Illinois State Police Office (Pontiac) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Illinois State Police Office, Pontiac
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| Location | Pontiac, Livingston County, Illinois, USA |
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| Area | 2.56 acres |
| Built | 1941 |
| Architect | Illinois, Department of Public works and Buildings, Division of Architecture and Engineering |
| Architectural style | Art Moderne |
| NRHP reference No. | 07000117 |
| Added to NRHP | March 7, 2007 |
The Illinois State Police Office in Pontiac, Illinois, United States, was once a very important building. From 1941 to 2003, it was the main office for District 6 of the Illinois State Police. This building is special because it sits right along old U.S. Route 66, a famous highway. In 2007, it was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places, which means it's a historic landmark.
Contents
History of the Pontiac Police Office
Building the Headquarters
The Illinois State Police built this office in 1941. It became the main office for their District 6, located just south of Pontiac, Illinois, along U.S. Route 66. This was one of the first special buildings made just for police headquarters back then.
Traffic on Route 66 grew a lot during the 1940s. In 1944, the road in front of the building was made wider. It became a four-lane highway. Later, in the 1970s, Interstate 55 was built nearby. This new highway caused less traffic to use Route 66.
The Illinois State Police stayed in this Pontiac building until 2003. They moved to a new facility because the old building was getting expensive to keep up. It also had problems with flooding often. The building has been empty since 2003.
Saving a Historic Building
In March 2007, the building was listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places. This means it is recognized as an important historic site. Soon after, people who work to save old buildings, called preservationists, heard good news. A new law was passed to let the state give the building to Livingston County.
A state representative named Dan Rutherford helped pass this law. He said the building was "part of the heritage of Route 66." The law was officially put into place in August 2007.
District 6 of the Illinois State Police
The 6th District of the Illinois State Police started as District 9. It was one of the first five police districts created in April 1922. The very first main office for the State Police was in Kankakee. District 9 covered several counties, including Cook and Will.
In 1935, the district was renamed District 6. Its coverage area changed to include counties like Kankakee, Ford, and Livingston. Around this time, the main office moved to a rented building near Pontiac, along U.S. Route 66.
Years later, in August 2001, a groundbreaking ceremony took place for a brand new headquarters. The governor of Illinois, George Ryan, attended the event. The new building was much larger, about 23,000-square-foot (2,100 m2). The Illinois State Police had been asking for a new facility since 1979.
Architecture of the Police Office
The Pontiac State Police Office is built in the Art Moderne style. This style was popular because it looked sleek and modern, like the new cars of that time. You can see this "streamlined" look in the building's curved corners. It also has smooth surfaces and uses glass bricks in its design.
Inside, the building has a large room for police squads to meet. There are also office spaces, a lobby for visitors, and a garage bay. This garage was used for police cars and motorcycles.
The building has one story and two main sections, called wings. The north wing was used for offices and managing the police work. The south wing was the garage. Some people have said the building's shape looks like a "pistol." The Illinois State Police used this same design for another headquarters building in Rock Island.
