Steward, Lewis, House
Also known as: The Homestead
Why it's listed
Built in 1854 by Lewis Steward, The Homestead is a one-and-one-half story wood frame house at 611 East Main Street in Plano, Illinois. It sits on a raised stone garden-level basement within a two-acre property marked by vertical stone blocks at the corners and sidewalk junctions. The house is a notable early example of Italianate design, with a symmetrical front, a projecting center entry bay, paired decorative console brackets, modillions, tall shouldered window frames and a low-pitched roof with wide eaves. Flush wood boards were used to imitate masonry. A rear ell was added around 1860-1864, and east and west wings followed around 1875, with the east wing later holding a library and conservatory-style porch. An 1859 county map drawing and late 1870s photographs record earlier appearances. The house is described as one of the oldest surviving residential buildings in Plano, and its Tuscan Villa form is central to its architectural importance.
Significance in brief: The nomination calls it one of the oldest surviving residential buildings in Plano and an exceptional example of early Italianate architecture. Its symmetrical box shape, bracketed cornices, low-pitched roof and wide eaves reflect the Tuscan Villa type. Wings and an ell added between about 1860 and 1875 are documented in an 1859 map drawing and later photographs.
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 03001200, listed November 28, 2003. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 611 E. Main St., Plano |
|---|---|
| County | Kendall County |
| Listed | November 28, 2003 |
| Reference number | 03001200 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architect / builder | Lewis Steward (builder) |
| Architectural style | Italianate |
| Areas of significance | Architecture, Exploration/Settlement, Industry |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Current function is listed as work in progress; the house has been altered over time, including removal of the east porch and garden entry in 1958. |
| Acreage | 2 |
| Coordinates | 41.66494, -88.52974 (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 03001200.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q16933111
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.