Elihu Benjamin Washburne House

Elihu Benjamin Washburne House
Location 908 3rd St., Galena, Illinois
Coordinates 42°24′50″N 90°25′54″W / 42.41389°N 90.43167°W / 42.41389; -90.43167Coordinates: 42°24′50″N 90°25′54″W / 42.41389°N 90.43167°W / 42.41389; -90.43167
Area less than one acre
Built 1844
Architectural style Greek Revival
NRHP Reference # 73000708[1]
Added to NRHP July 5, 1973

The Elihu Benjamin Washburne House is a Greek Revival house in the city of Galena, Illinois, USA. Constructed in 1844–45, the building was built for and owned by Elihu B. Washburne a nationally significant politician and Galena resident. The Washburne House was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places in 1973.

History

The Elihu Benjamin Washburne House was constructed in 1844–45 as a 1 1⁄2-story Greek Revival home for important Galena resident Elihu Benjamin Washburne. Washburne was a congressman and served a short stint as U.S. Secretary of State during the Ulysses S. Grant administration.[2] The house's present appearance is the result of a major remodeling and enlarging in 1859.[2]

Architecture

The Elihu B. Washburne House represents a good example of late Greek Revival architecture. The house was built in the style of Greek temples and features a 2-story porch with four fluted Doric columns.[2]

State Historic Site

The Elihu B. Washburne House is administered by the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency and is open to the public for tours.[3] The Washburne House is a declared Illinois State Historic Site.[4]

The house is open for guided tours of the first floor and two second-floor bedrooms. Tours emphasize Elihu Washburne and his Civil War-era friendships with Abraham Lincoln and Ulysses S. Grant. The rooms are furnished to reflect the mid-19th-century life of a well-to-do midwestern professional.

Historic significance

The U.S. National Register of Historic Places added the Washburne House to its listings on July 5, 1973.[1] The 1970s Illinois Historic Sites Survey noted the Washburne House for its importance architecturally as well as for its association with Elihu Benjamin Washburne.[5] The Washburne House also lies within the Galena Historic District, designated in 1969, the district has more than 1,000 contributing properties.[6]

References

  1. 1 2 Staff (2010-07-09). "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service.
  2. 1 2 3 Campbell, Thomas A., Jr. "Elihu Benjamin Washburne House", (PDF), National Register of Historic Places Inventory - Nomination Form, Illinois Historic Preservation Agency, pp. 1–5, accessed April 29, 2008.
  3. ↑ "Washburne House", Illinois Historic Preservation Agency, Historic Sites, accessed April 29, 2008.
  4. ↑ Miller, Terry. "Galena State Historic Sites, official site, accessed April 29, 2008.
  5. ↑ "Washburne-Sheehan House", (PDF), Illinois Historic Sites Survey Inventory, Illinois Historic Preservation Agency, pp. 5–8, accessed April 29, 2008.
  6. ↑ Kriviskey, Bruce M. "Historic District of the City of Galena, Illinois", (PDF), National Register of Historic Places Inventory - Nomination Form, April 11, 1969, Illinois Historic Preservation Agency, accessed April 27, 2008.

External links

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