Squires, Frederick, House
Why it's listed
At 1003 West Church Street in Champaign, a wood-shingled house shows how an architect turned two modest 1870s homes into one personal design. In 1927, Frederick Squires, a New York-trained architect, moved a second gable-front house onto his lot and joined it to the original L-plan dwelling with a two-story hyphen. He added kitchen and garage wings and remodeled the whole in an Arts and Crafts/Craftsman-influenced manner. The result is a one-and-one-half story house with a complex gable and hip roof, dark stained wood shingles, and a large round-arch staircase window at the center of the front. Inside, features include a beamed living room with a brick fireplace, board-and-batten paneling, and a winding stair with twisted metal balusters. The house is valued as a unique example of Arts and Crafts architecture that retains the integrity of Squires' design. It also recalls his later career as a petroleum engineer with the Illinois State Geological Survey.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the house is a unique example of Arts and Crafts/Craftsman-influenced architecture that reflects the personal design and building techniques of New York-trained architect Frederick Squires. It also covers Squires' career as a petroleum engineer with the Illinois State Geological Survey, noting his work on oil recovery and waterflooding and his many patents and publications.
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) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 11000846, listed November 22, 2011. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 1003 W. Church St., Champaign |
|---|---|
| County | Champaign County |
| Listed | November 22, 2011 |
| Reference number | 11000846 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architect / builder | Frederick Squires |
| Architectural style | Other: Arts & Crafts influence (Arts and Crafts/Craftsman-influenced) |
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Used as a single dwelling, both historically and currently; the driveway was repoured in 2011 following the original plan. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 39.89072, -88.25651 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
National Register listing is honorary for a privately owned home: it does not by itself restrict what an owner may do with their own money, and it does not require public access. Restrictions come from local landmark or historic-district ordinances, which are separate (how they differ).
Owner-occupied houses are not eligible for the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit, which applies to income-producing buildings, but many states offer credits for homeowners. Listing also opens the door to preservation easements and to buying a plaque. Start with what listing means for homeowners, renovating a listed house and selling one.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 11000846.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q20709743
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.