Hotel Waukegan
Also known as: Chateau Waukegan
Why it's listed
Rising twelve stories on a bluff at the corner of Washington Street and Sheridan Road, this hotel was built between 1927 and 1929 as a major lodging for Waukegan, a lakeside city north of Chicago. Its reinforced concrete frame is clad in a two-story base of cream-colored terra cotta, an eight-story brown brick shaft, and a two-story top with elaborate terra cotta ornament and a molded cornice. Renaissance Revival details include pedimented corner windows, bracketed cornices and quoin-like banding. Inside, a two-story lobby features a grand staircase, an illusionistic wall painting, ornamental plasterwork and terrazzo floors. A 1973 brick addition covers part of the west side, and the storefronts have been altered. The hotel is considered significant as one of only two pre-1960 hotels in the city and the one that best reflects the era when hotels shaped local social and commercial life. It is vacant, with rehabilitation under way.
Significance in brief: The nomination presents it as one of only two pre-1960 hotels in Waukegan and the only one retaining enough integrity to show the role hotels played in the city's social and commercial life. It was part of the 1920s building boom in the business district and keeps its Renaissance Revival exterior and ornate lobby.
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 94001269, listed October 28, 1994. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 102 Washington St., Waukegan |
|---|---|
| County | Lake County |
| Listed | October 28, 1994 |
| Reference number | 94001269 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architectural style | Classical Revival (Renaissance Revival ornament on a Commercial Style three-part vertical block) |
| Areas of significance | Commerce |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Listed as vacant/not in use, but described as undergoing rehabilitation following the Secretary of the Interior's Standards. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 42.35978, -87.82992 (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 94001269.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q55757555
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.