McLean County Courthouse and Square
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Why it's listed
Dedicated in 1903, the McLean County Courthouse occupies a landscaped square in downtown Bloomington, Illinois. Architect William Reeves of Reeves and Baillie, Peoria, designed the three-story Classic Revival building with a copper-covered dome. It replaced a courthouse that burned in the Great Fire of 1900, when heat from neighboring buildings ignited its wooden door and window frames and dome timbers. The county's Board of Supervisors demanded a fireproof replacement, so the dome is steel framed and encased in tile, the roof is poured concrete faced with tile, and the window and door frames are bronze-covered steel. Walls and columns are Bedford stone. Inside, the rotunda and halls keep their original mosaic floors, marble stairs and an allegorical painting in the dome. The circuit courtroom retains its dais, paneling, cut glass and hand-painted ceiling. The nomination describes it as the county's only large public building of real architectural significance and notes that it is in excellent, mostly original condition.
Significance in brief: The nomination calls it one of the finest examples of Classic Revival style in the Middle West, built as the style was beginning to spread after Chicago's Columbian Exposition. It was also designed to be fireproof after the earlier courthouse was damaged in the Great Fire of 1900. Its exterior and interior, including the circuit courtroom and rotunda, survive in largely original condition.
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 73002160, listed February 6, 1973. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | Main, Washington, Center, and Jefferson Sts., Bloomington |
|---|---|
| County | McLean County |
| Listed | February 6, 1973 |
| Reference number | 73002160 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1900-1999 |
| Architect / builder | William Reeves of Reeves and Baillie, Peoria, Illinois |
| Architectural style | Classic Revival |
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Excellent condition, largely unaltered; owned by McLean County and used for government. Minor interior remodeling in a few rooms. |
| Acreage | 0.7 |
| Coordinates | 40.47783, -88.99428 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
For a publicly owned building or structure, listing mainly matters when federal funds, permits or licences are involved: projects then go through Section 106 review so effects on the property are considered. Listing also strengthens applications for preservation grants and, for leased income-producing uses, can enable the federal rehabilitation tax credit.
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 73002160.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q6802135
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.