Alton Chapter House
Why it's listed
Built in 1910 at 509 Beacon Street in Alton, this modest house was one of ten chapter houses erected in Illinois for the American Woman's League. The League was a nationwide movement that promoted women's suffrage, literary pursuits, domesticity, education and social life. Its chapter houses were built to standardized plans, and the designs reflected the League's purposes along with the Arts and Crafts, Mission and Bungalow styles of the day. The Alton house is now a private home. Over time it has gained aluminum awnings, a garage on the facade, a frame bathroom at the rear and a frame covering over the basement entrance, and its interior has been rearranged. The stucco is painted white with yellow trim, and the house is in generally good repair. It was nominated with the other Illinois chapter houses, all of which still stand and are in the best overall condition of any built in the country.
Significance in brief: The house is one of ten chapter houses built in 1909-10 for the American Woman's League, a nationwide movement to advance and uplift American womanhood through suffrage, literary work, domesticity, education and social interaction. The houses followed standardized plans (Classes I-IV) that reflected the League's functions and the Arts and Crafts, Mission and Bungalow influences of the period. All ten Illinois houses survive and are in the best overall condition of any built in America.
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 80001388, listed November 28, 1980. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 509 Beacon St., Alton |
|---|---|
| County | Madison County |
| Listed | November 28, 1980 |
| Reference number | 80001388 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architectural style | Standardized League chapter house plan (Class II or III; the document labels it both ways), reflecting Arts and Crafts, Mission and Bungalow influences |
| Areas of significance | Education, Politics/Government, Architecture, Social History |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Used as a private home and in generally good repair, with alterations including aluminum awnings, a garage added to the facade, a rear frame bathroom, a frame addition covering the basement entrance, and a changed interior layout. |
| Acreage | 1.1 |
| Within district | Christian Hill Historic District |
| Coordinates | 38.89549, -90.19008 (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 80001388.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q4736874
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.