The Downtown Aledo Historic District is a national historic district located in downtown

Aledo Aledo may refer to: *Aledo, Illinois *Aledo, Texas *Aledo, Spain Aledo is a municipality in the Region of Murcia, southern Spain. It is home to a castle built during the early Middle Ages by the Moors, to command the Guadalentín valley. When the ...

, Illinois. The district includes 75 contributing buildings and a park. The majority of the buildings are commercial structures, but the district also includes the city's

Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad The Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad was a railroad that operated in the Midwestern United States. Commonly referred to as the Burlington Route, the Burlington, or as the Q, it operated extensive trackage in the states of Colorado, Illin ...

station and both the city's and Mercer County's major government buildings. Development in the district began in the 1850s, and the oldest surviving buildings date from the following decade. The district includes examples of many prominent American architectural styles from the mid-19th century onward; the most prevalent styles are Classical Revival, Romanesque Revival, and Italianate. The district was added to the National Register of Historic Places on June 7, 2016. Two buildings in the district, the Mercer County Courthouse and Mercer County Jail, are listed independently in the National Register.

Architectural Styles

Italianate

There are eleven buildings of the District identified as Italianate. Examples of the Italianate style in the District include Detwiler Bros. Hardware Store at 118 E Main St, the Marquis Bros. Building at 201 E Main St, and the former Buggie and Shay Shop at 106 S College Ave. Locally, this style of architecture was popular from 1880–1913.

Romanesque Revival

There are thirteen buildings of the District identified as Romanesque Revival. Examples include the Union Hall Building at 113 S College Ave, 213 S College Ave, and 109-113 E Main St. Locally, this style of was popular from 1870–1907.

Second Empire

The Button House at 101 N College Ave is the only example of the Second Empire style in the District. The Button House was built in 1868.

Stick Style

The Chicago, Burlington, & Quincy Railroad Depot at 204 SE 2nd Ave is the only example of Stick Style in the District. The CB&Q Depot was built in 1869.

Italian Renaissance

There are two buildings of the District identified as Italian Renaissance. The two examples are the service stations at 112 S College Ave, and 222 E Main St. These buildings were built from 1928–1940.

Classical Revival

There are 25 buildings of the District identified as Classical Revival. Of the 25 buildings, four are Early Classical Revival and 21 are Late Classical Revival. Examples include the Mercer Carnegie Library at 200 N College Ave, the Wallen Block at 114 E Main St, and the rear of 118 E Main St. Locally, the Early Classical Revival style was popular from 1875–1880, while the Late Classical Revival style was popular from 1889–1938.

Jacobethan

The Mercer County Jail at 309 S College Avenue is the only example of the

Jacobethan The Jacobethan or Jacobean Revival architectural style is the mixed national Renaissance revival style that was made popular in England from the late 1820s, which derived most of its inspiration and its repertory from the English Renaissance (15 ...

style in the District. The jail was built in 1909.

Neoclassical

The Farmers National Bank at 101 E Main St is the only example of the Neoclassical style in the District. The bank building was built in 1917.

Art Deco

The Mercer County Farm Bureau at 206 SE 3rd St is the only example of the Art Deco style in the District. The building was built in 1940.

Moderne

There are four buildings in the District identified as

Moderne Moderne may refer to: * Moderne architecture, styles of architecture popular from 1925–1940s * PWA Moderne, an architectural style in the U.S., 1933–1944 * Streamline Moderne Streamline Moderne is an international style of Art Deco archit ...

. Examples include the Standard Oil Stations at 222 W Main St and 112 S College Ave. Locally, this style was popular circa 1940.

New Traditional

The McCreedy Building at 107-109 N College Ave is the only example of the New Traditional style in the District. The building was built in 1938 and continues to be popular to present day.

Contemporary

There are five buildings in the District identified as Contemporary. Examples include the Tastee-Freez at 300 SE 3rd St, the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post at 106 SW 3rd Ave, and the Farmer's State Bank of Western Illinois at 201 S College Ave. Additionally, there are eleven buildings with Contemporary style false-fronts in the District. Examples include the W.C. Galloway Grocery Store at 119 S College Ave, 115 E Main St, and 116 NW 2nd Ave. Locally, this style was popular from 1950–1995.

Building Type

Commercial Blocks: One & Two Part

Two or more story commercial blocks may be classified as One-Part Commercial if the facade can be read as a single design element, with no projecting

cornice In architecture, a cornice (from the Italian ''cornice'' meaning "ledge") is generally any horizontal decorative moulding that crowns a building or furniture element—for example, the cornice over a door or window, around the top edge of a ...

or other strong horizontal design element dividing the first floor from the upper floors. There are 49 Commercial Blocks in the District. Examples of the Commercial Block type can be found on the north side of the 100-block of E Main St or the west side of the 100 and 200-blocks of S College Ave.

Temple-Front

Modeled after the ancient Greek and Roman temples, these buildings are typically two to three stories in height. They are distinguished by a

portico A portico is a porch leading to the entrance of a building, or extended as a colonnade, with a roof structure over a walkway, supported by columns or enclosed by walls. This idea was widely used in ancient Greece and has influenced many cult ...

of four or more columns extending across the facade or by a recessed entry front by twin columns set in between an enframing wall. The Farmers National Bank at 101 E Main St is the only example of the Temple-Front building type in the District.

False-Front

False-Front is an applied or fake front facade. They are identifiable by the extension of the applied front facade above the building's roofline and lack of depth to the storefront. There are eleven buildings with false-fronts in the District. Examples include the W.C. Galloway Grocery Store at 119 S College Ave, 115 E Main St, and 116 NW 2nd Ave.

Freestanding

Freestanding buildings have architectural treatment on two or more sides. The structure may occupy an entire city block and be surrounded by parking. There are six Freestanding buildings in the District. Examples of the Freestanding building type are the National Bank of Aledo building at 201 W Main St, Farmer's State Bank of Western Illinois at 201 S College, and Frontier Communications at 206 SE 3rd Ave.

Gas Stations and Other Road-Related Buildings

Automobile service garages are simple buildings sometimes with an office or storage above. These buildings are often masonry construction with a

barrel vault A barrel vault, also known as a tunnel vault, wagon vault or wagonhead vault, is an architectural element formed by the extrusion of a single curve (or pair of curves, in the case of a pointed barrel vault) along a given distance. The curves are ...

or bowstring truss roof. There are ten road-related buildings in the District. Examples are the Standard Oil Stations at 222 W Main St and 112 S College Ave, and the filling and service station at 222 E Main St.

Map of Historic District Boundary

Table of Contributing Structures

References

{{National Register of Historic Places National Register of Historic Places in Mercer County, Illinois Italianate architecture in Illinois Romanesque Revival architecture in Illinois Neoclassical architecture in Illinois Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Illinois