Hamilton, John M., House
Why it's listed
This two-story wooden house at 502 S. Clayton Street in Bloomington was built around 1872. It has white painted clapboard siding, a brick foundation and an irregular plan made up of a gabled central core with wings. A single-story porch wraps the front and north sides on white columns, and a semi-hexagonal projection holds the front door. The house is significant as the home of John Marshall Hamilton, born in Ohio in 1847, who came to Bloomington as a young lawyer and taught Latin at Illinois Wesleyan University. He served in the state senate, became lieutenant governor in 1880 and governor in March 1883, when Shelby Cullom went to the U.S. Senate. After he moved into the governor's mansion, the house was rented to tenants and sold in 1888. Hamilton later practiced law in Chicago and died there in 1905. State officials identified this as his only known surviving Illinois residence apart from the mansion.
Significance in brief: It was the home of John M. Hamilton, the nineteenth governor of Illinois, who lived there from the early 1870s until he moved into the governor's mansion in 1883. A state official's letter in the file says it is the only remaining Illinois home of Hamilton known to that office, apart from the Executive Mansion.
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 78003110, listed September 6, 1978. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 502 S. Clayton St., Bloomington |
|---|---|
| County | McLean County |
| Listed | September 6, 1978 |
| Reference number | 78003110 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1872 |
| Areas of significance | Politics/Government |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Listed as occupied private property in excellent condition, and the form shows it as a private residence. The form marks the building both altered and unaltered. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 40.47582, -88.98606 (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 78003110.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q6245835
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.