Upper Alton Historic District
Why it's listed
Upper Alton Historic District covers about 52 acres on high ground northeast of downtown Alton, Illinois. It is built around the former Shurtleff College and Western Military Academy campuses and the streets next to them, including Seminary, College, Leverett and Evergreen. Of 66 structures, 31 were judged architecturally or historically significant. The oldest is Academic Hall, now Loomis Hall, built in 1832 in a simplified Greek Revival style. Shurtleff College descended from Rock Spring Seminary, founded in 1827 as the first institution of higher learning in Illinois, and moved to Upper Alton in the early 1830s. Its buildings run from 1832 to a 1940 administration building by William B. Ittner. The district also holds the homes of faculty and presidents, an 1835 iron fence from the Bostwick estate, and Western Military Academy buildings in Tudor Revival style. With large grounds and few through streets, the area has a park-like character and has kept the feel of a late 19th-century college town.
Significance in brief: Its primary significance is the former Shurtleff College campus, successor to Rock Spring Seminary, Illinois' first institution of higher learning. The campus buildings document the institution's history from 1832 to 1940, and nearby homes belonged to men tied to the school. The ensemble has changed little and preserves the feel of a late 19th-century college town.
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 78001167, listed May 2, 1978. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | Seminary St., College, Leverett, and Evergreen Aves., Alton |
|---|---|
| County | Madison County |
| Listed | May 2, 1978 |
| Reference number | 78001167 |
| Resource type | District |
| Architect / builder | William B. Ittner (Administration Building, 1940); Leo Kleinschnittger, contractor (N. Rogers Farley Sr. House, 1932) |
| Architectural style | Greek Revival, Italianate, Queen Anne, Classical Revival, Georgian Revival, Tudor Revival |
| Areas of significance | Education, Architecture |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Land use is about equally divided between residential and educational; the Western Military Academy closed in 1971 and Shurtleff College closed in 1957, with its campus now part of Southern Illinois University. |
| Acreage | 52 |
| Coordinates | 38.90483, -90.14296 (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 78001167.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q16902379
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.