Stolp Island is a small island in the Fox River in

Aurora, Illinois Aurora is a city in the Chicago metropolitan area located partially in DuPage County, Illinois, DuPage, Kane County, Illinois, Kane, Kendall County, Illinois, Kendall, and Will County, Illinois, Will counties in the U.S. state of Illinois. Locat ...

. In 1986 the island and its 41 buildings were 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 ...

as the Stolp Island Historic District. It covers of land area. Stolp Island are named in

Słupsk Słupsk (; , ; formerly german: Stolp, ; also known by several alternative names) is a city with powiat rights located on the Słupia River in the Pomeranian Voivodeship in northern Poland, in the historical region of Pomerania or more specific ...

. (german: Stolp)

History

The island is named after Joseph Stolp who purchased the island for $12.72 in 1848. He constructed a

mill Mill may refer to: Science and technology * * Mill (grinding) * Milling (machining) * Millwork * Textile mill * Steel mill, a factory for the manufacture of steel * List of types of mill * Mill, the arithmetic unit of the Analytical Engine early ...

on the island with Zaphna Lake and the McCarty brothers. The dam for the mill was completed in 1835. By 1848, the town had grown to over 1,000 people. As Aurora grew, the Fox River caused a separation between the two halves of the city, leading to animosity between them. Stolp Island, then, became an ideal location for Aurora's government structures, as it was not confined to either side.Illinois Historic Preservation Agency
/ref> Old Post Office Stolp Island

East Aurora was incorporated as a city in 1845, and West Aurora followed in 1854. The Aurora area received its first major economical boost when the

Chicago, Burlington, & Quincy Roundhouse and Locomotive Shop The Two Brothers Roundhouse, formerly the Walter Payton Roundhouse, America's Historical Roundhouse, and Chicago, Burlington, & Quincy Roundhouse and Locomotive Shop is a historic building converted to a restaurant in Aurora, Illinois. It was origi ...

was constructed in 1856. Prior to this point, commercial development was strictly fit to meet local needs, but the new train station and shops provided new customers. In 1857, following efforts by William Parker, the two cities joined as one city. The city charter was approved on the condition that a new city hall would be built on Stolp Island. It was constructed in 1865 and featured a post office on the first floor. Public organizations also saw Stolp as an ideal island to serve both sides of Aurora. The Grand Army of the Republic Hall was opened in 1877 to serve

Grand Army of the Republic The Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) was a fraternal organization composed of veterans of the Union Army (United States Army), Union Navy (U.S. Navy), and the Marines who served in the American Civil War. It was founded in 1866 in Decatur, Il ...

Post No. 20. The island also housed a Carnegie library and the first

YMCA YMCA, sometimes regionally called the Y, is a worldwide youth organization based in Geneva, Switzerland, with more than 64 million beneficiaries in 120 countries. It was founded on 6 June 1844 by George Williams in London, originally ...

building. In the 1920s, the north end of the island, previously prone to flooding, was expanded and reinforced with

landfill A landfill site, also known as a tip, dump, rubbish dump, garbage dump, or dumping ground, is a site for the disposal of waste materials. Landfill is the oldest and most common form of waste disposal, although the systematic burial of the waste ...

. While Aurora became a major steel exporter in the early 20th century, Stolp Island was used exclusively for commercial and public uses. In 1907, the Columbia Conservatory of Music was built as a school for music, art, dancing, and foreign languages. It was presided over by Harry Rutt Detweiler and closed when he decided to retire. Hotel Aurora was constructed in 1917 and surpassed Hotel Arthur as the tallest building in Aurora. The

Renaissance Revival Renaissance Revival architecture (sometimes referred to as "Neo-Renaissance") is a group of 19th century architectural revival styles which were neither Greek Revival nor Gothic Revival but which instead drew inspiration from a wide range o ...

structure was built in hopes that the newly expanded north end would help Stolp Island become a major attraction. Two office buildings were designed in 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 hip roof, hipped roofs with broad Overhang (architecture), ove ...

George Grant Elmslie George Grant Elmslie (February 20, 1869 – April 23, 1952) was a Scottish-born American Prairie School architect whose work is mostly found in the Midwestern United States. He worked with Louis Sullivan and later with William Gray Purcell as a ...

: the Keystone Building (1923) and the Graham Building (1926). The

Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks The Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks (BPOE; also often known as the Elks Lodge or simply The Elks) is an American fraternal order founded in 1868, originally as a social club in New York City. History The Elks began in 1868 as a soci ...

constructed the Aurora Elks Lodge No. 705 in 1926, in the

Mayan Revival architecture Mayan Revival is a modern architectural style popular in the Americas during the 1920s and 1930s that drew inspiration from the architecture and iconography of pre-Columbian Mesoamerican cultures. History Origins Though the name of the s ...

style. A third major hotel,

Leland Tower Leland Tower is a twenty-two-story building on Stolp Island in Aurora, Illinois. Leland Tower was at one point the tallest building in Illinois outside of Chicago. Stolp Island is recognized as a Historical District by the National Register of ...

, was constructed across the street in 1928 and was operated by the same family as Hotel Arthur. When it opened, Hotel Leland was the tallest building in Illinois outside out Chicago. The

Rapp and Rapp C. W. & George L. Rapp, commonly known as Rapp & Rapp, was an American architectural firm famed for the design of movie palaces and other theatres. Active from 1906 to 1965 and based in Chicago, the office designed over 400 theatres, includ ...

Paramount Theatre opened in 1931 and operated continuously until a 1976 restoration.

Major Buildings on Stolp Island

* Benton St. Bridge (east branch) * Downtown Auto Service Station *

SciTech Hands On Museum SciTech, Scitech or Sci Tech may refer to: Businesses and organizations * Scitech, a not-for-profit science and technology organization in Western Australia * Sci-Tech Daresbury, a science-related business campus near Daresbury, Cheshire, England ...

* Downer Place Bridge (east branch) * Linden & Lake Plumbers Building * Aurora Herald/Freemasons Building * Aurora Coin & Stamp Building * G. A. R. Memorial Building * Fox Theatre Building & Promenade * Aurora Silver Plate Mfg. Building * Aurora Greenhouse *

Stolp Woolen Mill Store The Stolp Woolen Mill Store was built in 1860. It is located on Stolp Island in Aurora, Illinois. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983. It is also a contributing building in the Stolp Island Historic District. His ...

, separately listed on the NRHP * Stolp Woolen Mill Dye House * VIP Realty * Metropolitan Business College * Sherer Building * Galena Blvd Bridge (east channel) * Aurora Civic Center Authority Offices * Paramount Theatre * Block & Kuhl/Carson Pirie Scott Building * North Island Center * New York Street Memorial Bridge * Hotel Aurora * Moose Building/Isle Theater * Stanley's Furniture Building * Keystone Building (Aurora, Illinois) *

Graham Building (Aurora, Illinois) The Graham Building is a 1926 Prairie style building on Stolp Island in Aurora, Illinois. It was individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982. Also, it is a contributing property in a historic district. History The Grah ...

* 37 S. Stolp Ave. * Assell's Photo Shop * Barefoot Charley's Diner *

* Illinois Bell * Columbia Conservatory of Music * Aurora Elks Lodge No. 705, separately listed on the NRHP * Building at northwest corner of Stolp & Galena

References

External links

* {{authority control Geography of Aurora, Illinois Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Illinois National Register of Historic Places in Kane County, Illinois Buildings and structures in Aurora, Illinois River islands of Illinois