Frederick Townsend Garage facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Frederick Townsend Garage
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U.S. Historic district
Contributing property |
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Originally built to house "benzine vehicles", the Townsend Garage is now a community bank.
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| Location | Sycamore, DeKalb County, Illinois |
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| Built | 1905 |
| Part of | Sycamore Historic District (ID778003104) |
| Added to NRHP | May 2, 1978 |
The Frederick Townsend Garage is a cool old building in Sycamore, Illinois. It's so special that it's listed on the National Register of Historic Places. This means it's an important part of history! The garage is part of the larger Sycamore Historic District. It sits near a big, beautiful house called the Frederick B. Townsend House, which is built in the Queen Anne style. Over the years, this building has been many things, from a gas station to different restaurants. In 2016, it was fixed up and became a local bank. The whole Sycamore Historic District was added to the National Register in May 1978.
The Frederick Townsend Garage: A Historic Building
This unique stone building was built in 1905. It was first used as a garage for Frederick B. Townsend's estate. His large Queen Anne style home still stands nearby, looking over the garage property.
A Look Back in Time
When the garage was first built, the local newspaper, the Sycamore True Republican, wrote about it. They said the building was made to hold "benzine vehicles." These were early cars that ran on a type of gasoline. The garage was for Townsend and his brother-in-law, Elmer E. Boynton. Building this garage cost about $3,000 back then. It was made from granite rocks that came from Townsend's own farmland.
From Garage to Bank
After being a private garage, the building became a business. It was turned into a gas station. Even with all these changes, the building still looks a lot like it did long ago. The front roof, which covers the gas station's canopy, has changed the most. It used to have red tiles that matched the rest of the building. The canopy itself is not original, but the strong pillars holding it up are! The last gas station here closed in the early 1980s. After that, the building was home to a restaurant until 2015.
In 2016, the old garage got a big makeover. Resource Bank, N.A., restored and remodeled it. Now, this historic building serves as a community bank for the people of Sycamore.
