Marseilles Lock and Dam Historic District
Why it's listed
Marseilles Lock and Dam is a working navigation facility on the Illinois River in La Salle County. Its dam sits at one end of a 2.5-mile canal dug between 1920 and 1925 to bypass the Grand Rapids, and the lock sits at the downstream end. The lock, which lifts boats 25 feet, opened in 1933 with a 110 by 600 foot chamber, and Walter Mickle Smith was chief design engineer for the waterway project. The dam has three sections, including a main concrete pier dam with eight Tainter gates. Two brick buildings also contribute: a control station with a ceramic tile roof and gabled ends, and a dam boiler house once used to thaw gates. The district was listed for its part in the Illinois Waterway, which let commercial barges travel between Chicago and the Mississippi River, and as a representative Army Corps of Engineers lock and dam. Later changes, including a 1986 replacement control station and a rebuilt dam, have not erased its original character.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · catalog entry. Generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29).
| Period of significance | 1920-1951 |
|---|---|
| Styles | Other: lock and dam; No style: control station |
| Areas of significance | Transportation, Maritime History, Engineering |
| Acreage | 284.3 |
| Boundary source | NPS cultural-resource GIS polygon |
| Full listing page | Marseilles Lock and Dam Historic District (property record) |
What listing means for this property
This is a historic district. Buildings within its boundary are either contributing (they add to the district's significance) or non-contributing. Owners of contributing income-producing buildings can claim the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit; homeowners should look at state credits. National Register districts impose no design review by themselves; a local historic district ordinance, if one exists, does (the difference explained).
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.