The LaSalle City Building is the historic civic hall building in

LaSalle, Illinois LaSalle is a city in LaSalle County, Illinois, United States, located at the intersection of Interstates 39 and 80. It is part of the Ottawa, IL Micropolitan Statistical Area. Originally platted in 1837 over , the city's boundaries have grown to ...

, United States. Completed in 1907, the hall exemplifies early 20th-century trends in city management.

History

The idea of a new city building for LaSalle, Illinois came from Walter A. Panneck, who served as mayor from 1903 to 1909. However, the city treasury did not have the funds to match Panneck's vision. To raise enough money for the structure, 450 bonds of $100 were issued, 422 of which were sold. The building was designed by

Victor Andre Matteson Victor Andre Matteson (August 22, 1872 – March 9, 1951) was an American architect. His practice was based in Chicago and LaSalle, Illinois. His work includes the Cardinal Hill Reservoir (1931) in Jefferson County, Kentucky; the Saginaw Wate ...

, a relatively obscure architect who previously worked under

Frost & Granger Frost & Granger was an American architectural partnership from 1898 to 1910 of brothers-in-law Charles Sumner Frost (1856–1931) and Alfred Hoyt Granger (1867–1939). Frost and Granger were known for their designs of train stations and terminals, ...

. All city departments were consolidated into this one building, a popular trend during the

Progressivism Progressivism holds that it is possible to improve human societies through political action. As a political movement, progressivism seeks to advance the human condition through social reform based on purported advancements in science, tec ...

movement. The building was recognized by the

National Park Service The National Park Service (NPS) is an agency of the United States federal government within the U.S. Department of the Interior that manages all national parks, most national monuments, and other natural, historical, and recreational propertie ...

with a listing on 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 ...

on August 29, 1985.Illinois Historic Preservation Agency
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Architecture

The symmetrical two and a half story building is largely rectangular. It was built with red brick with Bedford limestone trim.

Balustrade A baluster is an upright support, often a vertical moulded shaft, square, or lathe-turned form found in stairways, parapets, and other architectural features. In furniture construction it is known as a spindle. Common materials used in its con ...

s and

modillion A modillion is an ornate bracket, more horizontal in shape and less imposing than a corbel. They are often seen underneath a cornice which it helps to support. Modillions are more elaborate than dentils (literally translated as small teeth). All ...

s are detailed with galvanized iron and tin. The main entrance is a double door on the south, facing Second Street, while a second public entrance faces Joliet Street on the east. There is also a private entrance, used by the police department, facing an alley to the north.

Fanlight A fanlight is a form of lunette window, often semicircular or semi-elliptical in shape, with glazing bars or tracery sets radiating out like an open fan. It is placed over another window or a doorway, and is sometimes hinged to a transom. Th ...

windows are found over each entrance, though the exterior of each has been covered with a panel. The first floor has a central hall plan and is home to the police department. A jail was originally part of the police wing, but has since been converted to office use. Although the police wing has been extensively modified from its original design, the public hall closely resembles the original plan. The city engineer's office is on the second floor and council chambers are on the third. A basement, originally small and intended only for a furnace, has been greatly expanded.

References

{{reflist National Register of Historic Places in LaSalle County, Illinois Colonial Revival architecture in Illinois Government buildings completed in 1907 Buildings and structures in LaSalle County, Illinois City and town halls on the National Register of Historic Places in Illinois