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 #37.
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.”
222 W. Main Street, Date: c. 1920–“Contributing”
Description: This is a one-story building of structural clay tile with painted brick exterior. The symmetrical main elevation (south) is of painted stippled brick with deeply raked joints. The storefront has a raised center entrance (non-historic glass and aluminum door with transom) with a single-slope concrete ramp with railings, and four large non-historic display windows (aluminum, brick sills, three-light transoms.) Above the windows is a continuous lintel rowlock course. The parapet is raised in the center with a long rectangular stucco panel, sloping sides and painted stone coping. Side elevation (west) is pargeted with six window openings and straight parapet with terra cotta coping. Rear elevation (north) is gabled, pargeted, with center garage door (non-historic aluminum) flanked by two, raised, rectangular paired storm windows (east) and unglazed door (non-historic, former window opening) and another paired storm window (west.) The window openings are historic, but the double-hung windows were removed. The parapet has terra cotta coping.
History: The structure was built by Pierce B. Tilton in 1927, originally for an automobile sales and garage (1927-1929.) Tenants after 1929 include the Morrison Implement Company (1929-1931), International Harvester Company (1934-1938), McCormick Deering Store (international trucking sales and service (1934-1943), Verdick Implement Company (1944-1976), a hardware store (Verdick Hardware , 1977–1990), various professional offices (1992–2001), Climco Coils, Inc. (1993-1995 and 1998-2005), and H and R Block (2003-2012.) Current tenants include The Cage (2011–present) and China House Restaurant (2005-present.)