Franklin Square, or Franklin Park is located in

Bloomington, Illinois Bloomington is a city in McLean County, Illinois, United States, and its county seat. The 2020 United States census, 2020 census showed the city had a population of 78,680, making it the List of municipalities in Illinois, 13th-most populous ci ...

, McLean County. Listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

, Franklin Square contains the homes of former Vice President

Adlai Stevenson I Adlai Ewing Stevenson (October 23, 1835 – June 14, 1914) was an American politician and diplomat who served as the 23rd vice president of the United States from 1893 to 1897 under President Grover Cleveland. A member of the History of the Demo ...

and former Governor Joseph W. Fifer. In 1979 the square was designated as a local historic district. Located northeast of downtown Bloomington, the square encompasses the 300 and 400 blocks of E. Chestnut and E. Walnut streets and the 900 block of N. Prairie and N. McLean streets.

History

left, x250px, Lithograph of the Franklin Square Monument by Haldeman Marble Works On April 26, 1856, David Davis, William F. Flagg, and William H. Allin donated a 590-by-330-foot parcel of land to the city of Bloomington, asking that the park be “...used as a place of public resort, pastime and recreation, for citizens and strangers forever.” The original agreement called for the city to improve and ornament the park, and prohibited the city from erecting any buildings on the square. In 1869, a monument was erected in the center of Franklin Square to commemorate the 700 McLean County citizens who died in the

Civil War A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...

. Commissioned to Haldeman Marble Works of Bloomington, Illinois, for $15,000, the monument stood 49 feet high with a Lemont limestone base. An inscription read, “McLean County’s Honored Sons: Fallen—but not Forgotten” with engravings of the names of the 700 soldiers that died in service. The structure featured four statues of soldiers (

Infantry Infantry, or infantryman are a type of soldier who specialize in ground combat, typically fighting dismounted. Historically the term was used to describe foot soldiers, i.e. those who march and fight on foot. In modern usage, the term broadl ...

Cavalry Historically, cavalry (from the French word ''cavalerie'', itself derived from ''cheval'' meaning "horse") are groups of soldiers or warriors who Horses in warfare, fight mounted on horseback. Until the 20th century, cavalry were the most mob ...

Zouave The Zouaves () were a class of light infantry regiments of the French Army and other units modelled on it, which served between 1830 and 1962, and served in French North Africa. The zouaves were among the most decorated units of the French Army ...

, and Marine) and a life-size figure of a colonel atop an 18-foot shaft. Over the next few years, the monument began to disintegrate. A committee organized to resolve the situation stated, “Unfortunately, the material of which the monument was constructed has proved to be so perishable that the names of the county’s heroes have been nearly obliterated and the entire monument is in danger of falling.” Former Governor Joseph Fifer lobbied for the city to tear down the monument and build a new one in

Miller Park American Family Field is a retractable roof stadium in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Located southwest of the intersection of Interstate 94 in Wisconsin, Interstate 94 and Brewers Boulevard, it is the ballpark of Major League Baseball's Milwaukee Brewe ...

in Bloomington. The lower half of the monument was saved and is currently located in the Bloomington neighborhood of Briarwood.

Houses

The houses of Franklin Square were built in a variety of architectural styles from the mid 19th century through the early 20th century, including

Georgian Revival Georgian architecture is the name given in most English-speaking countries to the set of architectural styles current between 1714 and 1830. It is named after the first four British monarchs of the House of Hanover, George I, George II, Ge ...

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

, Colonial, Queen Anne, and

Richardsonian Romanesque Richardsonian Romanesque is a architectural style, style of Romanesque Revival architecture named after the American architect Henry Hobson Richardson (1838–1886). The revivalism (architecture), revival style incorporates 11th- and 12th-century ...

. Because the square was home to many prominent citizens of Bloomington, the neighborhood received visits from notable figures, among them

Theodore Roosevelt Theodore Roosevelt Jr. (October 27, 1858 – January 6, 1919), also known as Teddy or T.R., was the 26th president of the United States, serving from 1901 to 1909. Roosevelt previously was involved in New York (state), New York politics, incl ...

Ulysses S. Grant Ulysses S. Grant (born Hiram Ulysses Grant; April 27, 1822July 23, 1885) was the 18th president of the United States, serving from 1869 to 1877. In 1865, as Commanding General of the United States Army, commanding general, Grant led the Uni ...

Clarence Darrow Clarence Seward Darrow (; April 18, 1857 – March 13, 1938) was an American lawyer who became famous in the 19th century for high-profile representations of trade union causes, and in the 20th century for several criminal matters, including the ...

, and

Carl Sandburg Carl August Sandburg (January 6, 1878 – July 22, 1967) was an American poet, biographer, journalist, and editor. He won three Pulitzer Prizes: two for his poetry and one for his biography of Abraham Lincoln. During his lifetime, Sandburg w ...

. Today many

Illinois Wesleyan University Illinois Wesleyan University is a private liberal arts college in Bloomington, Illinois, United States. Founded in 1850, the central portion of the present campus was acquired in 1854 with the first building erected in 1856. History The in ...

students reside in the square's houses, including the Alpha Lamba chapter of

Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia (legally Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia Fraternity of America, colloquially known as Phi Mu Alpha, PMA, or simply Sinfonia) () is an American collegiate social Fraternities and sororities, fraternity for men with a special interest ...

and the Sigma Alpha chapter of

Sigma Alpha Iota Sigma Alpha Iota () is an international music fraternity. It was established in 1903 at the University School of Music in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Sigma Alpha Iota is a member of the National Interfraternity Music Council and the Professional Frater ...

. *Burr House - This house was built for Luman Burr at 210 E. Chestnut in 1864 by the Hayes & Evans Contracting Company. It was constructed in the

Federal style Federal-style architecture is the name for the classical architecture built in the United States following the American Revolution between 1780 and 1830, and particularly from 1785 to 1815, which was influenced heavily by the works of And ...

and later remodeled with Queen Anne Style elements; gabled roof, left wing, and back wing were added in the early 20th century. *Dodson-Stevenson House - This 1869 home was built at 901 N. McLean St. in the

style for William K. Dodson. The home's second owner was Adlai E. Stevenson I who became vice president under the administration of

Grover Cleveland Stephen Grover Cleveland (March 18, 1837June 24, 1908) was the 22nd and 24th president of the United States, serving from 1885 to 1889 and from 1893 to 1897. He was the first U.S. president to serve nonconsecutive terms and the first Hist ...

.Franklin Square Historic District
Bloomington Historic Preservation Commission, City of Bloomington. *Fifer-Bohrer House - This

Georgian Revival style Georgian architecture is the name given in most English-speaking countries to the set of architectural styles current between 1714 and 1830. It is named after the first four British monarchs of the House of Hanover, George I, George II, Geor ...

home was built in 1895 at 909 N. McLean St. and included Queen Anne style elements. The house was home to former Illinois Governor Joseph W. Fifer and his daughter Florence Fifer Bohrer, who was the first female senator in the

Illinois General Assembly The Illinois General Assembly is the legislature of the U.S. state of Illinois. It has two chambers, the Illinois House of Representatives and the Illinois Senate. The General Assembly was created by the first state constitution adopted in ...

. *McClure House - Marion Lee McClure, a farmer, landowner, and land speculator commissioned architect George Miller to build a

style house in 1906 that resembled one he saw in Chicago. The house is known as "The Castle" and features a third-floor ballroom. *Lillard House This house at 302 Walnut St. was built in 1882 in the Victorian-era Queen Anne style. The first owner of the home, John T. Lillard, was a prominent attorney in

, and married Sarah Davis, daughter of Judge David Davis.

Gallery

Image:912 Prairie St..jpg, The

Prairie style 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 i ...

Kirkpatrick House, built in 1914 and moved to Franklin Park from the east corner of Chestnut & East Streets in 1979 Image:908 Prairie St..jpg, The

style McClure House Image:210 Chestnut St..jpg, The Burr House is a mixture of Federal and Queen Anne styles Image:303 Chestnut St..jpg,

chapter house Image:307 Chestnut St..jpg,

, Sigma Alpha chapter house Image:315 Chestnut St..jpg,

style Image:317 Chestnut St..jpg, Italian Renaissance style house built and occupied by local architect Arthur F. Moratz Image:Home of Adlai Stevenson I.jpg, Former home of

Image:909 McLean St..jpg, Fifer-Bohrer house Image:304 Walnut St.jpg, Colonial style Image:302 Walnut St..jpg, Lillard House

References

{{National Register of Historic Places National Register of Historic Places in McLean County, Illinois Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Illinois Buildings and structures in Bloomington–Normal Houses in McLean County, Illinois Tourist attractions in Bloomington–Normal