Hickox Apartments
Approximate location: the National Park Service places this pin arbitrarily within the property, not at a surveyed point (stated accuracy ±12 m).
Why it's listed
Five apartment buildings at 4th and Cook Streets in Springfield, Illinois, make up the Hickox Apartment Complex, built between 1920 and 1929 by Harris Hickox, a member of a pioneer local family. Carl Meyer designed the facade of the main building. The group runs from three-story row-style flats at 610-614 South Fourth to a detached courtyard building at 301-303 East Cook and a five-story courtyard building at 631 South Fourth. It is the only Springfield site showing this progression of apartment types. Brick and limestone exteriors and the lobby remain essentially as built, in modified Georgian and classical styles. The complex also mattered socially. Located on Aristocracy Hill near the governor's mansion, it offered interiors that imitated private homes and was run with a reserved, club-like atmosphere. Its main building was the city's first apartment building with an elevator. It was regarded as the best apartment address in town into the 1960s and helped make apartment living respectable.
Significance in brief: It is described as the only single site in Springfield showing three of the city's five apartment building types: the row flat, the early detached courtyard building, and the large suburban-style courtyard building. It was also the city's premier apartment address for decades and helped make apartment living socially respectable in Springfield.
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 84000337, listed November 13, 1984. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 4th and Cook Sts., Springfield |
|---|---|
| County | Sangamon County |
| Listed | November 13, 1984 |
| Reference number | 84000337 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1919-1929 |
| Architect / builder | Harris Hickox/Carl Meyer |
| Architectural style | Modified Georgian and classical revival (eclectic, loosely classical) |
| Areas of significance | Architecture, Social History |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Described as occupied and unaltered on its original site; exteriors and public interior spaces are original, and a rehabilitation proposal would retain original public-space fabric. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 39.79525, -89.65129 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
National Register listing is honorary: it recognises significance and does not restrict what a private owner may do without federal money or permits. It unlocks the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit for income-producing buildings, state credits in many states, and Section 106 review when federal agencies are involved. See what listing means in practice.
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 84000337.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q19462300
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.