Wear, Washington C., House
Why it's listed
Built in 1870 by farmer Washington C. Wear, this two-story Italianate house sits in a rural setting about a mile south of Princeville, Illinois. It has a cubic wood-framed main block with a rear service wing, a low hipped roof, wide eaves, and paired brackets with hanging pendants. The north facade is the most elaborate, with a carved double door, a pedimented center projection, a bay window on carved brackets, and arched windows with bracketed hoods. Inside, a central hallway divides four rooms on each floor, with twelve-foot ceilings, original interior shutters, and hand-grained doors. Changes have been modest: an enclosed east porch and an early 1950s bathroom. Wear and his brother had come to Peoria County from Ohio in 1844. The house was recognized for its architecture and remains the only surviving farm building of historic integrity. A 1980 county rural survey called it one of the finest rural Italianate houses in the county. It stayed in the Wear family for generations.
Significance in brief: The house is argued to be an excellent example of Italianate architecture in rural northern Peoria County under Criterion C. It keeps its low hipped roof, paired brackets, wide eaves and cornices, hooded arched windows and symmetrical floor plan. A 1980 rural survey of Peoria County cited it as one of the finest rural Italianate houses in the county.
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 93000838, listed August 19, 1993. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 1 mi. S and 0.4 mi. W of jct. of IL 90 and IL 91, Princeville |
|---|---|
| County | Peoria County |
| Listed | August 19, 1993 |
| Reference number | 93000838 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1870 |
| Architect / builder | Unknown (built by Washington C. Wear) |
| Architectural style | Italianate |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Described as in excellent condition with architectural integrity maintained; still used as a single-dwelling residence. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 40.91540, -89.76478 (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 93000838.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q24061465
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.