National Register of Historic Places

Swannell, Charles E., House

Kankakee, Kankakee County, Illinois
Listed
June 2, 1982
Type
Building
Period
Industrial
Ref No.
82002551

About this property

The Charles E. Swannell House is a Prairie School house in Kankakee, Illinois, United States. Designed by Tallmadge & Watson in the Prairie School style, it originally belonged to a local merchant. Charles Edward Swannell was born in Momence, Illinois in 1856. He attended Lake Forest Academy and the Jacksonville Business College. His father Frederick founded a dry goods store, which Charles joined in 1871; five years later, he was named a partner. His brother Arthur joined the firm in 1882, when he purchased his father's interest in the store. The company, C. E. & A. Swannell, owned and operated the Swannell Building at the corner of Court Street and Shuyler Avenue in Kankakee. The building had a dry goods store, public market, blacksmith, and offices. The house was designed by Prairie School architectural firm Tallmadge & Watson. It is the only building by the architects in Kankakee. The firm designed the house in 1911; three years later it was featured in a publication entitled Fireproof Houses of NATCO Hollow Tile. On June 3, 1982, the house was recognized by the National Park Service with a listing on the National Register of Historic Places. On August 22, 1986, it was also listed as a contributing property to the Riverview Historic District. The Charles E. Swannell House is on a 100-by-135-foot (30 m × 41 m) lot on the Kankakee River in Kankakee. The main facade faces east toward South Chicago Avenue. Built on a concrete foundation, the two-story house has an attic and a massive hipped roof. A dormer window from the attic faces west. The roof has cedar shingles with metal ridges. Like many Tallmadge & Watson houses, the exterior walls are gently sloped inward as they rise. The walls are built with 10-inch (250 mm) NATCO hollow clay tiles covered in cream-colored stucco. These walls are decorated with brick for the water table and a stringcourse under the rood. The house is divided into three bays; the northern bay of the main facade features a rectangular open porch.

Location

901 S. Chicago
Kankakee, Kankakee County, Illinois
41.11010, -87.86065

Categories

ARCHITECTURE
National Register nomination ›
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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Nearby Historic Sites

Hunter-Hattenburg House
Civil War
0.1 mi
Riverview Historic District
Listed
0.1 mi
Hickox, Warren, House
Industrial
0.2 mi
Bradley, B. Harley, House and Stable
Industrial
0.2 mi
Illinois Central Railroad Depot
Industrial
0.3 mi

Questions about this property

When was Swannell, Charles E., House listed on the National Register?

Swannell, Charles E., House was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on June 2, 1982.

What type of historic resource is Swannell, Charles E., House?

Swannell, Charles E., House is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Swannell, Charles E., House?

The period of significance for Swannell, Charles E., House is recorded as the industrial era.

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