The Stolp Woolen Mill Store was built in 1860. It is located on

Stolp Island Stolp Island is a small island in the Fox River (Illinois River tributary), Fox River in Aurora, Illinois. In 1986 the island and its 41 buildings were added to the National Register of Historic Places as the Stolp Island Historic District. It ...

Aurora, Illinois Aurora is a city in the Chicago metropolitan area located partially in DuPage, Kane, Kendall, and Will counties in the U.S. state of Illinois. Located primarily in DuPage and Kane counties, it is the second most populous city in Illinois, a ...

. It was 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 ...

in 1983. It is also a contributing building in the Stolp Island Historic District.

History

Joseph G. Stolp built the Stolp Woolen Mill Store in 1861. Stolp was one of the first settlers of

and operated a wool carding business. Stolp had previously worked in wool manufacturing in

Marcellus, New York Marcellus is a town in Onondaga County, New York, United States. The population was 6,210 at the 2010 census. The town was probably named after Marcus Claudius Marcellus, a Roman general, by a clerk interested in the Classics. The Marcellus Form ...

. His first office was built in 1837 in a small frame building on

. He bought a brick mill in 1849 and continued to grow the business. By the 1860s, he needed a new place to sell his goods outside of the mill. The growth of the railroad industry dramatically increased competition against Stolp's business, and he had to shut down the mill in 1887. The mill store was rented to C. C. Hinckley & Co., a local producer of watchmaking tools, and J. D. Rice & Sons, a painting and decoration company. In 1889, Stolp improved the building by rehabilitating the interior and adding an extension on the east. The mill store is the oldest building still standing on Stolp Island today. The building was recognized as a Historic Place 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 properti ...

on September 1, 1983 and was listed as part of the Stolp Island Historic District when it was created three years later.Illinois Historic Preservation Agency
/ref>

Architecture

The mill store building is on the southwest corner of Downer Place and Stolp Avenue. The main entrance on the north was built during Stolp's 1889 renovation. Since then, the facade has been updated with modern wood and glass, but the design has not changed. An

oriel window An oriel window is a form of bay window which protrudes from the main wall of a building but does not reach to the ground. Supported by corbels, brackets, or similar cantilevers, an oriel window is most commonly found projecting from an upper f ...

projects from the second floor with a flat window on either side. The bay window has a shallow

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 ...

above the windows, with an ornamented

pediment Pediments are gables, usually of a triangular shape. Pediments are placed above the horizontal structure of the lintel, or entablature, if supported by columns. Pediments can contain an overdoor and are usually topped by hood moulds. A pedim ...

above the central window. A

palmette The palmette is a motif in decorative art which, in its most characteristic expression, resembles the fan-shaped leaves of a palm tree. It has a far-reaching history, originating in ancient Egypt with a subsequent development through the art ...

design adorns the top of the gable at the apex. The first floor on the north side was updated to a modern glass storefront.

piers Piers may refer to: * Pier, a raised structure over a body of water * Pier (architecture), an architectural support * Piers (name), a given name and surname (including lists of people with the name) * Piers baronets, two titles, in the baronetages ...

can be found on either side of the facade, detailed at the time with limestone fluting. The only other exposed elevation is the eastern facade. The northernmost window remains from the 1889 addition with a limestone

lintel A lintel or lintol is a type of beam (a horizontal structural element) that spans openings such as portals, doors, windows and fireplaces. It can be a decorative architectural element, or a combined ornamented structural item. In the case of ...

References

{{Aurora, Illinois National Register of Historic Places in Kane County, Illinois Buildings and structures in Aurora, Illinois Commercial buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in Illinois Historic district contributing properties in Illinois