The Morrison Historic Preservation Commission (MHPC) has applied to nominate an appropriate portion of the comunity’s commercial district to be listed on the National Register of Historic Places. With the assistance of our consultants, the MHPC has spent months researching and writing the substance of our application. In the hopes that the community will find the information contained therein both interesting and informative, we will be running, one at a time, in no particular order, over the next year, the architectural and historical description of each building included. We hope you enjoy installment #35.
Note: The National Register of Historic Places is literally a listing of spaces, structures, or areas recognized to be of National historic, cultural or architectural importance. It is kept by the United States Department of Interior, but the program is largely administered by an individual State’s preservation authority. In Illinois, this is the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency. The term “contributing” means that the structure lies within an historic district and adds to the architectural or historic significance of the same as a whole. If it is within the boundaries of the district, but does not so supplement, it is deemed “non-contributing.”
225 E. Main Street, Date: c. 1893–“Contributing”
Description: This is a two-story brick building with unpainted brick exterior. The storefront of the main elevation (north) is asymmetrical, with a recessed entrance (multi-light and paneled wood door, with wood pilasters and entablature); two wood double-hung windows (six-over-six) with shutters; horizontal wood siding infill. To the west is a brick pier and the upstairs entrance (replacement door with historic six-light transom). Above the storefront is an exposed steel lintel with rosettes. The upper story has three historic, wood double-hung windows (six-over-six), with stone sills, wood shutters, and rectangular, sheet-metal window hoods. Galvanized sheet-metal cornice with end brackets and a decorative frieze is at the top. The rear elevation (south) is painted brick with a non-historic, covered, two-story wood porch. Window and door openings have segmental arches and are a mixture of historic and modern materials, infill, and utilities.
History: It was built in 1893 by James Ritchie as a store building, with upper story residential use. The various functions included an implement business (early 1890’s), meat store (late 1890’s), and a telephone office (Interstate Independent Telephone Company, 1902; later Whiteside Harrison.) More recently it was a dental office and store. The building is currently vacant.