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Ruffin Drew Fletcher House
Streator Il Ruffin Drew Fletcher House1.jpg
Ruffin Drew Fletcher House is located in Illinois
Ruffin Drew Fletcher House
Location in Illinois
Ruffin Drew Fletcher House is located in the United States
Ruffin Drew Fletcher House
Location in the United States
Location 609 E. Broadway St.,
Streator, Illinois
Area less than one acre
Built 1890
Architectural style Stick style
NRHP reference No. 91001000
Added to NRHP August 5, 1991

The Ruffin Drew Fletcher House is a special old house in Streator, Illinois. It's also known as the George Allen Dicus, M.D., House. This house was built in 1890 and shows off a cool building style called stick-style. Because it's so unique, it was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places in 1991. This means it's an important historical building!

History of the Fletcher House

The Ruffin Drew Fletcher House was built in 1890. Ruffin Drew Fletcher moved to Streator, Illinois, in 1876. He worked for the Chicago, Wilmington and Vermilion Coal Company.

The coal company actually built this house for Mr. Fletcher. He lived there until 1900. Then, he moved to a different place. The house was then sold to Dr. George Dicus.

Understanding Stick-Style Architecture

The Fletcher House is a great example of Victorian stick-style architecture. You can see this style in its fancy decorations. It also shows in how the roof is shaped.

This house is a type of stick-style home with a gabled roof. A gabled roof has two sloping sides that meet at a ridge. The Fletcher House has many features typical of this design.

Other Buildings on the Property

There are two other buildings on the property. One is a small, one-story wash house. The other is a two-story carriage house. A carriage house was used to store horse-drawn carriages.

Both of these buildings were built at the same time as the main house. They also show the stick-style design. Even though they are not as fancy as the main house, they are still important. They help show the full architectural style of the Fletcher House.

Why the Fletcher House is Important

The Fletcher House still looks much like it did in the 1890s. This means it has kept its original architectural style. It helps us understand what homes looked like back then.

Locally, the house shows how people lived in Streator. For example, early changes like adding electric fans show the lifestyle of the upper middle class at that time.

The Ruffin Drew Fletcher House was added to the National Register of Historic Places on August 5, 1991. This means it is officially recognized as a historic place. Both the wash house and the carriage house were also included in this important listing.

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