Barry Historic District

Barry is a small city in far west-central Illinois, and its historic district covers about 103 acres in the center of town, with an extension east along Mortimer Street. Of 246 structures, 68 were judged to have special architectural or historical significance. Commercial buildings cluster around Bainbridge, Mortimer and Main, mostly two stories and of masonry. In 1894 a major fire destroyed thirty buildings in the business district, and the area was rebuilt within months. At least 20 of the 32 buildings in the core date from that year, and most survive with few alterations, giving the downtown a rare uniformity. Residential streets hold single-family frame houses, many Italianate or Queen Anne, along with plainer 19th-century homes. The town was platted in the early 1830s by Calvin R. Stone and was incorporated as a city in 1872. It never had a railroad and changed little after the mid-1890s, which helped preserve its appearance.