Category Archives: Buildings

Hickox Apartments

Posted on October 25, 2013 by editor

The Hickox Apartments, built at Fourth and Cook streets beginning in the mid-1920s, are a five-building, 100-unit complex that “brought social respectability to apartment living” in Springfield, according to Fever River Research’s 2003 study of the Aristocracy Hill neighborhood. Builder … Continue reading →

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Home and Hospital for Fallen Women

Posted on October 25, 2013 by editor

The Home and Hospital for Fallen Women opened in 1868 at 902 S. 12th St., a building known generally as the Judge John Taylor House. The purpose of the Home and Hospital was described in 1871 in a pious, and … Continue reading →

Posted in African Americans, Buildings, Children, Education, Historic Sites | Leave a comment

Dr. Thomas Houghan

Posted on October 24, 2013 by editor

Dr. Thomas Houghan (??-1862) built the Springfield home now known as Edwards Place in 1833. He sold it to Benjamin Edwards in 1843. Houghan was one of the first 10 physicians in Springfield and played a prominent role in local … Continue reading →

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Elijah Iles House

Posted on October 24, 2013 by editor

The house pioneer merchant Elijah Iles is thought to have had built for his family near Sixth and Cook streets in the 1830s* now is a museum and display place for exhibits focused on Springfield history. Both Abraham Lincoln and … Continue reading →

Posted in Buildings, Early residents, Historic Sites, Lincoln, Abraham, Local government, Museums | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Illinois Capitol Complex

Posted on October 23, 2013 by editor

Nine major buildings make up the heart of what is known as the Capitol Complex – the Statehouse and surrounding state government structures. Included are: *The Capitol itself *The Michael J. Howlett Building (formerly the Centennial Building), south of the … Continue reading →

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Illinois Capitol

Posted on October 23, 2013 by editor

Today’s Illinois Capitol is the sixth building to have been so designated. The state rented the first, a two-story brick building in Kaskaskia, the first capital, for $4 a day. The next three capitols were in Vandalia, where the capital … Continue reading →

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Illinois Executive Mansion, 1860 (lithograph)

Posted on October 23, 2013 by editor

The Illinois Executive Mansion is one of the three oldest continuously occupied governor’s mansions in the U.S. Since the lithograph above was done, the mansion has lost the cupola, the columns on the entrance portico and the balconies. (Reprinted in The … Continue reading →

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Illinois State Arsenal (1903)

Posted on October 22, 2013 by editor

President Theodore Roosevelt dedicated the new Illinois State Arsenal  at Second and Monroe streets on June 4, 1903. The structure, designed by Bullard & Bullard architects and built at a cost of $150,000 by the Culver Stone and Marble Co., … Continue reading →

Posted in African Americans, Amusements, Buildings, Celebrations, Disasters, Lincoln, Abraham, Military, Museums, Race riot of 1908, Sports and recreation, State government | 7 Comments

Illinois State Fair

Posted on October 22, 2013 by editor

This entry, first published in 2013, was significantly expanded in 2023. The first Illinois State Fair was held in Springfield in October 1853 under the direction of the Illinois State Agricultural Association. The association’s president, James N. Brown (considered the … Continue reading →

Posted in Agriculture, Amusements, Buildings, Celebrations, Farming, Illinois capital | 3 Comments

International Shoe Company

Posted on October 22, 2013 by editor

Springfield had a major shoe factory at Tenth Street and Enos Avenue from 1903 to 1964. The plant, built in the late 19th century, originally was the Springfield Furniture Co., but became a shoe factory when it was taken over … Continue reading →

Posted in Buildings, Business, Industry, Social services, Women | Tagged | 13 Comments