Washington Park Historic District (Ottawa, Illinois)
Washington Park Historic District | |
Italianate | |
NRHP reference No. | 73000710[1] |
---|---|
Added to NRHP | April 11, 1973 |
Washington Park Historic District, also known as Washington Square is a
Boundaries
The boundaries of the Washington Park Historic District are limited to the area around Washington Park, known as Washington Square. On its north, the district is bounded by the east-west Lafayette Street, on the south by Jackson Street. The east side of the district is bounded by Columbus street, and the west side by LaSalle Street.[2] The historic district includes seven separate properties as contributing members, there were originally eight but one has been demolished since the district was designated.[2]
History
Washington Park was platted in 1831 and created by the
Washington Park
Washington Park occupies a square of one city block on the edge of downtown Ottawa and is surrounded by several significant historic structures. Within the park are objects and structures such as the 1873 Civil War Memorial, cannons from the Civil War, World War I and World War II, and a marker noting the site of the first Lincoln-Douglas debate.[2]
The park's central patio is dominated by a fountain and reflecting pool centered with larger-than-life depictions of Abraham Lincoln and Stephen A. Douglas.[5] The fountain and reflecting pools, and thus, the statues, are in a plaza which is surrounded by limestone. The statue project was completed by artist Rebecca Childers Caleel with metal casting completed by Art Casting of Illinois.[3] The bronze statues were completed under the guidance of the city's historic preservation commission and dedicated on September 14, 2002. The Lincoln statue is 11 feet (3.4 m) tall and the Douglas statue is 9 feet (2.7 m) tall.[3] Because of their recent installation, the statues are not part of the historic district.[4]
The park has been popular during the holiday season as well as being a major focus of civic life in Ottawa from the 1850s into the present. In addition to the historical features within and surrounding the park there are features more traditional to parks such as
Historic properties
3rd Appellate Court
The Third District Appellate Court Building is found on the northeast corner of the square. The court building was constructed between 1857–60 and served as one of the
The Third District Appellate Court building is an example of
Civil War Memorial
The Civil War Memorial in Washington Park is a marble memorial column erected in 1873.[2] The monument was designed and built by Edward McInnhill.[6] The monument and statue atop it, known as the Goddess of Liberty, pays tribute to LaSalle County American Civil War veterans. The marble faces contain the name of over 800 Civil War dead but most of the names are unreadable due to deterioration.[9]
Congregational Church
The Ottawa First Congregational Church was constructed near the intersection Jackson and Columbus Streets facing Washington Park in 1870.
Christ Episcopal Church
Christ Episcopal Church, is the architecturally superior of the two churches located on Washington Square. Found at the intersection of Lafayette and Columbus Streets, the church is opposite the Third District Appellate Courthouse.
Lincoln-Douglas debate site
On August 21, 1858, the first of the
Popcorn wagon
On the southwest corner of Washington Park is a largely unaltered c. 1890s working popcorn wagon.[2]
William Reddick Mansion
The Reddick Mansion, alternatively Reddick's Library, was constructed in or around 1856
Reddick's
Architecturally the Reddick Mansion conforms to
Other properties
Within the
There are also properties that are not considered a part of the district, or what is known as "
Historic significance
Washington Square is of special historic significance because it hosted the first of the famous Lincoln-Douglas Debates. The debates lasted three hours under the hot August sun and focused on the issues of popular sovereignty and slavery which set the tone for the other debates to come in 1858.[2] Because of its historic significance as the location of the first Lincoln-Douglas debate, the integrity of its contributing properties, and significance to local life, the Washington Park Historic District was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places on April 11, 1973.[21]
Notes
- ^ a b "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s Fetzer, Constance. "Washington Park Historic District", (PDF), National Register of Historic Places Inventory - Nomination Form, 1973, Illinois Historic Preservation Agency, accessed May 11, 2008.
- ^ a b c d e "Welcome to Ottawa Parks", Resident Resources, City of Ottawa, official site, Washington Square "Did You Know" section", accessed May 12, 2008.
- ^ Illinois Historic Preservation Agency, accessed May 12, 2007.
- ^ "Attractions", Ottawa Visitors Bureau, official site, accessed May 12, 2008.
- ^ ISBN 0762744138).
- ^ Illinois Historic Preservation Agency, accessed May 11, 2008.
- ^ "Illinois Appellate Court Clerks & Contact Information", Illinois Courts, official site, May 11, 2008.
- ^ "Goddess of Liberty - Civil War Monument", City of Ottawa, official site, accessed May 12, 2008.
- Illinois Historic Preservation Agency, accessed May 12, 2008.
- Illinois Historic Preservation Agency, accessed May 12, 2008.
- Illinois Historic Preservation Agency, accessed May 12, 2008.
- ^ Farrar, Bill. "Lincoln-Douglas debate site", (PDF), Illinois Historic Sites Survey Inventory Form, 1972, Illinois Historic Preservation Agency, accessed May 11, 2008.
- ^ There is some discrepancy as to when, exactly, the Reddick Mansion was built. The field guide, Illinois Off the Beaten Path, declares the date as 1856 but it also erroneously states that the mansion is a National Historic Landmark. The National Register documentation does not put an exact date on construction, stating only that it was newly built at the time of the Lincoln-Douglas debate. A 1969 article in the Ottawa Times only gives the date as circa 1860. See: Franz, Illinois Off the Beaten Path, Catlin, "Reddick's Library", and Fetzer, "Washington Park Historic District".
- ^ a b c d e Catlin, Betty. "Reddick's Library", (PDF), Illinois Historic Sites Survey Inventory Form, May 17, 1971, Illinois Historic Preservation Agency, accessed May 12, 2008.
- ^ "Historic Reddick Mansion", City of Ottawa, official site, accessed May 12, 2008.
- Illinois Historic Preservation Agency, accessed May 11, 2008.
- ^ Fetzer, Constance. "LaSalle County Jail", (PDF), Illinois Historic Sites Survey Inventory Form, 1972, Illinois Historic Preservation Agency, accessed May 11, 2008.
- ^ National Register Historic Districts Q&A Archived March 22, 2010, at the Wayback Machine, South Carolina Department of Archives and History, accessed May 12, 2008.
- Illinois Historic Preservation Agency, accessed May 12, 2008.
- ^ National Register Information System Query - State and city=Ottawa, IL", National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service, accessed May 12, 2008. Archived June 14, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
References
- 1972 photograph, via the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency, showing original 1857 gas lamps and their location within the park, accessed May 12, 2008.
- National Historic Landmarks Program, "Search for an NHL", City and state query=Ottawa, Illinois, National Park Service, accessed May 12, 2008.
Further reading
- Fetzer, Constance. "Popcorn Stand" (Illinois Historic Preservation Agency, accessed May 12, 2008.
- Fetzer, Constance. "Washington Park", (Illinois Historic Preservation Agency, accessed May 12, 2008."
- Lincoln, Abraham and Douglas, Stephen A. "First Debate with Stephen A. Douglas at Ottawa, Illinois", August 21, 1858, Lincoln Home National Historic Site, National Park Service, accessed May 12, 2008.
External links
- LaSalle County Jail, Property Information Report, Illinois Historic Preservation Agency, accessed May 12, 2008.
- War Monuments", Property Information Report, Illinois Historic Preservation Agency, accessed May 12, 2008.
- Reddick Mansion, City of Ottawa, official site, accessed May 12, 2008.
- Washington Park Historic District: Property Information Report, Illinois Historic Preservation Agency, accessed May 12, 2008.