Jacksonville Historic District (Additional Documentation, Boundary Increase)
Why it's listed
Covering most of Jacksonville's west side, this historic district of roughly 284 acres holds 696 structures, most of them large single-family homes on tree-shaded, park-like streets. Illinois College and the Illinois School for the Deaf anchor the area. Almost every architectural style popular in Illinois from about 1830 to the mid-1930s appears here, from the late Federal Beecher Hall of 1829 to Prairie School houses by Spencer and Powers, with Italianate and Queen Anne buildings the most numerous. The area was largely open prairie when Illinois College was founded in 1829 and the School for the Deaf was established in 1839. Those institutions drew the city's prominent residents and shaped the neighborhood's character by 1878. Notable figures linked to the area include Joseph Duncan and Newton Bateman. Only a small share of buildings are recent or intrusive, so the district remains a nearly intact section of a 19th-century Illinois city.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the district is of major significance for its architecture alone, with excellent examples of nearly every major style popular in Illinois from about 1830 to the Great Depression. It also has strong historical ties to two pioneering state institutions, Illinois College and the Illinois School for the Deaf, and to figures such as Joseph Duncan and Newton Bateman.
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). NRHP reference 14000509, listed August 25, 2014. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | Roughly bounded by Grand, Elm, Dunlap & Chambers, Jacksonville |
|---|---|
| County | Morgan County |
| Listed | August 25, 2014 |
| Reference number | 14000509 |
| Resource type | District |
| Architect / builder | Spencer and Powers (architects of the Prairie School houses, including the W. Bellatti House, 1915) |
| Architectural style | Wide range, dominated by Italianate and Queen Anne; also late Federal, Greek Revival, Gothic Revival, Second Empire, Richardsonian Romanesque, Shingle Style, Prairie School, and Octagon |
| Areas of significance | Education, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Condition is marked excellent; the district is described as nearly intact, with few intrusions (17 of 696 structures) and mostly residential use. |
| Acreage | 368 |
| Coordinates | 39.73359, -90.24495 (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 14000509.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives)
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.