Marseilles Lock and Dam Historic District
Also known as: Lock and Dam 5
Why it's listed
Marseilles Lock and Dam is a working navigation facility on the Illinois River in La Salle County. Its dam sits at one end of a 2.5-mile canal dug between 1920 and 1925 to bypass the Grand Rapids, and the lock sits at the downstream end. The lock, which lifts boats 25 feet, opened in 1933 with a 110 by 600 foot chamber, and Walter Mickle Smith was chief design engineer for the waterway project. The dam has three sections, including a main concrete pier dam with eight Tainter gates. Two brick buildings also contribute: a control station with a ceramic tile roof and gabled ends, and a dam boiler house once used to thaw gates. The district was listed for its part in the Illinois Waterway, which let commercial barges travel between Chicago and the Mississippi River, and as a representative Army Corps of Engineers lock and dam. Later changes, including a 1986 replacement control station and a rebuilt dam, have not erased its original character.
Significance in brief: The district is significant under Criterion A for its role in the maritime, transportation and industrial history of the Illinois Waterway. It is significant under Criterion C as a good representative example of Army Corps of Engineers-approved lock and dam construction of its period. It retains a high degree of integrity despite replaced equipment and surfaces.
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 04000165, listed March 10, 2004. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 1 Hawk Dr., Marseilles |
|---|---|
| County | LaSalle County |
| Listed | March 10, 2004 |
| Reference number | 04000165 |
| Resource type | District |
| Period of significance | 1920-1951 |
| Architect / builder | Smith, Walter Mickle |
| Architectural style | Other: lock and dam; No style: control station |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Transportation, Maritime History, Engineering |
| Level of significance | National |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Still an operating lock and dam facility; the original control station is now used for storage and houses the facility's power source, while a 1986 replacement control station operates the dam remotely. |
| Acreage | 284.3 |
| Coordinates | 41.32560, -88.72146 (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 04000165.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q6773267
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.