Andover Chapter House
Why it's listed
Built in 1910 at Locust Street and 5th Avenue in Andover, this small Mission style building was constructed as a chapter house for the American Woman's League. It is a Class I design, one of several standardized types used for ten Illinois chapter houses built in 1909-10. The St. Louis firm of Helfensteller, Hirsch and Watson is credited with the architecture. The one-story cruciform plan typically held an assembly room, salesroom, kitchen, anteroom and toilet room, with stucco walls, terra-cotta details and a brick chimney. The league was a national movement to advance and uplift American womanhood through suffrage, literacy, domesticity, education and social contact. Its houses reflect Arts and Crafts, Mission and Bungaloid influences. By 1980 the Andover building was a private home. Alterations included aluminum storm windows, a garage on the facade, a rear bathroom addition and a changed interior, and it needed repairs, particularly to the roof.
Significance in brief: The house is one of ten chapter houses built in Illinois to serve local chapters of the American Woman's League, a national movement to advance, protect and uplift American womanhood through suffrage, literacy, domesticity, education and social interaction. The houses were built in standardized classes reflecting the league's functions and the Arts and Crafts, Mission and Bungaloid styles of the period. Andover is the Class I example in this group.
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 80001367, listed November 28, 1980. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | Locust St., NW, Andover |
|---|---|
| County | Henry County |
| Listed | November 28, 1980 |
| Reference number | 80001367 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architect / builder | Helfensteller, Hirsch and Watson, St. Louis, Mo. (architect for the chapter house design) |
| Architectural style | Mission style |
| Areas of significance | Education, Politics/Government, Architecture, Social History |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Described in 1980 as a private home needing repairs, with the roof needing attention. Changes include aluminum storm windows, a garage added to the facade, a rear frame bathroom addition and a changed interior layout. |
| Acreage | 0.1 |
| Coordinates | 41.29422, -90.29222 (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 80001367.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q4754601
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.