Chicago Great Western Railroad Depot
Why it's listed
Built in 1887-1888 by the Minnesota and Northwestern Railway, this small wooden depot on Myrtle Street in Elizabeth, Illinois, later served the Chicago Great Western Railway. It is a balloon-frame building of about 1,400 square feet in the Stick style, with patterned stickwork siding, turned brackets, exposed rafter ends and a bay window where the station master watched for trains. Inside are a freight and baggage room, a station master's office and a waiting room. Some details have been lost, and around 1985 the village replaced several doors with aluminum garage doors. Its importance lies in what the railroad did for the town. Before the line opened in February 1888, Elizabeth was a landlocked village of lead miners and retired farmers. The railway gave farmers a market for livestock and produce, supported new businesses and hotels, and produced the town's strongest growth. The nomination dates its significance from 1888 to 1945.
Significance in brief: The depot is significant under Criterion A for transportation because it is tied to the railroad that brought Elizabeth into a new era of growth. The railway opened the town's farms, mines and businesses to markets in Chicago, Dubuque and beyond. The nomination treats it as locally significant.
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 96000098, listed February 16, 1996. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | Myrtle St. between N. Madison and Vine Sts., Elizabeth |
|---|---|
| County | Jo Daviess County |
| Listed | February 16, 1996 |
| Reference number | 96000098 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1888-1945 |
| Architect / builder | Chicago Great Western Railway |
| Architectural style | Late Victorian: Stick |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Transportation |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Owned by the village of Elizabeth and used to store road equipment and signs; the paint is badly deteriorated, and the roof appears in good condition. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 42.31714, -90.22269 (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.
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 96000098.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5095631
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.