The Central Geneva Historic District is a set of 102 buildings and structures in

Geneva Geneva ( ; french: Genève ) frp, Genèva ; german: link=no, Genf ; it, Ginevra ; rm, Genevra is the List of cities in Switzerland, second-most populous city in Switzerland (after Zürich) and the most populous city of Romandy, the French-speaki ...

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...

. Of those, 68 contribute to the district's historical integrity. The district is representative of southern Geneva, south of

Illinois Route 38 Illinois Route 38 is an west–east state highway that runs across northern Illinois. It runs from U.S. Route 52 (US 52) in downtown Dixon to US 12/ US 20/ US 45 (Mannheim Road) in Westchester. It runs concurrently with ...

. Among the noted buildings is the Kane County Courthouse and the

Frank Lloyd Wright Frank Lloyd Wright (June 8, 1867 – April 9, 1959) was an American architect, designer, writer, and educator. He designed more than 1,000 structures over a creative period of 70 years. Wright played a key role in the architectural movements o ...

-designed P. D. Hoyt House. The district was added to the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

in 1979, and was enlarged in 2017.

History

The Central Geneva Historic District principally consists of land from the original platted settlement, now the southern half of the town. It is primarily residential, but does have a commercial sector lining W. State Street (

). Among the public buildings are a public library, city hall, and county courthouse. The only other major road intersecting the district is S. First Street (

Illinois Route 31 Illinois Route 31 (IL 31) is a north–south state highway in northeastern Illinois, United States. It travels from U.S. Route 34 (US 34) in Oswego north to US 12, near the Wisconsin state line, just south of Richmond ...

). Most houses are two-story frame residences built between 1840 and 1900, principally from a

vernacular A vernacular or vernacular language is in contrast with a "standard language". It refers to the language or dialect that is spoken by people that are inhabiting a particular country or region. The vernacular is typically the native language, n ...

style. Geneva's later identification as a scenic shopping area encouraged the city to invest in the restoration of several structures. The district was added to the

on September 10, 1979.

Notable properties

The nomination form for the historic district singles out several properties that are particularly representative of mid- to late- 19th century architectural styles *Unitarian Church, built in 1843,

Greek Revival The Greek Revival was an architectural movement which began in the middle of the 18th century but which particularly flourished in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, predominantly in northern Europe and the United States and Canada, but ...

*Loveday House, built c. 1869,

Gothic Revival Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic, neo-Gothic, or Gothick) is an architectural movement that began in the late 1740s in England. The movement gained momentum and expanded in the first half of the 19th century, as increasingly ...

*Augustus Herrington House, built c. 1851,

Italianate The Italianate style was a distinct 19th-century phase in the history of Classical architecture. Like Palladianism and Neoclassicism, the Italianate style drew its inspiration from the models and architectural vocabulary of 16th-century Italian R ...

*Moore House #2, built in 1864, Italianate *Plato House, built in 1857, Italianate *Charles B. Wells House, built in 1850, Neoclassical *George Patten House, built in 1857, Federal Revival *Isaac Wilson House #1, built c. 1852, Federal Revival * P. D. Hoyt House, built in 1906, designed by

Prairie School Prairie School is a late 19th- and early 20th-century architectural style, most common in the Midwestern United States. The style is usually marked by horizontal lines, flat or hipped roofs with broad overhanging eaves, windows grouped in ...

*Eben Conant House, built c. 1844,

*Walter House, built c. 1855, vernacular * Benjamin Wilson house, built c. 1848

References

{{reflist Geneva, Illinois National Register of Historic Places in Kane County, Illinois Gothic Revival architecture in Illinois Greek Revival architecture in Illinois Italianate architecture in Illinois Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Illinois Geography of Kane County, Illinois Tourist attractions in Kane County, Illinois