France Hotel
Also known as: France Motor Inn
Why it's listed
Built in 1924 on East Court Street, half a block from the courthouse square in Paris, Illinois, the France Hotel is a four-story neo-classical building of red brick trimmed with Bedford limestone. Its flat roof carries an ornate parapet and stone urns, and the walls are reinforced concrete faced with brick and stone. The building has changed little since construction. Its story begins with a 1918 fire that destroyed a downtown block, including the old Paris Hotel. The Chamber of Commerce then led a seven-year campaign to build a modern, fireproof replacement, financed entirely by popular subscription and reaching about $191,000. Ewing Miller of the Terre Haute firm Johnson, Miller, and Miller designed it. For a town of under 8,000 people, a 100-room luxury hotel was remarkable. It served travelers, salesmen and local residents, with a banquet hall, coffee shop and bar. Few comparable regional hotels survive unaltered, which adds to its importance.
Significance in brief: It is presented as a well-preserved 1920s hotel in East Central Illinois and a reminder of community spirit and social centers in small Illinois towns. Paris, with fewer than 8,000 residents, funded a 100-room, architect-designed luxury hotel entirely by popular subscription after a fire destroyed the old Paris Hotel. It also stands out against the few comparable hotels that survive in the region, which have been altered.
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 87001305, listed August 3, 1987. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 118 E. Court St., Paris |
|---|---|
| County | Edgar County |
| Listed | August 3, 1987 |
| Reference number | 87001305 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1900- |
| Architect / builder | Ewing Miller, Sr. |
| Architectural style | Neo-classical |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Commerce, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | The form lists the building as vacant, with work in progress, and describes it as substantially unaltered since 1924 and in excellent condition. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 39.61109, -87.69349 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
For an income-producing building, listing (individually or as a contributing building in a district) is the gateway to the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit on qualified rehabilitation costs, often stackable with state credits. Work claiming the credit must follow the Secretary of the Interior's Standards and be approved in advance.
Listing does not restrict a private owner acting without federal money or permits; where federal funding or licensing is involved, Section 106 review applies.
Noted as vacant in the nomination. Nomination documents can be decades old; current status may differ. If you are considering buying an empty listed property, read the due-diligence checklist.
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 87001305.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5478285
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.