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Adams County.
- Quincy. Octagon house. Built in the mid 19th century, for the
town's founder, John Wood, later the governor of Illinois. Demolished in
the 1950s or 1960s. The home was located on about State Street and 12th.
Kyle Fee has provided an image of a
painting
of the home based on old photographs.
Source: Becky Lawin and Kyle Fee.
Entered: June, 2001 and January, 2002.
Coles County.
- Mattoon. Octagon house. Built in or before 1884.
Located near the corner of Western Avenue and E Street.
Two story. Shown in a segment of an 1884
map
of Mattoon, at the center of the image.
Source: R. Kline
Entered: June, 2002.
Cook County.
- Barrington. Octagon house. Located at 223 West Main Street.
Two story, perhaps a cupola. Porch on three sides. Appears to be wood
construction. A document in PDF format is the application for National
Register of Historic Places status, and describes the home in more
detail. .
Photograph.
Larger version.
Source: Dale Travis.
Entered: February, 2002.
Updated: January, 2007
- Bartlett. Octagon house. Built about 1911 by Henry Hothan.
Located at 139 S. Eastern. Irregular octagon. Three stories.
Appears to be in excellent condition.
Photograph
Photograph
Sources: Felicia Stanczak & Robb Cagann, the current owners.Carol Ann Kunkel.
Entered: April, 2008.
DuPage County.
- Downers Grove. Octagon house. Once a railroad switch house.
Construction date uncertain - perhaps
the 1920's or 1930's. Three stories. Bottom floor is the living/family room
and utility room. Middle floor is the entrance and kitchen. Top floor is
bedrooms and bathroom. Size: 8 feet 4 inches per side, so it's a rather
small structure, at about 330 square feet per story.
Demolished, perhaps in 2004, to make room for expensive new houses.
Photograph.
Larger version.
Source: Bruce A. Epperson, and Dale Travis, who supplied the photograph..
Entered: June, 2001.
Updated: January, 2007
- Downers Grove. Octagon house. Built in 1872 by O.C.Gibbs.
Located near downtown Downers Grove, at 4730 Washington Street.
According to the owner, the house still has many original elements, including
stained glass windows, original interior doors and hinges and window
casements, and a 360 degree staircase. In general the house is very well preserved.
Source: Kelly Dahle, the current owner.
Entered: September, 2007.
Fulton County.
- Fairview. Octagon house. Age unclear. Single story.
Located on the SE corner of Wilson and Pumyea.
Photograph.
Larger version.
Source: Dale Travis.
Entered: July, 2002
Updated: January, 2007
Greene County.
- White Hall. Hexagon house. Built in 1855 by R. W. Redwine.
Porch surrounding one of six one story arms, radiating from each
of the six sides. A large hexagon cupola served as a study.
Photograph.
Larger version.
Summer, 2007, photograph
Source: Dale Travis.
Entered: March, 2002
Updated: January, 2007
Updated: November, 2007
Hamilton County
- McLeansboro. Octagon/Hexagon house. The Herndon Harrelson built 1871.
The structure was octagonal, with two opposing sides greatly elongated. The
internal layout was basically five hexagons. A large, two story structure, it
had attracted the notice of preservationists just before vandals burned it down
in 1973.
Source: Article, photo, drawings, floor diagram..
Entered: June, 2001.
Kane County.
- Aurora. Octagon house. Built some time between 1867 and 1882.
Single story. Wood construction. No cupola.Located at 83 North Avenue.
Photograph.
Aerial view of house.
Source: R. Kline
Entered: August, 2007
- Batavia. Octagon house.
264 South Forest Avenue. Gone. Nothing else known.
Source: Dale Travis.
Entered: March, 2002
- Southeast of Burlington. Hexagon building. Age and function unclear.
Single story. Wood construction. No cupola.
Photograph.
Larger version.
Source: Dale Travis.
Entered: September, 2003
Updated: January, 2007
- Elgin. Octagon house. Built in or before 1880.
Located on the corner of Chapel and Fulton. ( 1880 streets and names. )
Shown at the center of an 1880
map
segment of Elgin. Two story. The roof is somewhat unusual. Two story
octagon building off to one side, possibly attached.
Source: R. Kline
Entered: June, 2002
- Geneva. Octagon house. ( Needs verification.)
Built in or before 1869.
Located on the corner of South and First Streets. ( 1869 streets and names. )
Shown at the center of an 1869
map
segment of Geneva. Two story. Cupola. Two large attachments, but five
of the sides are still clear.
Source: R. Kline
Entered: June, 2002
La Salle County
- Mendota. Octagon house. Built in 1853, for Warren Clark.
Located at 1208 Washington.
Two story, wood, almost flat roof. Poor condition.
Photograph.
Larger version.
Photograph,
taken in perhaps July, 1936, by Joseph Hill.
Photograph,
taken in November, 1936, by Richard Grant.
Photograph,
taken in November, 1936, by Richard Grant, showing another view of the house.
Sources: Dale Travis, and the Smithsonian HABS project.
Entered: March, 2002
Updated: July, 2003
- Mendota. Octagon house. Now gone. Located across the road from
from the Warren Clark house.
Source: R. Kline
Entered: September, 2002
Updated: January, 2007
- Near Ottawa. Octagon farmhouse. Built in 1856 by a Mr. Perkins.
Three story. Large octagonal room on the top of the house. Circular
staircase at the center. Each side had paired windows.
The house was demolished for reasons unknown.
Source: Library of Congress web site.
Updated: October, 2002
Marshall County
- Sparland. Octagon house. Built in 1886. Brick. Three story.
Listed on National Historic
Register. Located at 202 School Street.
Photograph.
Source: Dale Travis.
Entered: June, 2001.
- North of Washburn. Octagon house. Two story. Square cupola,
more to house chimneys than to occupy apparently.
Photograph.
Source: Dale Travis.
Entered: October, 2001.
Morgan County.
- Jacksonville. Octagon house. Built by Rufus C. Crampton, an
Illinois College professor. Date not given. Located at 222 Park St.
Photograph.
Larger version.
Source: Dale Travis.
Entered: July, 2002.
Updated: January, 2007
Ogle County.
- Kings. Octagon house. Built in 1860. Unusual roof arrangement.
Two story. Stone construction.
Photograph.
Larger version.
Source: Dale Travis and Don Burnell.
Entered: July, 2002
Updated: January, 2007
Peoria County.
- Peoria. Octagon house. Built in or before 1867. Needs verification.
Located at the corner of Edmund and Adams street.
cupola. Two story.
Shown at the center of a segment of an 1867
map of Peoria.
Source: R. Kline
Entered: June, 2002
Pike County.
- Griggsville. Octagon house. The Lawton house.
Appears to be 1860s vintage.
Two story, porch on three sides, walkway on tops. Likely stucco.
In Carl Schmidt's second book about octagon houses, "More About Octagons,"
it is stated ( in or about 1965), that three more octagon houses existed
within about sixteen miles of the Lawton house, all with grout walls.
All are now gone.
Photograph.
Larger version.
Photograph, probably taken in the 1950s.
As seen in the two photographs, the house has seen many external
modifications since the 1950s. Although the house appears to be in very
good condition in year 2002 yet, the concept of original condition for most
exiting Fowler period octagon houses is generally elusive. They have mostly
seen many modifications both inside and out, almost from the day of original
construction, and in most cases it's unlikely anyone knows what they first
looked like. This is but another example.
Source: Dale Travis, and "More About Octagons," Carl F. Schmidt.
Entered: March, 2002
Updated: January, 2007
- Naples. Octagon house. Located on Chambersburg Road. Now gone.
Source: R. Kline.
Entered: September, 2002
- Valley City. Octagon house. Now gone. Nothing else known.
Source: R. Kline.
Entered: September, 2002.
Randolph County.
- Sparta. Octagon schoolhouse. Built in 1872.
Located 5 miles southwest of town on SR 4.
In use until 1953.
Photograph.
Larger version.
Source: Dale Travis
Entered: August, 2002
Updated: January, 2007
Stephenson County.
- German Valley. Octagon house. Likely 1860s vintage.
Four gables. Porch on three sides.
Photograph.
Larger version.
Source: R. Kline
Entered: September, 2002
Updated: October, 2002
Updated: January, 2007
- Lena. Octagon house. Built in 1848 by retired army captain
Fordice Rogers. Two story, large cupola, grout construction. It was
finally razed to make room for another house.
Source: "More About Octagons," Carl F. Schmidt.
Entered: October, 2002
- East of Lena. Octagon house. Built in 1857 by Isaac Swart.
Two story. Stone block construction. Swart was a stone mason. Using
stone quarried on his property, alternating layers of six and eight inch blocks
run the thickness of the wall.
The roof replaces a water supply system originally on the roof
that did not work out.
Photograph.
Larger version.
The images below are from the Smithsonian HABS project. No dates are
available. The photographs could date from the 1930s to the early 1960s.
Where details are available they are included here. Otherwise, most of the
photographs are self explanatory.
Photograph 1.
Photograph 2.
Photograph 3, View of the northwest side.
Photograph 4. View of the northwest side.
Photograph 5. View of the east side,
showing a chimney and gable dormer.
Photograph 6. View of the east side from
a greater distance.
Photograph 7. Detail of a cornice and
gable dormer.
Photograph 8. Cornice detail.
Photograph 9. Detail of a four paned
window on the east side.
Sources: Dale Travis and the Smithsonian HABS project..
Entered: March, 2002
Updated: July, 2003
Updated: January, 2007
Warren County.
- SE of Roseville. Octagon house. Built in 1856. Two story.
Porch on three sides.Located at 530 85th Street.
Photograph.
Larger version.
Source: Dale Travis.
Entered: July, 2002
Updated: January, 2007
Whiteside County.
- Morrison. Octagon house. Built in 1866.
Located on 209 E. Wall Street. Two story. Significant extension on perhaps
two sides, which might be original.
Photograph.
Larger version.
Source: Dale Travis.
Entered: October, 2002
Updated: January, 2007
Will County
- Plainfield. Octagon house. Built in 1854. Now gone.
Located at US-30 and Van Dyke Road. Two Story.
Source: R. Kline.
Entered: September, 2002.
- Wilmington. Octagon house. Appears to be 1860s vintage.
Two story. Wood. cupola.
Photograph.
Larger version.
Source: John Archibald. Photograph supplied by Dale Travis.
Entered: February, 2002.
Updated: January, 2007
Winnebago County.
- Rockford. Octagon house. Built about 1850.
Stone. About 45 feet in diameter.
Located on south Kelana Road, where it becomes a dirt road.
Photograph.
Source: Dale Travis
Entered: August, 2002.
Updated: February, 2007.
- Rockford. Octagon house. The Ralph Giddings house. Built in 1856.
Located at 806 Kiswaukee Street. Demolished in the 1920s.
Source: R. Kline
Entered: October, 2002.
- Rockford. Octagon house. Built in 1856. Now gone.
Located at the intersection of Court and Morgan.
Two story. Cupola. Shown in a segment of an 1880
map of Rockford.
Source: R. Kline
Entered: June, 2002.
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