The Transfer House is a historic building located in Central Park in Decatur,

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 ...

. Built in 1896, the building originally served as a transfer point for Decatur's electric streetcar system. Architect

William W. Boyington William Warren Boyington (July 22, 1818 – October 16, 1898) was an architect who designed several notable structures in and around Chicago, Illinois. He was also mayor of Highland Park, Illinois. History Originally from Massachusetts, W.W. Bo ...

's design for the building was influenced by a number of

Victorian Victorian or Victorians may refer to: 19th century * Victorian era, British history during Queen Victoria's 19th-century reign ** Victorian architecture ** Victorian house ** Victorian decorative arts ** Victorian fashion ** Victorian literature ...

styles, particularly the

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

. The building was ultimately moved to Central Park and is now listed 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 ...

History

The Transfer House was built on Lincoln Square (Intersection of N/S Main Street and E/W Main Street) in 1896 to serve as Decatur's main transfer point for City Electric Railway streetcars and

Illinois Traction System The Illinois Terminal Railroad Company (reporting marks "ITC"), known as the Illinois Traction System until 1937, was a heavy duty interurban electric railroad with extensive passenger and freight business in central and southern Illinois from ...

interurban trains. As Lincoln Square was facing competition from other Decatur business districts, local business leaders felt the square needed a grander replacement for its old transfer building. When the Transfer House opened, the businessmen hired an orchestra and offered free souvenirs and train rides to draw visitors to the new building; the opening ceremonies drew large crowds, exceeding the businessmen's expectations. The building soon became a focal point of Decatur, as nearly every streetcar traveler in the city needed to stop there to transfer. The open-air bandstand on the building's roof and its central location made it a convenient place for community events and public gatherings; many prominent speakers, including three U.S. presidents, gave speeches from the building. After the streetcar and interurban systems ceased operations in the 1950s, the Transfer House was reduced to a bus terminal and lost most of its passenger volume. The

Illinois Department of Transportation The Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) is a state agency in charge of state-maintained public roadways of the U.S. state of Illinois. In addition, IDOT provides funding for rail, public transit and airport projects and administers fuel ...

recommended that the city move the building, as it interfered with traffic on highway US 51; the city complied in 1962, moving the building to Central Park. The city rehabilitated the building in the 1970s, and it continues to serve as a civic symbol and meeting place. The building was listed on the

on December 3, 2002.

Architecture

, a

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

architect most famous for designing the

Chicago Water Tower The Chicago Water Tower is a contributing property and landmark in the Old Chicago Water Tower District in Chicago, Illinois, United States, that is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Built to enclose the tall machinery of a powe ...

, designed the Transfer House. His design includes elements of several Victorian architectural styles, the Richardsonian Romanesque style the most prominent among them. The two-story building has an octagonal plan, a design which gave it more interior space without jutting too far into the surrounding streets. Thick

limestone Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms whe ...

arches, a distinct Romanesque feature. form the first-floor windows and entrances of the building. A bell-shaped roof with a wide canopy provided outdoor shelter for passengers. The second floor of the building consists entirely of the open-air bandstand and is covered by a

cupola In architecture, a cupola () is a relatively small, most often dome-like, tall structure on top of a building. Often used to provide a lookout or to admit light and air, it usually crowns a larger roof or dome. The word derives, via Italian, from ...

References

{{National Register of Historic Places Commercial buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in Illinois Romanesque Revival architecture in Illinois Octagonal buildings in the United States Buildings and structures completed in 1896 Buildings and structures in Decatur, Illinois National Register of Historic Places in Macon County, Illinois