International Harvester Building
Why it's listed
Located at 1301-1309 Southwest Washington Street in Peoria, this complex combines a five-story brick warehouse and office building from 1914 with a one-story showroom and garage added around 1925. The larger building shows modified Classical Revival and Prairie-influenced details, including a bracketed cornice, a pedimented parapet and an angled corner bay built to let vehicles load off a busy street. The addition, faced in tapestry brick with Art Deco-inspired touches and carved IH cartouches, was first used for International Harvester trucks. Inside, pressed metal ceilings, timber columns, a safe, an original service elevator and a truck-washing bay survive. The property was built as Peoria's branch headquarters for International Harvester, after local company agents asked for a larger building to handle growing business in farm equipment, wagons and trucks. It is recognized for its part in the city's commerce between 1914 and 1955. The building is now vacant.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the building is significant under Criterion A for its role in the history of commerce in Peoria. It served as the local branch headquarters of International Harvester, one of the few remaining important buildings tied to Peoria's agricultural implement distribution trade. The period of significance runs from 1914 to 1955.
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 05001254, listed November 15, 2005. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 1301-1309 Southwest Washington St., Peoria |
|---|---|
| County | Peoria County |
| Listed | November 15, 2005 |
| Reference number | 05001254 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1914-1955 |
| Architect / builder | Price, W.D., (1307-1309) |
| Architectural style | Commercial Style (1307-09); Art Deco (1301-05) |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Commerce |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Listed current function is vacant; the interiors are described as essentially intact, though some windows and doors are covered or replaced. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Within district | Peoria Warehouse Historic District |
| Coordinates | 40.68159, -89.60396 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
For an income-producing building, listing (individually or as a contributing building in a district) is the gateway to the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit on qualified rehabilitation costs, often stackable with state credits. Work claiming the credit must follow the Secretary of the Interior's Standards and be approved in advance.
Listing does not restrict a private owner acting without federal money or permits; where federal funding or licensing is involved, Section 106 review applies.
Noted as vacant in the nomination. Nomination documents can be decades old; current status may differ. If you are considering buying an empty listed property, read the due-diligence checklist.
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 05001254.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q1666614
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.