Stevenson House
Why it's listed
This house at 1316 E. Washington Street in Bloomington, Illinois, was built in 1900 to a design by architect Arthur Pillsbury for Lyman Graham. Graham rented it to Lyle Funk until Helen Stevenson bought it in October 1906. It became the boyhood home of Adlai E. Stevenson II, born in 1900, who grew up there and later served as governor of Illinois from 1949 to 1953, ran unsuccessfully for President in 1952 and 1956, and was United Nations ambassador from 1961 until his death in 1965. The nomination presents the house as the place where his personality and philosophies were formed. Changes over time were modest: a partly remodeled front porch, a porch added off the dining room, two sealed attic rooms, a bathroom made from an upper porch, and pebble-dashed stucco over the clapboard around 1910. The house was used as a private residence when nominated.
Significance in brief: The house was the boyhood home of Adlai E. Stevenson II, Illinois governor (1949-53), twice Democratic presidential candidate, and U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. The nomination argues that the surroundings in which he grew up shaped his personality and philosophies. It is nominated for this association rather than for 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 74002196, listed May 24, 1974. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 1316 E. Washington St., Bloomington |
|---|---|
| County | McLean County |
| Listed | May 24, 1974 |
| Reference number | 74002196 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1900 |
| Architect / builder | Arthur Pillsbury (architect) |
| Areas of significance | Politics/Government, Social History |
| Level of significance | National |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Listed as an occupied private residence; the form lists the condition as unaltered apart from minor changes, such as a partly remodeled front porch, an added side porch and stucco applied about 1910. |
| Acreage | 0.6 |
| Coordinates | 40.47159, -88.96971 (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 74002196.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q7615524
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.