LaSalle Street Auto Row Historic District
Why it's listed
LaSalle Street Auto Row is a block of fifteen brick commercial buildings on the eastern edge of downtown Aurora, Illinois. Three were built around 1890 in the Late Victorian manner; the rest went up between 1907 and 1930 in the Commercial style, with limestone and terra cotta trim. Until the 1880s and 1890s the street was residential, home to wealthy families such as Senator H.H. Evans, but downtown growth pushed commercial uses east of Broadway. Coats Garage, built about 1907, was the first automobile business on the block. By 1912 a local newspaper advertisement called the street "Auto Row," and by the 1920s car dealers, tire shops and garages dominated it. Other buildings include the Odd Fellows hall, the Loyal Order of Moose hall and the Finch & McCullouch printing block. Some storefronts have been boarded up or altered, though several have recently been restored. The street retains more of its original character than neighboring commercial blocks, which lost more buildings to demolition.
Significance in brief: The block was Aurora's concentration of automobile sales, service and storage businesses in the early twentieth century, and it replaced a fashionable residential street as downtown expanded east. It kept more integrity than surrounding commercial blocks, with fewer demolitions and alterations. Its Late Victorian and Commercial style buildings, including two fraternal lodge halls, show the area's commercial growth.
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 96000856, listed August 1, 1996. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 56--84 LaSalle St. and 57--83 S. LaSalle St., Aurora |
|---|---|
| County | Kane County |
| Listed | August 1, 1996 |
| Reference number | 96000856 |
| Resource type | District |
| Architectural style | Late Victorian; Commercial Style |
| Areas of significance | Commerce, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Some original storefronts have been altered, boarded up or bricked in, while several have recently been restored; current uses include business and social/meeting hall. |
| Acreage | 1.6 |
| Within district | Aurora Broadway Historic District (Additional Documentation) |
| Coordinates | 41.75530, -88.31345 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
This is a historic district. Buildings within its boundary are either contributing (they add to the district's significance) or non-contributing. Owners of contributing income-producing buildings can claim the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit; homeowners should look at state credits. National Register districts impose no design review by themselves; a local historic district ordinance, if one exists, does (the difference explained).
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 96000856.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q6460889
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.