built in 1871 at the corner of Third and Hampshire streets in Quincy, Illinois, this four-story brick building was constructed for S.J. Lesem Brothers and Company, a dry goods and wholesale firm. It was one of four Italianate commercial buildings on its block, known in 1875 as Wholesale Row, and is the only one still standing. The facade features tall narrow windows, cast iron hoods and pilasters, quoins, and a bracketed cornice with a pediment carved with the company name and date. Over time the building housed a clothing factory and, from 1912 to 1977, the Quincy Casket Company, which remodeled the storefront in the early 1920s. Today a restaurant occupies the lower levels, while the upper floors keep much of their open plan, wooden floors and spindle window trim. It was listed for architecture because it is among the best surviving Italianate commercial buildings in Quincy and retains an unusually complete array of cast iron detail.","period_of_significance":"1871","architect_builder":"Architect unknown; Steinbach Brothers were the contractors","architectural_style":"Late Victorian/Italianate","criteria":["C"],"status_note":"Basement and first floor house a restaurant and lounge; upper floors largely retain their open interiors, and the belt-driven elevator still works. The storefront was remodeled in the early 1920s.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:55:37.710546-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/65/8916/28891665/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_IL/99001377.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/99001377/71b11639b8-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/99001377/71b11639b8-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Smallbones","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Quincy_Lesem.JPG\" rel=\"noopener\">Smallbones</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Quincy_Lesem.JPG"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/28891665","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/S.J._Lesem_Building","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q21016149"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/illinois/adams-county/lesem-s-j-building-99001377/"}