Alton Chapter House
Alton Chapter House | |
Streetside view | |
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Location | 509 Beacon St., Alton, Illinois |
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Coordinates | 38°53′43″N 90°11′24″W / 38.89528°N 90.19000°WCoordinates: 38°53′43″N 90°11′24″W / 38.89528°N 90.19000°W |
Area | 1.1 acres (0.45 ha) |
Architect | Helfensteller,Hirsch and Watson |
Architectural style | Prairie School |
MPS | American Woman's League Chapter Houses TR |
NRHP Reference # | 80001388[1] |
Added to NRHP | November 28, 1980 |
The Alton Chapter House is a historic building located at 509 Beacon St. in Alton, Illinois. The building was constructed between 1909 and 1910 as a meetinghouse for Alton's chapter of the American Woman's League. The American Woman's League was a political and social organization founded by magazine publisher Edward Gardner Lewis in 1908. The organization was created to promote feminist causes, particularly the women's suffrage movement; Lewis also intended for the organization to promote and sell his women's magazines. Lewis commissioned the St. Louis architectural firm of Helfensteller, Hirsch & Watson to design five classes of buildings which the League would use as meetinghouses. The Alton Chapter House is an example of a Class II building, which was designed for clubs with 60 to 100 members. The building was designed in the Prairie School style and cost $2,500. After the club disbanded, the building was converted to a private home.[2]
The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places on November 28, 1980.[1] It is one of nine American Woman's League chapter houses on the National Register in Illinois.
References
- 1 2 National Park Service (2010-07-09). "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service.
- ↑ Meyer, Pauline (July 12, 1980). "American Woman's League Chapter Houses in Illinois Thematic Resource" (PDF). Heritage Conservation and Recreation Service. Retrieved February 5, 2014.