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National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places was authorized under the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966. The Department of Interiors, National Park Service administers the Register. It is part of a national program to coordinate efforts to identify and protect our historic resources. Properties listed in the Register include districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects that are significant in American history, architecture, archeology, engineering, and culture.
Mattoon has had seven sites listed on the National Register; six remain. These sites are not only significant to the nation’s history, but even more to our local history. Railway Express Agency Building Fifteenth Street and Oklahoma Avenue Brick Street
In 1910, Congress appropriated $70,000 for a new post office to be constructed in Mattoon. Architect, James Knox Taylor supervised the building of the structure by Mangus Yeager and Son of Danville. Construction was completed and the new post office opened in 1913. The building shows characteristics of two different architectural styles of its time. Neo-Classicism of Classical Revival is portrayed in the buildings symmetry and smooth surfaces. The large marble stairs and low roofline are examples of this style. The columns are in the tradition of Greek Classical Revival. This type of architecture was popular in the first 20 years of the twentieth century.
The buildings arches and ornamentations are more in the Second Renaissance Revival style popular around the same era. The decorations above the windows, doors and below the cornices also go with this type of architecture. Both these styles were common on public buildings such as the library and City Hall.
Other then the loading dock added to the rear of the building in 1957, the exterior of the building remains as it did when it was constructed. It was placed in the National Register of Historic Places on December 6, 1979. In 1981, the building no longer met the needs of the postal service and they moved to their new facilities on 15th Street. The building had served as Mattoon’s post office for 68 years.
Shortly thereafter, the building was purchased by Illinois Consolidated Telephone Company and housed their regulations department. ICTC moved out after consolidating many of their offices into the Masonic Temple building at 14th and Charleston in 1990.
First Mid-Illinois Bank and Trust purchased the post office in 1991 and used it for an operations center that included its central computer system. In September of 1999, the bank moved these operations to the former Heartland Federal building.
In 2000, First Mid donated the building to Community Unit School District No. 2 for their administrative offices. School officials are still located here today.
The Unitarians built Mattoon’s oldest religious structure in 1872 at a cost of around $10,000. When the Unitarians dissolved in the early 1900’s, many of the church records were lost. The architect and builder are unknown. Because of its similarity to other Unitarian churches found throughout Indiana and Illinois, it is thought the design was selected from a capsule plan designed by a Chicago architect.
Thomas Parkman Cushing Lane, one of the City’s founders, was a prime backer of the construction of the church. Lane, Mattoon’s first attorney, had come from Massachusetts to represent landowner and developer Ebenezer Noyes. The church was built next to Noyes’s home. Lane urged the construction of the church in memory of his deceased daughter Nina. Few changes have been made to the building since its construction. The first major changes came in 1907 when the east entrance to the tower was bricked in, and stained glass added to the south windows. A basement was dug beneath the church in the 1930’s, and a rear entrance added in the 1960’s. A major restoration project was completed in 1976 and the building was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in March 19, 1982. Big Four Railroad Depot
The Illinois Central and Big Four Railroads shared a depot in the Essex House until 1914 when the Mattoon City Council convinced the Illinois Central to lower its tracks through the heart of Mattoon. The Essex House was razed and both railroads completed their own structures to house their depots. For 50-years, this building was used as a passenger station for this line.
The line went through several ownerships during the life of the depot. The Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago and St, Louis Railroad became a division of the New York Central in 1922. February 1, 1968, the New York Central merged with the Pennsylvania Railroad and became the Penn Central; following their bankruptcy, it became a part of Conrail on April 1, 1976.
The depot closed after the merger with the Pennsylvania Railroad. Penn Central’s dominant east-west line traveled through Effingham and the Mattoon line became redundant. The last passenger train to stop at the depot was March 18, 1968, 51 years and one day from its opening. In May of 1977, Amtrak stopped here when there was track work on the line near Effingham. Passengers were processed at the Amtrak station in the Illinois Central depot.
After its closing in 1968, a freight elevator was added and the building served as a warehouse for Thrifty’s. In 1983, new owners planned to renovate the building for restaurant, office and retail space. These plans were never implemented. The building was placed on the National Register of Historic Places on January 30, 1986. In 2004, the building was taken off of the National Register and on April 9, was razed.
Railway Express Agency Building
The Railway Express Agency moved here from their former location at the southwest corner of Broadway and the Illinois Central Railroad. This site was placed on the National Register of Historic Places August 6, 1994.
The American Express Company was formed in 1850 by Henry Wells and William Fargo. They were responsible for many business innovations such as the C.O.D. system, money orders, and the American Express Travelers Check. In 1892, they negotiated with the Illinois Central Railroad to establish routes along their line. It is then when they came to Mattoon. During World War I, all express companies were combined to form one giant express company, The American Railway Express Company.
The building was in operation 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. They would handle freight from as many as 12 trains per day with up to 50 baggage carts per train. They transferred everything from fresh produce, to circus animals, to furniture, to money for the Federal Reserve Bank.
The building continued express service until 1964. It was then used as a general freight depot until 1971. It has been a used as a warehouse ever since.
Mattoon Tile and Brick Company was a major supplier to central Illinois at the time of construction and was the major contributor of bricks to the hotel. The building is of the Late Victorian style, which was typical for that time period.
While the U.S. Grant catered to the upper class, the Starr clientele was mostly transient workers, railroad crews, and seasonal crop workers. Hoboes were also frequent guests of the Starr Hotel. They would gather at the hitching post in the back of the hotel. Townspeople and farmers would recruit them for day labor.
There were four saloons around the Starr, making this one of the roughest areas in town. Lynch’s Saloon at the northeast corner of 18th and Western was better known as Wade’s Corner in recent years. It was torn down in 1987. The Opera House saloon was at the northwest corner of 18th and Western. This is now one of Mattoon’s finest parking lots. The Fitzgerald Saloon and Restaurant is now Video Review, and Hair Force One, and a health club. One block west was and still is House’s Tavern. During the Street Fair of 1898, rowdiness, gambling, and prostitution in this area got so far out of control, the City temporarily closed this section of town, including the Starr Hotel.
Custer sold the hotel to William Schafer in 1920. It was then used as a long-term boarding/rooming house. The Schafer Hotel closed in 1944 and Robert Fuller purchased the site in 1946. The current owner had the building placed on the National Register of Historic Places on August 6, 1994.
During the 1960’s, the restaurant portion of the addition was divided into four sections for retail. Lyle’s Barber Shop has been here for 44 years. The lobby and hotel rooms on the second floor remain unchanged from their original design. The Starr Hotel and the U.S. Grant Hotel are the only historic hotels that remain in Mattoon today.
The 3.75-inch wide by 8 inch long by 3-inch thick bricks lay on top of 5 inches of concrete. There is a one-inch layer of sand and tar between the concrete and bricks. Paving bricks were used to construct the 23 catch basins and 11 manholes along 15th Street. The cast iron lids were produced at the H.W. Clark Foundry, here in Mattoon.
The City passed and ordinance detailing the specifications for brick streets and sidewalks on July 13, 1892. In 1897, the City took steps to finance street paving. By the start of the 20th century, streets were being extended from downtown two blocks at a time at a cost of $1000 to $1500 per block.
Another period of extensive street paving was from 1923 till 1928 when at least 23 streets received improvements, including Fifteenth Street and Oklahoma Avenue. These contracts for ten to twelve blocks at a time included considerations for catch basins and sewers.
Most of Mattoon’s brick streets were built between 1891 and 1940. Of the 22.1 miles paved during this period, only 4.3 remain in their original condition. Others have either been reconstructed or paved over.
City Engineer, W Ed Millar, designed Fifteenth Street and Oklahoma Avenue in 1923. And constructed by Henry E Shinn the following year. The bricks were turned in 1935. This is more then likely when the tar was added between the concrete and brick. The City started a restoration program in 1999 repairing a 12 x 39 foot section in the 900 block of Fifteenth Street. This ongoing project will be completed as time and funding allows.
Illinois Central Railroad Depot
The Illinois Central Railroad Depot is located at 1718 Broadway Avenue, just east of the IC tracks. Prominent Champaign, Illinois contractor, Almon W. Stoolman constructed the 14,200 square foot, three-story structure that was designed by Daniel F. McLaughlin of Chicago. The dark red, brick depot is of the Classical Revival style architecture with Craftsman Style features. Only the top floor is visible from street level. The lower floor serves the lowered tracks of the former Illinois Central Railroad, now Canadian National Railroad. Construction began in 1916 and continued into 1917. On February 14, 1917, three panels were removed from the Broadway Avenue Bridge to make way for the depot entrance. By April 13, the street level girders were being installed with the assistance of an IC engine to elevate the steel in place. The depot narrowly missed being decimated by the devastating tornado that struck Mattoon on May 26, 1917. The IC platform next to the unfinished depot became quite busy with trains delivering aid to those affected by the tornado. In July of 1917, the tile roof was being laid and excavation was beginning on the power plant to the north of the depot, which will supply both depots with heat and power. On December 12, staff moved into the offices on the mezzanine level and the depot finally opened on January 21, 1918. The final cost of the depot was $130,000 The Van Noy Restaurant was located on the third floor of the depot. USO activities were held in this large room during World War II. There are now five offices in the central area of the street level floor. A metal stairway, freight elevator, and two baggage rooms are located in the back of this floor. There are three more offices located on the second floor, of mezzanine level. These are accessed from the landing on the main staircase. The ten-foot wide terrazzo stairs wind to the waiting room at subway level. This 32 x 55 foot room is furnished with high backed birch benches tall enough to conceal the occupant from the rear. Fourteen trains per day stopped at the IC depot when it opened in 1914. As the automobile became more popular, the number of trains decreased. Ten trains per say used the depot during the 1950’s. Today, the depot serves as an Amtrak station and you can catch one of four trains per day traveling as far north as Chicago and south to New Orleans.
In June of 2001, a committee was formed to save and restore the Illinois Central Depot. On March 1st, 2002, the depot listed on National Register of Historic Places. By July of 2002, a new tile roof had been installed. |
The
Big Four Railroad Depot opened May 17, 1917. The depot was located east
of the Illinois Central tracks and on the south side of the New York
Central tracks. The two-story, 12,000 square foot structure was built
by C.D. Mitchell and Son of Charleston, Illinois for $50,000. The
Beaux-Arts Classicism style of architecture was evident in the buildings
symmetry, arches and façade.
Built
in 1918 at the site of the former Essex House, the Railway Express
Agency building is now the only building left on the former Big Four
Railroad that was directly tied to railroad commerce. This one-story,
170’ x 24’ building sits on the south side of the former New York
Central tracks and west of the Illinois Central Tracks. It is visible
from 19th Street and Western Avenue.
Originally
the Custer Hotel, for its builder, George M. Custer, the Starr Hotel was
a working class hotel for railroad men. It stands at 1919 Western. The
original structure was built in 1888 with the two story addition to the
east was added in 1900. The addition contained a restaurant, six
additional hotel rooms and a new lobby. 
The
brick streets of Oklahoma Avenue (15th Street to 16th
Street) and Fifteenth Street (Marshall Avenue to Oklahoma Avenue) were
placed on the Register on November 22, 1999. The 25 foot 4 inch wide
brick pavement is flanked with curb and gutter, and 4 foot wide
sidewalks all in an 80-foot wide right-of-way. 
In
1914, the Illinois Central Railroad lowered its tracks through the
center of Mattoon to ease traffic congestion with the Big Four Railroad
and street intersections. Six bridges were constructed carrying five
different streets and the Big Four over the new subway. After the
construction of the subway, both railroads built their own depots.