Monticello Courthouse Square Historic District facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Monticello Courthouse Square Historic District
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Piatt County Courthouse
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 Location in Illinois
Location in the United States
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| Location | Roughly bounded by Market, RR tracks, N. Hamilton, Independence & Marion Sts., Monticello, Illinois |
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| Area | 28 acres (11 ha) |
| Architectural style | Italianate, Classical Revival |
| NRHP reference No. | 08000400 |
| Added to NRHP | November 5, 2009 |
The Monticello Courthouse Square Historic District is a special area in downtown Monticello, Illinois. It's like a time capsule showing how the city used to look and work. This district is the old business heart of Monticello. It's also where the main government building for Piatt County is located, called the Piatt County Courthouse.
There are 80 buildings in this historic district. About 73 of these buildings are considered "contributing." This means they help tell the story of the district's past. The Monticello Courthouse Square Historic District was added to the National Register of Historic Places on November 5, 2009. This listing helps protect its important history.
Contents
History of Monticello's Downtown
Monticello was started in 1837. It was planned as a trading center for what would become Piatt County. People thought Decatur was too far away for easy business. The original town plan included most of what is now the historic district.
Monticello Becomes a County Seat
When Piatt County was officially formed in 1841, Monticello was chosen as its county seat. This meant it became the main town for county government. Because of this, Monticello's population grew. More buildings were built in the years that followed.
In 1856, the first brick building in the city was constructed. It was built by a merchant named J.C. Johnson. You can still see this building today at 204-206 West Washington Street. It's the oldest building still standing in the district. Also in 1856, Monticello got its own newspaper, the Monticello Times. The county also built a new courthouse that year.
Growth with the Railroads
Things really sped up for Monticello in the 1870s. This is when the Illinois Central Railroad and the Chicago and Paducah Railroad started serving the town. Trains made it much easier to bring goods in and out.
In 1897, Monticello saw some big new public buildings open. These included the Town Hall and Opera House. The Allerton Library also opened in the same building. The third county courthouse was built in 1903-04. This courthouse is still used today as the county government's main office. By this time, the area around the courthouse was clearly the main place for business in Monticello.
Architectural Styles in the District
The Piatt County Courthouse is the most important building in the district. It was designed in the Classical Revival style. This style often looks like ancient Greek or Roman buildings. The architect was Joseph W. Royer from Urbana.
Piatt County Courthouse Details
The courthouse is a three-story building made of red brick. It has fancy decorations made of limestone. Each side of the building has an entrance that sticks out a bit. These are called pavilions.
On the north and south sides, these pavilions have tall, thin columns called pilasters. These pilasters are in the Ionic order style. They have a decorative band called a belt course above them. The east and west pavilions stick out more and have two pilasters each. These two sides also have triangular tops called pediments. These pediments have a pattern of small blocks called dentils along their edges. A decorative railing, or balustrade, goes around the roof of the building. The corners of the courthouse, including those on the sticking-out parts, have special limestone blocks called quoins.
Other Building Styles
The Italianate style is very common among the district's business buildings. About 25 buildings show this style. This is because the district grew a lot in the late 1800s. That was when the Italianate style was very popular in America. Many Italianate buildings here have decorative fronts made of cast iron. This was a popular way to decorate stores back then.
The district also has eighteen buildings in a simpler style called the Commercial Style. The Town Hall and Library building shows the Romanesque Revival style. It has a stone arched entrance. It also uses different colors of brick and stone for a striking look.
Other styles you can see in the district include:
- The Gothic Revival style in the First Presbyterian Church.
- The Stick Style in the Wabash Depot.
- The Dutch Colonial Revival style in two houses.
- The Streamline Moderne style in the Country Charm Dairy Bar.
