Lockport Lock, Dam and Power House Historic District
Also known as: Lock 2 and Controlling Works
Why it's listed
Lockport Lock, Dam and Power House is a cluster of waterway structures on the Des Plaines River just south of Lockport, Illinois. It includes an old Chicago Sanitary District lock (1905-10), a concrete dam, an Italian Renaissance powerhouse designed by Frederick L. Barrett and placed in operation in 1908, a brick control station, and a large new lock opened in 1933. The new lock has a 40-foot lift, the largest on the Illinois Waterway, and its upstream single-leaf, submergible vertical-lift gates are described as rare. The district was listed because it shows how the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal, hydroelectric generation and the Great-Lakes-to-the-Gulf waterway came together. Built in stages by the Sanitary District, the State of Illinois and the federal government, the complex helped open 336 miles of waterway to commercial barge traffic between Chicago and the Mississippi River. The lock and dam still operate, and the powerhouse is being renovated.
Significance in brief: The district is significant under Criteria A and C as an example of the lock, dam, control station and powerhouse property types of the Illinois Waterway Navigation System. It was a crucial part of the slackwater system that gave commercial barges access between Chicago and the Mississippi River. It also shows early hydroelectric development and rare lock gate engineering.
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 04000167, listed March 10, 2004. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 2502 Channel Dr., Lockport |
|---|---|
| County | Will County |
| Listed | March 10, 2004 |
| Reference number | 04000167 |
| Resource type | District |
| Period of significance | 1905-1952 |
| Architect / builder | Barrett, Frederick L.; Smith, Walter Mickle |
| Architectural style | Late 19th and 20th Century Revivals: Italian Renaissance |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Transportation, Maritime History, Engineering |
| Level of significance | National |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | The 1933 lock and dam are still operating, the powerhouse is remotely operated and being renovated for continued and increased use, and the old Chicago Sanitary District lock has been unused since 1933. |
| Acreage | 44.2 |
| Coordinates | 41.57115, -88.07780 (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 04000167.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q6665748
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.