National Register Properties

Hiram B. Scutt Mansion — 206 Broadway

The Hiram B. Scutt Mansion is a west-facing, three-story, red brick, Second Empire/Italianate style structure built circa 1882 on a Joliet limestone foundation. The Mansion was designed by architect James Weese for Hiram Scutt, a prominent Joliet businessman who was President of Citizens Electric Company and held numerous early patents on barbed wire. The mansion thus became known as "Barb Villa." The structure is dominated by a 3½ story protruding tower and is capped with a Second Empire mansard roof. A distinctive, bracketed tin cornice, interspersed with disc bosses, accents the mansard roof. The structure is a Local Landmark and individually listed on the National Register.

In later years, the home served as a residence for young women and was called the "Hannah Harwood Girl's Home".

Rialto Square Theatre - 102 N. Chicago St.

www.rialtosquare.com

Louis Joliet Hotel - 22 E. Clinton St.

Built in 1927, the Louis Joliet Hotel is an eight story neoclassical revival building in brick with stone trim. It is located at the southwest corner of Clinton and Scott Streets in downtown Joliet. In its heyday, this was the finest hotel in Joliet, and well-regarded throughout the region for its elegance and luxury. It was designated a national landmark in 1989. Except for minor modifications to the street level façade, the building remains intact.

The hotel has 225 rooms above a two-story central lobby and lounge, the latter containing a large fireplace with an eight-foot hand-carved mantel of Bedford stone.

The hotel operated until 1964, after which it became known as the St. Patrick's Residence, a retirement center and nursing home, until 1989. The building has been vacant since then.

Joliet Steel Company, Main Office - 927 Collins Street

The Joliet Steel Company Main Office is of the Neoclassical Romanesque architectural style. This structure has dominated the landscape of northeastern Joliet since its construction in 1891. Its rusticated Joliet limestone exterior rises two stories above the raised basement. The large Romanesque arched entryway and the Neoclassical dentilated gabled roofline pediment are striking and notable features of the structure. These features face Collins Street and create a commanding elevation.

The overall architectural composition of the Joliet Steel Company Main Office reflects the importance of the iron and steel industry and this industry's influence upon the City of Joliet. The city's common history with the steel industry dates from the late 1860's. This key element of Joliet's manufacturing base reached its zenith between 1890 and 1930. By the early 1890's, the Joliet Steel Company was the result of consolidations and reorganizations within many predecessor businesses. The Joliet Steel Company Main Office was then constructed as a corporate "flagship," demonstrating the influence, strength, and power wielded by this industry and the company.

The significant architectural elements of this structure are still intact, remaining as a demonstrative example of their architectural styling and as a reflection of the underlying importance of the steel industry within Joliet's history.

The Jacob Henry Mansion — 20 South Eastern Avenue

 

The Jacob A. Henry Mansion is a three-story, red brick, Second Empire/Italian Renaissance style structure built on a Joliet limestone foundation in 1873 (completed in 1876). The structure is set on bedrock and the entire basement floor is made of Joliet limestone from the building owner’s quarry. The walls of the structure are constructed of red Illinois sandstone and deep red brick specially fired in Ohio (wrapped individually and shipped by barge to Joliet). A commanding three-story tower is the focal point of the structure.

The structure has steel trim with slate shingles on a mansard roof. The front and side porches are single slabs of limestone. The largest stone ever quarried lies in the sidewalk under the front entry gate. The stone is 9’ x 22’ x 20” thick. In 1885, an immense Byzantine dome was added to the south façade.

The interior of the mansion has elaborate polished walnut woodwork, massive carved pocket doors, original wood mantles, and a solid walnut staircase. The original owner, Mr. Henry, was a railroad magnate, building railroads in Indiana, Ohio, and Illinois. He had ownership in a local quarry and was a principal stockholder in Will County National Bank. The structure is a Local Landmark, part of the East Side National Register District, and individually listed on the National Register.

The home is available for banquets and special occasion parties.

www.jacobhenrymansion.com/

Union Station - 50 East Jefferson Street

Union Station is a two-story, Bedford limestone, Neo Classical Revival style structure designed by noted railroad station architect Jarvis Hunt in 1912. Adam Groth, a highly-regarded stone contractor and builder, was the contractor for the project.

The station is built as an oblong hexagon with wings extending from the longer axis. In a design unique to the Midwest, the station faces the track intersection. The street façade includes three great Romanesque style windows located atop three entry doors leading from the waiting room area to the open balcony. The Romanesque window placement is repeated on the track-facing elevation. The street and track façade are symmetrical. Ornamental, flat-roof canopies frame the buildings entry ways.

The broad, simplified lines of the building exterior give great character to the structure and help to distinguish the site as a focal point of the Joliet City Center. Union Station also stands as a visible reminder of Joliet’s former dominance as a major railroad center. At the time of construction, Joliet was served by four trunk line railroads. The railroads had depots scattered throughout the city. Two major lines crossed at an acute angle near the site. The new, consolidated station design is well-adapted to the conditions present at the time.

The walls of Union Station are constructed of fireproofed steel, faced with smooth, Bedford, Indiana limestone on the building exterior and marble on many of the interior walls and floors. The track level waiting room exhibits influences from the French Renaissance period. The room has high, arched ceilings and a parabolic design which carries sound from one end of the room to the other.

The mural located on the lower level of the station was designed by Alejandro Romero, a native of Mexico City, in 1991. The Kiep clock located outside the station was formerly located at the Kiep Jewelry Store in the Joliet City Center. A small, Bedford stone Art Deco style service station, located in front of Union Station, is now demolished.

In the late 1870’s, the Rock Island Railroad tracks ran right through the courthouse square, and as early as 1875, the City began to pressure the Rock Island RR to remove the tracks. The track elevation project began in May 1908, and was completed at a cost of three million dollars. The Union Station ground breaking was on July 31, 1911, and the new station (a $250,000 project) and track elevation projects were both complete in October 1912.

Union Station replaces the Rock Island Station, built in 1854 at the site. Several U.S. presidents stopped in Joliet at the Rock Island Station, including President Theodore Roosevelt, who spoke to crowds gathered at the station on October 8, 1900 and on June 3, 1903.

Union Station was later the staging point for troops departing for service in both world wars. In more recent times, President Gerald Ford launched a whistle stop tour of the Midwest after addressing a large crowd gathered at Union Station in October 1976.

In 1978, Union Station was listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Following a period of underutilization and disrepair, in 1987, the station was jointly purchased by the City of Joliet and METRA. An extensive, public-funded renovation of the station was complete in October 1991. The station consists of 35,000 sq. ft. of usable space. 15,000 sq. ft. is dedicated to Amtrak operations and 20,000 sq. ft. is leasable space. A coffee shop, restaurant/bar, and quasi-government office are also located in the station. The former passenger waiting area is now a private banquet hall.

www.jolietunionstation.com/

Joliet Township High School - 201 E. Jefferson St.

The 1901 Joliet Township High School is an early yet accomplished example of the "Collegiate Gothic" style that became increasingly popular throughout the early 1900's. This is evident in this building's arches, castellated walls, and towers. Joliet commissioned local architect F.S. Allen for the 1901 southern portion of the high school. Mr. Allen went on to employ this styling with many schools nationwide. The D. H. Burnham Company, in 1917, 1922, 1924, and 1931, completed four subsequent additions. These additions continued the original theme with slight variations, while the original F.S. Allen section contains the most detailed and architecturally interesting components of the entire composition. In total, this impressive and well-maintained structure harmonizes with and dominates its location by serving as both art and institution.

Constructed of Joliet limestone, the high school is an exceptional structure. The school has also played an important role in serving the community. Considering both its structural presence and the educational innovations and social events that it has fostered, Joliet Township High School recognizes and honors the people and accomplishments that the building has housed. Of greatest national significance, the Joliet Township High School was home to the nation's first Junior College. On a local level this structure has well served the community and has provided for the educational and social development of its youth for the past 100 years. The historic role of this landmark harmonizes with its architectural aspects. Joliet Township High School is a compilation of form, function, and history that draws and commands respect and admiration.

Joliet Park District Airport Hangar - 4000 W. Jefferson St.

The Joliet Park District Airport Hangar is a unique and symbolic landmark. In 1930, the Joliet Park District constructed this structure in a contemporary style by incorporating elements of Art Deco with Streamline Moderne. The building's exterior has remained unaltered and is a rare and notable example of this architectural composition.

The history of the Hangar reflects the "Progressive Era" in Joliet government. The scale and use of the Hangar were significantly forward-thinking in 1930. Joliet's public undertaking of this facility was exceptional during the infancy of the aviation industry. In fact, the Hangar initially opened with amenities that would become commonplace in all airport terminals: waiting areas, luggage collection, offices, a restaurant with dining room and viewing terraces. Not surprisingly, the Hangar and airfield opened with much fanfare and excitement in 1930.

Old Photos of the Airport(PDF, 691KB)  

Christ Episcopal Church — 75 W. Van Buren St.

Christ Episcopal Church is a 2 1/2 story, English High Gothic Revival style Joliet limestone structure. In the 1880's, the church held a design competition and selected prominent Joliet architect F.S. Allen for the church commission. Most of the original elements of the circa 1886 church and parsonage are intact today. Prominent features include a tower, open Gothic arcades, cantilevered stained glass windows, and rusticated, ornamental stonework. The parsonage, which is connected to the church via a parish hall, is a 2 1/2 story Queen Anne/Romanesque style limestone and cut shingle structure.

The church was destroyed by a fire in 2006.

United States Post Office Building - 150 North Scott Street

Designed by James Knox Taylor and constructed between 1901 and 1903, the Old Joliet Post Office exhibits a blend of architectural styles, and can be categorized as Renaissance Revival. The exterior is light-colored limestone with granite entrance steps. The entry is covered by a canopy between two of the four two-story fluted ionic columns at the front of the building. The building is topped by a balustrade above the cornice.

The building was expanded in 1931/32 at the rear; the front façade remains as it was when originally constructed. The Old Post Office was designated a national landmark in 1981.