Rutter Store
Why it's listed
Rutter Store is a large brick building in St. Libory, Illinois, about 40 miles from St. Louis. Heinrich Rutter, a Prussian immigrant, built it in 1849 with local labor and bricks made on the site. A brick addition followed in 1859, and a wood-frame wing was added in the early 1900s. The walls are three bricks thick, and the building has double end chimneys, a corbeled brick cornice and roughly 10,000 square feet of floor space. Two frame outbuildings, a smokehouse from the 1870s and a cream shed from the 1890s, stand to the west. For generations the store was the commercial center of the village, selling groceries, hardware, dry goods and clothing and buying produce, cream and hides from area farmers. It held the post office from 1856 to 1990 and also housed a tavern, a physician's office and rooms for travelers. Members of the Rutter family ran the business until 1976, and general merchandise sales continued under another operator until 1986.
Significance in brief: The store is significant under commerce for its role in St. Libory's commercial development. It served as the village's general store from 1849 to 1986 and as its post office from 1856 to 1990. It also housed a tavern, a doctor's office and a hotel, and was run by successive members of the Rutter family.
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 94000436, listed May 6, 1994. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 7346 IL 15, St. Libory |
|---|---|
| County | St. Clair County |
| Listed | May 6, 1994 |
| Reference number | 94000436 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1849-1944 |
| Architect / builder | Rutter, Heinrich, Builder |
| Architectural style | Mid-19th Century |
| Criteria |
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| Areas of significance | Commerce |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | The general store ceased operating in 1986 and the post office moved to a new building in 1990. The form refers to planned rehabilitation, including removal of simulated brick sheathing and reinstallation of original shutters. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 38.36376, -89.71345 (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.
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 94000436.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q16899537
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.