Main Street Historic District (Tampico, Illinois) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Main Street Historic District
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The 100 block of Main Street, Tampico, Illinois.
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 Location in Illinois
Location in the United States
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| Location | S. Main St., Tampico, Illinois |
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| Area | 2.3 acres (0.93 ha) |
| Built | various |
| Architect | various |
| NRHP reference No. | 82002602 |
| Added to NRHP | June 3, 1982 |
The Main Street Historic District in Tampico, Illinois, United States, is a special area with old buildings. It's famous because it's where Ronald Reagan, who later became the 40th U.S. President, was born. This district includes many buildings from the late 1800s. These buildings make up Tampico's main business area.
Two of these buildings had apartments where the Reagan family lived in the early 1900s. The buildings on Main Street had to be rebuilt many times in the 1870s. This was due to big fires and even a tornado. The district covers the 100 block of Main Street. It only includes buildings from that historic time period.
This historic district shows what a small town's main business area looked like in rural Illinois. The buildings look like they belong together. Each building helps make the others important. The buildings in the district are called "contributing structures" or "significant structures." The two business buildings where the Reagans lived upstairs are called "significant." The Main Street Historic District became part of the U.S. National Register of Historic Places in 1982.
Contents
History of Tampico's Main Street
Tampico's Early Days
Tampico, Illinois, is in southeastern Whiteside County. It was started in 1858. But many people didn't move there until 1871. This was partly because the land was swampy. When the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad built a train line through Tampico in 1871, the town grew fast.
However, Tampico faced big problems. In 1872, 1874, and 1876, large fires hit the village. This meant the main business area on Main Street had to be rebuilt again and again. A tornado also destroyed about 40 buildings in 1874. Because of all this rebuilding, all buildings on Main Street built after 1876 are made of brick.
A Building Boom
Between 1896 and 1905, Main Street in Tampico saw many new buildings go up. Many businesses related to farming moved to Tampico then. The Hennepin Canal was also built from 1899 to 1907. This project brought more new buildings to Tampico. Five new buildings were added to Main Street during this time.
In 1906, Ronald Reagan's family moved into the district. They lived in an apartment on the second floor at 111 Main Street. They lived in other places in Tampico, moved away, and then came back for a short time. They lived in another second-floor apartment in the district then.
Today, Main Street (Illinois Route 172) in Tampico has fewer buildings. It's not as busy as it was from 1871 to 1920. Fires and new construction caused these changes. Even with fewer buildings, the row of businesses on the east side of Main Street still shows how busy the district used to be.
What Are the District Boundaries?
Historically, Tampico's main business area was one block long. This was the 100 block of Main Street. It stretched from Market Street in the north to the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy train tracks in the south. The boundaries of the historic district mostly follow these old limits.
The district boundaries do not include properties that are newer than the historic period. Also, homes are not included in the district. The northern boundary, near Market Street, includes buildings at 106 and 107 S. Main. It leaves out a vacant lot and a new building. The southern border is along Pig Alley. It was drawn to exclude a newer grain elevator near the railroad tracks.
Unique Building Styles
The buildings in the Tampico Historic District are all set back the same distance from the street. Only the newer, 1970s bank building, which looks like neo-Colonial style, is different. Almost all buildings in the district are two stories tall. This gives them a similar look and feel. Most buildings have matching roof edges called cornices. The two wooden frame buildings in the district are even older than Tampico itself.
All the land in the district is used for businesses. The way the buildings are designed shows this. The most important buildings in the district work together as one group. Their importance depends on each other. If one building were removed, it would make the others less special.
Important Buildings in the District
Contributing Structures
Three buildings are called "contributing structures." They are from the important historical time for the district. But they have been changed a lot over time. Also, these three buildings stand alone. They are not part of the main group of buildings that look so similar. These three changed buildings are at 106, 110, and 131 South Main Street.
The building at 131 Main is on the east side of the street. It was built in 1873. It used to be owned by the Glassburn Lumber and Feed company. The front of the building has been changed. It now has a new storefront and a fake Mansard roof. The buildings at 106 and 110 Main are connected by a one-story building between them. 106 S. Main Street was built in 1873. It has a false-front with a parapet that hides its gable roof. This building used to be a hat shop and a beauty shop. Its front has been changed a lot. At 110 S. Main Street is a two-story brick building from 1905. It was first used as a grocery store. This building has also been used by the Masonic Lodge. Part of its cornice was removed and replaced with a shingled cover.
H.C. Pitney Variety Store
The building known as the H.C. Pitney Variety Store has two store fronts. Ray McKenzie built it in 1900. The H.C. Pitney Variety Store was in this building from 1911 to 1920. H.C. Pitney owned the store from 1911 to 1914. During this time, he hired Jack Reagan, who was Ronald Reagan's father, as a clerk.
The H.C. Pitney Variety Store is most famous for who lived upstairs from 1919 to 1920. During this time, H.C. Pitney ran the store. The second-floor apartment was where the family of 40th U.S. President Ronald Reagan lived. This building is part of a two-story block of businesses on Main Street. It is connected to the building next to it. The Pitney Store is newer than the building it's attached to. This two-story brick building has a metal cornice. It has two storefronts with different addresses. The first storefront, at 124 Main Street, is 3 bays wide. The second, at 122 Main Street, is 4 bays wide.
Ronald Reagan Birthplace
The building where 40th U.S. President, Ronald Reagan, was born was built in 1896. G.W. Stauffer had Fred Harvey Seymour build it. Later, it was called the Graham Building. It was a tavern from 1896 until 1915. On February 6, 1911, Ronald Reagan was born in the apartment above a bakery/restaurant. This spot later became the First National Bank. The Reagans moved out of the apartment a few months after Ronald was born. They moved to a house on Glassburn Street in Tampico.
This two-story brick building looks similar to its neighbors. It has three windows on the second floor and a cornice. Only the oldest buildings in the area have different metal cornices and flat-headed windows. The first floor of the building has been restored to look like the First National Bank. The bank was there from 1919 to 1931. The second-floor apartment has been restored to how it looked when Reagan was born. You can take tours of the site. It is listed as a "significant" contributing property to the historic district.
Significant Structures
The buildings in the Main Street Historic District are either "significant" or "contributing." Significant structures are those that are important for their design or history. Ten of the 14 buildings in the district are called significant. These significant buildings are in two groups. One group is from 107–119 Main Street (on the east side). The second group is from 122–126 Main Street (on the west side).
The first group of significant buildings is on the east side of Main Street, from 107–119. 107 S. Main Street was built for Susie Slippell in 1903. It once had a harness shop. The next building, 109 Main, was built in 1898 by J.J Blietz. It held the Elmdorf Grocery and Meat Market. The building next to the old meat market is the Ronald Reagan Birthplace. 113 and 115 Main were built at the same time in 1900. They share a wall. 113 Main is now the Ronald Reagan Gift Shop. Fred Seymour built it as the Seymour Grocery Store. The building at 115 was built for M.R. Lyon. It has been used as a funeral home since 1903.
The buildings at 117 and 119 are the oldest brick buildings in the historic district. They were built in 1877 after the last big fire. 117 Main was built for J.C. Paice. It has been a grocery store, meat market, and variety store. It still has its original cast iron storefront. The building at 119 Main was built for Ruben Davis. It was damaged by fire in 1980 but has been fixed.
The second group of significant buildings is on the west side of Main Street, from 122–126. The two storefronts at 122 and 124 Main are the H.C. Pitney Variety Store. The building next to it was built in 1899 for A.J. Glassburn. He was the son of John Glassburn, who founded the town. This building housed the Tampico State Bank from 1899 to 1931. A.J. Glassburn was its president. Glassburn was also mayor of Tampico three times: 1882–1885, 1887–1893, and 1901–1902. After 1931, the building held another bank and a lumber and hardware store.
Why This District Is Important
The Main Street Historic District in Tampico, Illinois, is important for two main reasons. First, it is a great example of a complete main business area in a small Illinois town. Second, it is where the 40th President of the United States, Ronald Reagan, was born. These reasons led to the historic district being added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places on June 3, 1982.
