Fitzpatrick House
Why it's listed
Beside Route 53 near Lockport, a T-shaped farmhouse of locally quarried limestone sits on a bluff with its barn, a three-foot dry stone wall and the remains of a cattle corral. Built about 1860-65, the house combines Greek Revival features, such as sidelights, a transom, flat stone lintels and pedimented gables, with Italianate rusticated quoins and a bracketed porch. No architect or builder is known. It is described as one of fewer than a dozen stone farmhouses surviving in Will County outside Lockport, and it keeps its original relationship to barn, wall and road. The farm was developed by Patrick Fitzpatrick, an Irish immigrant who arrived among Lockport's first settlers in 1833-34 and built up a 1,200-acre holding. His family supported the Catholic Church and helped establish Lewis University and a parish school. The house stayed in the family until the death of his daughter Frances in 1950. The interior was remodeled in the 1960s, and the building is now vacant.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the farmstead is one of the finest surviving examples of local limestone farm construction, with Greek Revival and Italianate details. It also reflects the Fitzpatrick family, prominent in Lockport's social and philanthropic life, who occupied it until the 1950s. Its location on an early stage road adds to its landmark value.
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 84001170, listed February 9, 1984. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | IL 53, Lockport |
|---|---|
| County | Will County |
| Listed | February 9, 1984 |
| Reference number | 84001170 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | ca. 1860-65 |
| Architectural style | Greek Revival and Italianate details; vernacular farm architecture |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture, Social History |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Listed as unoccupied and vacant; all windows boarded up, interior remodeled in the 1960s with no original details remaining. |
| Acreage | 2.4 |
| Coordinates | 41.60069, -88.07090 (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.
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 84001170.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5455673
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.