Lebanon Historic District
Also known as: See Also:Mermaid House Hotel
Why it's listed
Lebanon's historic district covers roughly 129 acres of a low ridge in northeast St. Clair County, Illinois, about 25 miles east of St. Louis. It includes 211 structures, mostly single-family homes in frame and masonry, along with a nearly continuous wall of two- and three-story brick commercial buildings on St. Louis Street. Styles range from the simple Federal Mermaid Inn of 1830 to Greek Revival, Italianate, Second Empire and Queen Anne buildings. McKendree College, organized in 1828 as the Lebanon Seminary, anchors the northwest and is among the oldest colleges in the state. The town also grew along the Vincennes-St. Louis road, and Charles Dickens stayed at the Mermaid Inn in 1842. A section on the southwest edge protects a Late Woodland village and mound site that may help explain relations with the Mississippian culture at Cahokia. Together these features were judged to give the district architectural, archaeological and historical importance.
Significance in brief: The nomination cites the district's architecture, archaeology and history. The commercial ensemble on St. Louis Street, including three adjacent Second Empire business houses, is called the most significant feature. McKendree College, founded in 1828, is one of the earliest institutions of higher education in Illinois. A Late Woodland village site on the west side could clarify links between Late Woodland peoples and the Mississippians at Cahokia.
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 78003113, listed October 4, 1978. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | Irregular pattern centered along St. Louis and Belleville Sts., Lebanon |
|---|---|
| County | St. Clair County |
| Listed | October 4, 1978 |
| Reference number | 78003113 |
| Resource type | District |
| Period of significance | 1800-1899 |
| Architectural style | Federal, Greek Revival, Italianate, Second Empire and Queen Anne, with some Cottage Gothic, Classical Revival and Tudor Revival |
| Areas of significance | Prehistoric, Education, Politics/Government, Architecture |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Condition is marked good. The district is occupied and mostly residential, with commercial, educational, religious and park uses. |
| Acreage | 129 |
| Coordinates | 38.60336, -89.81062 (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 78003113.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q6511102
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.