The Morrison Historic Preservation Commission (MHPC) has applied to nominate an appropriate portion of the community’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 #45.
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.”
209 W. Main Street, Date: c. 1886–“Contributing”
Description: This is a two-story brick building with painted brick exterior. The main elevation (north) presents an asymmetrical storefront with large display window (aluminum, center mullion, aluminum-wrapped sills, four-light transom) and a non-historic door (aluminum, glass, and paneled.) Above the storefront is a large shed-shaped fabric awning with returns and valances. The raised sidewalk in front has aluminum pipe railings and steps onto Main Street. The upper story has three segmental arch window openings with historic wood windows (two-over-two, double hung, aluminum-wrapped sills.) The parapet is capped with terra cotta coping. The rear elevation (south) is covered with vertical aluminum siding, with a first-story paired double-hung window (vinyl, six-over-six muntin grid.)
History: The building was built in 1886 by Samuel Horning of Malvern, IL, for Peter F. Hellerstedt, as part of P. F. Hellerstedt Carriage Works, which included the adjoining building at 211 W. Main Street. Later that year his brother, Charles Hellerstedt, joined the business as a partner, which then became known as Hellerstedt Brothers Carriage Works. Charles Nelson later purchased the buildings and business in 1896, and it became known as Charles Nelson Carriage Works until 1919. In 1919, L. C. Peterson purchased the building and operated his painting business there until 1925. Other building tenants have included A. W. Kornhaus, Automotive Vulcanizing and Accessories (2nd floor, 1920-1923), Automobile Top Manufacture, (W. H. Gray – 1925), Johnson Tire Store (1925-1942), Kleinshrodt and Son Coal and Ice (1946-1949), The Trading Post (Grocery and Feed Store (1949-1952), Clover Farm Store (1952-1954), Feed Store (1958-1978), Venema’s Feed Supply (1979-1990), and Metro Bank (2004-2005). The building’s current tenant is Triumph Community Bank. It should be noted that the original building extended farther east until the mid-1920’s, when that part made way for the current one-story building at 207 W. Main Street.