Ruben M. Benjamin House facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Ruben M. Benjamin House
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 Location in Illinois
Location in the United States
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| Location | 510 E. Grove St., Bloomington, Illinois |
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| Area | less than one acre |
| Built | 1856 |
| Architect | John L. Routt (Builder) |
| Architectural style | Classical Revival |
| NRHP reference No. | 78003109 |
| Added to NRHP | August 30, 1978 |
The Ruben M. Benjamin House is a special old house in Bloomington, Illinois. It has two stories and a rectangular shape. The house was built in 1856 by John L. Routt. He later became the very first governor of Colorado.
A famous lawyer named Ruben M. Benjamin lived in this house for over 60 years. He was known for his work with railroad laws. The United States National Register of Historic Places added the Ruben M. Benjamin House to its list in August 1978. This means it's an important historical place.
Building the Benjamin House
The Ruben M. Benjamin House was built in 1856. John L. Routt was the builder. This is the only house in Bloomington that we know for sure Routt built.
The house was made for Ruben M. Benjamin. He was a well-known lawyer in Bloomington. Benjamin worked on important cases about railroads. He helped create laws that allowed the government to control private businesses.
House Design and Style
The Benjamin House is built in the Classical Revival style. This style often uses ideas from ancient Greek and Roman buildings. The house looks much like it did when it was first built.
The front of the house faces East Grove Street. The second floor has three rectangular windows. A round window is at the top of the house, in the attic area. The roof is held up by small wooden supports called brackets. On the west side of the house, there is a bay window. This window sticks out from the wall.
Why This House is Important
The Ruben M. Benjamin House was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places in 1982. This house is also part of a larger area called the East Grove Street Historic District. This district was added to the National Register in 1987.
The house is important because of Ruben M. Benjamin. He lived there for more than 60 years. Benjamin was born in Chatham Center, New York. He studied law at Harvard for a year. In 1856, he moved to Bloomington.
When Benjamin took his law exam in 1856, Abraham Lincoln was one of the people testing him. After becoming a lawyer, Benjamin worked with other lawyers in Bloomington.
In 1869, Benjamin was chosen for the Illinois state constitutional convention. This was a meeting to write new state laws. He was a strong leader there. Benjamin pushed for laws that would let the state control the railroad industry. These ideas became part of the Illinois Constitution.
Benjamin later used these new laws. In 1872, he took the Chicago and Alton Railroad to court. He said they were charging unfair prices. For example, they charged more to move lumber a shorter distance than a longer one.
Lower courts first agreed that the state could control railroad prices. Later, the Supreme Court of the United States changed this decision. But the Supreme Court made it clear that states do have the right to control railroad prices. This also meant states could control other companies too.
