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 #60.
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.”
111 W. Main Street, Date: c. 1864—“Contributing”
Description: This is a three-story, brick building with painted brick exterior. The building’s four-bay main elevation (north) has a symmetrical storefront and an upstairs entry door to the east. The storefront has a recessed entrance with a cast iron sill, modern wood door (one, off-center light), wood sash display windows with two-light transoms, tall bulkheads (covered with plywood), and two slender, round cast-iron columns. The upstairs entry is a modern replacement and smaller than the historic opening. The upper story bays are recessed between continuous pilasters, connected by semi-circular arches below the cornice. The semi-circular arches of the original window openings have been infilled with brick and shorter double-hung windows. The parapet is topped by a deeply-projecting wood cornice with large scrollwork brackets–identical to the cornice at 109 W. Main Street. The rear elevation (south) is similar to the main elevation but has three bays, segmental arch bay tops, and pargeting over the brick. It lacks a storefront and cornice. The window and door openings are a mixture of historic and modern materials, infill, and utilities. A staircase leads to a rambling second-story wooden deck and third-story balcony.
History: This building was constructed by Chipman W. Sholes and W. J. Savage to house a hardware and agricultural implement store. In 1874, Sholes patented a windmill (patent no.156,316), which he made and reportedly sold from this location. Other businesses included a dress maker, a tin shop (1884), a dry goods establishment, a gentlemen’s furnishings establishment, a cigar factory (1925 through 1928), the local Western Union Telegraph Company outlet, four “smoke shops,” three realtors, and three barbers during the 1930’s. Beginning in 1946, nine different saloons, two antique stores, and recently three pizza parlors. The upper floors have housed a shoe repair concern and insurance agency. The building’s current tenant is Isle of Rhodes Restaurant.