Palmer, Hiram, House
Also known as: Bristol, Riley, House
Why it's listed
Built in 1851-1852 on Fort Hill in Farmington, Illinois, this one-and-a-half story brick house is a local example of Greek Revival design. Its walls are red brick, now painted white, on a rough-cut limestone foundation. A low-pitched hipped roof carries a square central lantern, and a wraparound porch with wooden Tuscan columns covers the front and east sides. The five-bay front facade is symmetrical, with a central double door. Inside, the main rooms have different Greek Revival woodwork, including heavily molded casings, shouldered architraves and mantels with Doric pilasters. The nomination notes that few Greek Revival houses in Illinois match this level of woodwork. The plan departs from the usual narrow central hall, opening instead into a large reception hall with a fireplace. The builder is unknown. Changes include the loss of porch balusters and the replacement of six-over-six windows in the 1890s. The house was listed for its architecture, and its current use is given as vacant.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the house is locally significant under Criterion C as a good example of Greek Revival architecture. It has a symmetrical five-bay facade, a lantern, a wraparound porch with classical columns, and unusually elaborate interior woodwork and mantels. It is described as the only cubic, hipped-roof Greek Revival house with a wraparound porch in the Farmington area.
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 99000589, listed May 20, 1999. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 703 E. Fort St., Farmington |
|---|---|
| County | Fulton County |
| Listed | May 20, 1999 |
| Reference number | 99000589 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1851-1852 |
| Architect / builder | Unknown |
| Architectural style | Greek Revival |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Listed current function is Vacant/Not in Use; the form says the house retains excellent integrity. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 40.69818, -89.99412 (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.
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 99000589.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q23073353
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.