Hotel Roodhouse
Approximate location: the National Park Service places this pin arbitrarily within the property, not at a surveyed point (stated accuracy ±12 m).
Why it's listed
Hotel Roodhouse, at 303 Morse Street in downtown Roodhouse, Illinois, is a 2-1/2 story brick hotel with a stone foundation, built in 1894 by town founder John Roodhouse and opened on January 1, 1895. Its design combines Queen Anne and Romanesque Revival elements, including a front porch with three arches and scrolled ironwork. The building has twenty-eight rooms, a full basement, and a lobby with an oak registration desk, oak woodwork and hardwood floors. Many original furnishings survive, such as the hotel safe, gas light fixtures and a well pump. Roodhouse grew into a railroad junction town in the decades after 1863, and travelers needed overnight lodging. This hotel was described as the town's only first class hotel, serving railroad management, line personnel, salesmen and wealthier travelers. It is significant for its role in local commerce between 1895 and 1945, and it is the only remaining hotel in town that retains its original integrity. The building is currently vacant.
Significance in brief: The hotel is argued to be locally significant under Criterion A for commerce. It provided first class lodging and dining to railroad travelers, railroad management and line personnel, and business people from 1895 to 1945. It is the only remaining hotel in Roodhouse that retains its original integrity from the period when the town was a thriving railroad center.
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 95001238, listed November 7, 1995. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 303 Morse St., Roodhouse |
|---|---|
| County | Greene County |
| Listed | November 7, 1995 |
| Reference number | 95001238 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1895 - 1945 |
| Architect / builder | Unknown (built by John Roodhouse) |
| Architectural style | Queen Anne; Romanesque |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Commerce |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Current function listed as vacant/not in use; plaster was partly removed in early 1995 due to deterioration. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 39.48244, -90.38376 (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 95001238.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q18151971
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.