St. Louis Street Historic District
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Why it's listed
St. Louis Street in Edwardsville began as a service road for small farms and the county fairgrounds, then grew into the city's most fashionable residential address. Wealthy families built large homes on the south side by 1870, and an 1883 lot sale opened the north side to closer-spaced houses. Railroad-driven prosperity brought Queen Anne, Chateauesque, Italianate and Classical Revival homes, followed by Prairie School, Craftsman, Colonial Revival and bungalow designs through the 1930s. The district includes a Prairie School house by Walter Burley Griffin, built in 1909-10 for his brother Ralph, and Hadley House, home of Congressman W.F.L. Hadley and now school district offices. Other houses are tied to E. M. West, a delegate to the 1848 Illinois Constitutional Convention, and to local architects such as Charles Spillman and Michael B. Kane. Large lawns, mature trees and a winding street give the area a park-like character, and it reads as a compact record of changing American house styles.
Significance in brief: The district developed as Edwardsville's premier residential street and shows a wide range of architectural styles in a short distance, including a Prairie School house designed by Walter Burley Griffin. It was also home to prominent political, legal and business figures such as E. M. West and Congressman W.F.L. Hadley. Few other places in the city match its concentration and variety of architecture.
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 83000328, listed May 9, 1983. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 603-1306 St. Louis St., Edwardsville |
|---|---|
| County | Madison County |
| Listed | May 9, 1983 |
| Reference number | 83000328 |
| Resource type | District |
| Period of significance | 1879-1940 |
| Architect / builder | VARIOUS |
| Architectural style | Queen Anne, Prairie School, Chateauesque, Italianate, Classical and Colonial Revival, Craftsman, bungalow, and other styles |
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Largely occupied and well maintained, mostly as residences. Hadley House is used as school district offices, there is one funeral home/residence, and two structures are being restored. |
| Acreage | 35 |
| Coordinates | 38.81075, -89.96896 (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 83000328.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q16900583
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.