Warsaw Historic District

Warsaw sits on 80-to-100-foot bluffs above the Mississippi River, opposite the mouth of the Des Moines River, and is the westernmost incorporated place in Illinois. The historic district takes in most of the city's built-up core, about 265 acres with 381 major structures. Main Street forms a nearly continuous masonry front, while detached houses, mostly masonry, fill the residential blocks. The earliest dated buildings are from 1835 and are in a simplified Federal style, followed by Greek Revival and Italianate work. Three early twentieth-century houses by architect Ernest M. Wood reflect Prairie School influence. Warsaw grew rapidly as a river port and manufacturing town, but its growth ended around 1870 as river traffic declined and no major railroad arrived. That stalled growth left many nineteenth-century buildings standing. The city also figured in the conflict with the Mormons at Nauvoo, since the Warsaw Signal led attacks that preceded the Mormons' move to Utah.