State Farm Downtown Building facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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State Farm Downtown Building
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U.S. Historic district
Contributing property |
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State Farm Downtown Building, 2007
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 Location in Illinois
Location in the United States
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| Location | 112 E. Washington St., Bloomington, Illinois |
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| Built | 1929-1947 |
| Architect | Archie Schaeffer and Phillip Hooton |
| Architectural style | Art Deco |
| NRHP reference No. | 85000363 |
| Added to NRHP | February 28, 1985 |
The State Farm Downtown Building is a special building in downtown Bloomington, Illinois. It is famous for its unique Art Deco style. For many years, it served as the main office for State Farm Insurance. People also called it the State Farm Insurance Building or the State Farm Fire Building.
A Look Back: The Building's History
The first part of the building was built in 1929. This section had eight floors. In 1934, four more floors and a small top floor (called a penthouse) were added.
A few years later, in 1939, State Farm bought the land next to the building. This land used to have a building for a group called the Odd Fellows. State Farm took down that old building.
From 1939 to 1940, State Farm built another eight-floor section. In 1945, five more stories were added to this new part. Once all the building was finished, it became the main office for State Farm. This lasted until 1974.
State Farm moved its last workers out of the building in January 2018. In April 2018, the company said it would leave the building for good. It was a very large building, about 200,000 square feet. State Farm tried to find someone to buy it. When they could not find a buyer, they announced in July 2019 that they would take the building down.
Design and Features
Archie Schaeffer and Phillip Hooton designed the State Farm Downtown Building. Their company, Schaeffer and Hooton, was formed after another local architect passed away. The building is about 162 feet tall. It is a great example of Art Deco style. This style often has fancy decorations.
On the west side of the building, there is a big sign. It says "State Farm Insurance." Each letter on the sign is five and a half feet tall. Since 1935, the sign has been lit up at night.
The building has a strong steel frame. Its outside walls are covered with light brown bricks. These walls are like "curtains" that hang from the frame. The second floor has special stonework and stone light fixtures. The top part of the building, called the cornice, also has more stonework and large round decorations called medallions.
The stonework uses different kinds of stone. These include pygmatic gneiss and dolomite. The Art Deco medallions are a repeated design all over the building's outside.
The person who started State Farm, George Mecherle, had an office on the eighth floor. He moved into it in 1940. Since 1951, State Farm has kept his office exactly as it was. The company's historian says that almost all of Mr. Mecherle's original things are still there. You can find old sales papers from 1936 and guest book entries from 1945.
This office is not open to everyone. However, State Farm uses it to teach new employees about the company's past.
Why Is This Building Important?
The State Farm Downtown Building is a special part of the Bloomington Central Business District. This district is a historic area in downtown Bloomington, Illinois. The building is listed as a "contributing property" to this district. This means it helps make the historic district important.
The entire Bloomington Central Business District is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. This is a list of places in the United States that are important to history.
