Post Civil War Buildings Walking Tour

1801 N. Main Street

Built about 1864 for the Klingle family, this small, jewel-like brick home has two of the most beautiful Greek Revival doorways in Edwardsville. Note the circular forms in the fanlight above the door and the double pilasters on the sides of the door where the small column-forms mirror the larger ones. The front of the house actually faces Second Street, so the Main Street side was originally the back. The home has a central hallway and the small dormer creates the upstairs hall.

1501 N. Main Street

The brick work on this small, Greek Revival-style home, built about 1864 by a German bricklayer, is outstanding. Note the brick dentels over the windows and the brick pilasters between the windows. The brickwork, with more dentels, also forms the cornice for the roof and extends around the gable sides. The lintels above the windows are curved brick. The doorway with its charming fanlight is also outstanding. It also boasts a well and smoke house.

1403 Second Street

Known as the Henry Little house, the rear portion of this structure was probably built in the 1840s with the Gothic Revival front addition built in the 1870s. The charming front is purely symmetrical with pediments above the windows and door; the Carpenter Gothic motif gingerbread is whimsical and lighthearted. This is an example of a folk art interpretation of the Greek Revival style. Note that the tracery on the eaves in the front is on the sides as well.

416 N. Main Street

This small Victorian-style home was built in the 1890s by Charles H. Bartels. It is a charming example of the workingman's one-and-one-half-story home with its spindlework on the porch and the fishscale shingles on the gables. The home was in the Bartels family until 1977.

302 N. Main Street

This beautiful Second Empire style home was built in 1865 by John Trares and is one of the few remaining examples of that style in Edwardsville. Note the mansard roof and the round dormer windows in alternating styles of round and pedimental. The cast iron lintels and the decorative brackets under the eaves are also very nice. The house is reputed to have had one of the first indoor bathrooms in town. In 1924 the home was sold to the Marks-Weber Funeral home; the south addition and the portico were added in 1964.

254 N. Main Street

The Wildey Theater was built by the Edwardsville chapter of the International Order of Odd Fellows, a popular international organization of the day. Built as an opera house in 1909, the second floor was a community room and the third floor was used by the Odd Fellows as a meeting room. The theater, with its carved wooden railings, box seats, and large stage, served as the setting for plays, operettas, community events, and later, for the movies. The interior was changed in 1937 to a plain, Art Deco-style, and the large marquee was added. Note the cornice and capitals, along with the decorative elements on the front, which are made of cast concrete.

515 High Street

Built in 1909 as the Chapter House for the Edwardsville chapter of the American Women's League, this charming building, a private home since the 1920s, shows the influence of the Prairie School style and the Mission Style, both of which were popular at the time. Note the horizontal character of the eaves, the banding around the walls, and the long, straight planes of the windows which emphasize the horizontal. Also note the pediment over the triple window, adding a decorative touch.

156 N. Main Street

The original corner building at the junction of Main and Hillsboro, which now houses Schwartz Health Mart, was designed by Charles Spillman in the late 1860s. This nicely proportioned commercial building is noteworthy for the beautiful brackets of the eaves and the curved lentils of the windows. (In 1970 and 1975 the business expanded into neighboring buildings.)

155 N. Main Street: Madison County Courthouse

The current Madison County Courthouse was built in 1914 and designed by Robert G. Kirsch, a St. Louis architect. The elegant Georgian white marble building, with its gracious surface treatment is of the Classical Revival-style, with a French influence. (A smaller brick courthouse, built in 1857 on this site, was razed to make way for the new building.) Note the lovely wide frieze decorated with garlands, the pedimented windows over terra cotta entryways, and the way the two-story columns of the facade are set back from the surface.

100 N. Main Street: The Bohm Building

The Bohm Building crowns the corner of Main and Vandalia streets as a commercial and office complex. Built in 1910, this building wraps around the street corner with two story wings on both sides. Note the beautiful terra cotta entryway built in the Classical Revival-style, the cornice, and the handsome brickwork.

115 S. Main Street: The Berleman House

The Berleman House has been identified as one of the outstanding examples of early one-story Greek and Federal residences in the state of Illinois. Built circa 1865 by local builder Samual Morrison and designed by Charles Spillman, the small home has an elegant Greek Revival front doorway on the asymmetrical front facade and double-hung, four-over-four rectangular windows. In 1868 Herman Berleman, a German immigrant and carpenter, bought the house. He constructed the frame addition at the rear of the house in 1895. The Berleman family lived in the home until 1962.

Edwardsville City Park Madison County Centennial Monument

The Centennial Monument was erected as the principal feature of the Madison County Centennial Celebration of 1912. The sculptor, Charles Mulligan of Chicago, worked in Edwardsville on two blocks of Georgian Marble. The sixteen foot sculpture represents the balancing of the four cardinal points of civilization and progress. The female figures represent: Learning (book and pen), Justice (sword and two pillars), Plenty (fruit and grain), and Virtue (veiled maiden). The face of the monument reads: "Commemorating 100 years of Progress." Governor Charles Deneen returned for the dedication of the monument and Mary Elizabeth Edwards, a descendant of Governor Ninian Edwards, unveiled the model.

847 Hillsboro Avenue

Built on the edge of town in the 1870s, this lovely Italiante-style, two story home still sits on much Of the original property. The house is positioned on the side of the lot in order to allow for a large Victorian type garden on the other side. Note the gorgeous porch brackets, the tall windows on the first floor, and the attractive detailing and mouldings of the roofline.

Highway 157 and Lewis Road: Governor Coles Monument

In 1922 the state of Illinois erected this monument to Edward Coles, the second governor of Illinois from 1822 to 1826. Coles worked hard,while governor, to keep Illinois as a free state. Under the bronze bas relief portrait of Coles, the inscription reads: "Commemorating the career to Edward Coles who by steadfastness and courage kept slavery out of the constitution of Illinois." The Coles Historical marker, above, is located at Lincoln School. (To reach the Coles Monument, which is not on this map, follow Highway 157 south out of town to Lewis Road.)

Other Notable Buildings & Locations

A. 1210 N. Main Street
This school was built in 1911 as a grade school for the Black children of Edwardsville. In 1952 the State of Illinois erected a Historical Marker commemorating Governor Coles, which later was placed on the side of Lincoln School.
B. 228 N. Main Street
The second floor of this building housed the Tuxhom Opera House.
C. Ramey and Olive Streets - Centennial Sycamore
The majestic sycamore tree on this corner was planted as a sapling in 1876 to commemorate the one hundredth birthday of the United States.
D. Randle and St. Louis Street - Hotz Park
The 14,000 pound limestone boulder and the park honor Edwardsville's five state governors.
E. Columbus School Complex
The original school building at the corner of Commercial and College was designed by Charles Spillman. An eight room addition to the back was added in 1896. The Kansas Street school was built in 1910 and the buildings were linked on the Commercial Street side in 1954 by a cafeteria.
F. 112 S. Kansas Street - Edwardsville Public Library
A Carnegie donation helped the city build this classical limestone building in 1905. The building was expanded considerably in 1989-90.
G. 210 N. Kansas Street
The beautiful proportions of the 1888 Christian Church made converting it into a private home in 1989 an exciting project.
H. 230 N. Kansas Street
Charles Boeschenstein, an important citizen of Edwardsville, built this imposing Classic Revival home in 1906. The formal composition of the building with its columns, wide porch, doorway and porte-cochere make it a grand residence.
I. 201 Hillsboro Avenue
Designed by Oscar Wenderoth, this 1917 corner building with its central tower served as the city post office for many years.
J. 817 Hillsboro Avenue
Built in 1903 as a corner grocery store, this one-story commercial building was restored in 1989.
K. 211 E. Vandalia Avenue
Outstanding brick work and nice proportions distinguish this commercial building, erected in 1906 as the Czech National Hall.