Lowell Park
Why it's listed
Lowell Park is a 200-acre public park on bluffs and ravines above the Rock River, just north of downtown Dixon, Illinois. Its development began around 1907, with plans by landscape architect Arthur Coleman Comey and later supervision by O. C. Simonds, who directed park work for about two decades. Roads wind down through native forest to a lower terrace of picnic areas and the riverfront. The park holds an unusual collection of buildings for a municipal park, including Woodcote, a Dutch Colonial Revival caretaker's house, a 1922 bathhouse, a well house, and seven shelters of locally quarried limestone, many built by WPA workers in the 1930s. Stone entrance pillars, fireplaces and retaining walls share the same horizontal limestone character. The park was designed in the American Romantic manner, keeping built features subordinate to natural scenery. The nomination notes it was one of the earliest Illinois parks created to preserve a natural area of unusual beauty, and that its craftsmanship and setting define its identity.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the park is an early and unusual Illinois example of preserving a natural area of unusual beauty as a public park, designed in the American Romantic style by Arthur Coleman Comey and O. C. Simonds. Its native limestone structures, many built with WPA labor in the 1930s, are described as exceptional craftsmanship that blends with the landscape.
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 06000680, listed August 8, 2006. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 2114 Lowell Park Rd., Dixon |
|---|---|
| County | Lee County |
| Listed | August 8, 2006 |
| Reference number | 06000680 |
| Resource type | District |
| Architect / builder | Arthur Coleman Comey (plans, Woodcote and well house); O. C. Simonds (landscape architect); Simonds & West (WPA shelters); C. Roy West (supervised entrance pillars) |
| Architectural style | Late 19th and Early 20th Century American Movements/Craftsman; Dutch Colonial Revival (Woodcote); American Romantic landscape design |
| Areas of significance | Entertainment/Recreation, Landscape Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Publicly owned park in current use; most built features are in good condition, though Vaile Shelter is deteriorated and Woodcote now has a hotel-type domestic function listed. |
| Acreage | 200 |
| Coordinates | 41.88892, -89.48896 (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 06000680.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q48790553
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.