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Historic Homes of Paxton Walking Tour
A
self guided walking tour
(full printed brochure available at PRIDE office, visitors info
center and various stores. Brochures funded by
Farmers-Merchants Bank in Paxton). These are just a few
of the beautiful Victorian homes that grace the older
neighborhoods of Paxton.
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440 E Pells - Middlecoff
This magnificent Queen Anne styled home was
constructed in 1891 for J.P. Middlecoff and his
wife Mary. Queen Anne became an
architectural fashion in the 1880's and 1890's
when the industrial revolution was building up
steam. Wealthy industrialists pulled out
all stops as they built lavish "castles" using
Queen Anne style. Middlecoff was a
prominent entrepreneur and mayor of Paxton.
This house displays an extensive inventory of
Queen Anne details including wrap-around porch,
turret and elaborate detailing. The slate
roof and wrought iron fence are original to the
home. The house showcases 17 stained glass
windows and a very rare Eastlake staircase.
The Middlecoff Mansion was the prestigious
Landmark Preservation Award in 2005.
450 E CENTER - Norderling
(Photo by Diane
Johnson)
Contractor Henry Pearson built this Georgian
Revival in the early 1900s. This unique
home was built for Linda Norderling.
Georgian Revival is sometimes referred to as
Colonial Revival. The overall features of
Georgian Revival may be described as symmetrical
composition enriched with classical detail.
identifying features include: windows
aligned horizontally and vertically in
symmetrical rows; the entry door is the
principal ornamental features; the floor plan is
approximately square shaped. A seamstress
by trade, Norderling ran her business out of her
home. The Swedish spinster lived alone.
This home is embellished with fluted columns on
the sides of the house that mimic the columns on
the front porch. It also has a porch
topped with a balustrade balcony.
348 S MARKET -
Bengston
(Photo by Diane Johnson)
This Arts and Crafts home is a Sears Kit House
and
was built in 1910. It
is the "Palymyra" design from the Sears Roebuck
catalog. In 1910 it would have cost from
$2,000-$3,000 to build.
The large home features a
wrap-around porch and balcony. Though a
"kit" home, its interior is the equal of many
custom-built homes of the early 1900s.
Interior touches include oak floors, wood trim,
a fireplace, stained and leaded glass, and a
foyer with columns and arches. A
southern-facing bay window is in the dining
room. This
home is currently for sale.
138 W ORLEANS - Kelso
(Photo by Diane Johnson)
This three-story Italianate with Greek Revival
influence was built in 1871 by Dr. H. A. Kelso.
it is made of double-walled brick sitting on a
flag-stone foundation that is 18 inches wide and
48 inches deep. The exterior features a
first floor with garden-basement design, dentil
moldings under the over hanging eaves of the
hipped roof and porch cornices. The
windows are trimmed with rounded arches and
there is a columned veranda over the porch.
211 W ORLEANS - Blackstock
(Photo by Diane Johnson)
This Italianate Renaissance home was built in
the 1870s. The house traces back to the
Robert Blackstock family. A liberal
contributor, Blackstock was a major organizer in
building the Methodist Church in Paxton.
Italianate influenced homes, like the Larson
house, appeared in the Midwest between 1850 and
1880 and can be quite ornate despite their
square shape. Features include solid brick
exterior, ornamental brackets under the eaves
and shutters that can completely close over the
windows. The Larson house has a
Mediterranean influence, which makes it an
Italianate Renaissance styled home rather than a
traditional Italianate home.
254 W ORLEANS
(Photo by Diane Johnson)
This 1908 two story frame home originally served
as the manse for the Paxton Congregational
Church.
242 W CENTER
(Photo by Diane Johnson)
It is thought that this Queen Anne Victorian
home was built in 1895.
Architectural features include a turret, gabled
roof, dentil trim, wrap-around porch, pillars
and porte-cochere. The carriage house in
the back of the home has been restored.
Beveled and leaded glass double entry doors are
original. The front staircase features a
stained glass window. Original woodwork and hardwood floors maintain
their luster.
Winner of
2007 Preservation and Conservation Association "
Residential Heritage Award."
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Copyright 2007. Diane Johnson, webmaster
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301 W CENTER 
(Photo by Diane Johnson)
This brick Tudor influenced house was
built in 1927 on an old foundation. That house was one of the
Middlecoff mansions. The wrought iron fencing surrounding the lot
and the fountain in the back yard date to the original house. The
house has forty doors and forty windows.
327 W CENTER -Coddington
(Photo by Diane Johnson)
This Queen Anne cottage styled home was
built in 1892 for the Coddington family. It has unique shingles.
Outside there is a distinctive porte-cochere and front porch. A
matching carriage house is further back on the property. Six
original leaded stained glass windows and the original gingerbread and
detail trim remain. The interior has several marble lavatories and
brass door hardware throughout.
359 W CENTER -
N. B. Day
(Photo by Diane Johnson)
Built in 1888 for the Nicholas B. Day
family, this is perhaps the only Second Empire home left in Ford County.
Second Empire homes create a sense of looming height inspired by
Napoleon III. The tall central pavilion topped with a Mansard roof
and large bay windows on the east and west sides represent the strong
Second Empire influence. The home also has Italianate features
with arched lintels and decorative corbels under the eaves. This
home has an original mahogany staircase, English basement, leaded
glass transom windows and historic reproductions of Victorian wallpaper. The Day home
was part of Paxton's prestigious silk stocking row.2009
Winner of Preservation and Conservation Association "Residential
Heritage Award."
149 S MAPLE - Wright
(Photo by Diane Johnson)
This Italianate home was built in 1873
for banker George Wright, who lived there until 1898. The large
decorative corbels under the eaves are original. In 2005 the front
entry pillars, small corbels and porch ornamentation were reproduced
from original patterns. Most Italianate homes feature wood or flush
over-window lintels, but this home has raised hooded lintels of
sandstone. A fierce storm blew away the widow's walk on the roof
which included a glass and wood enclosure. The front
porch double doors are original as are two sets of interior doors with
German etched glass panels. 2009 Winner of
Preservation and Conservation Association "Residential Heritage Award."
357 W PELLS - Williams
(Photo by Diane Johnson)
Built in the 1880s this home is locally
referred to as the house of many gables or "the Riverboat." One of
Paxton's most eccentric in architectural style, this home has fourteen
dormered windows that enliven the roofline. However, the most
unique feature of this home is found on the front second story. A
partial-octagon room appears over the front porch. This unusual
architectural feature creates a bay window area in the front of the
house. In the 1990s an addition and garage were added to this
home. This unusual home is a Paxton attraction.
442 W CENTER - Pollack
(Photo by Diane Johnson)
This Arts and Crafts style home was built
in 1910 and is one of four of the same pattern homes found in Paxton.
The other three are at 443 W State, 318 E Pells, and 940 E Summer.
The styles and techniques used to build them are similar to the better
known Sears catalog houses. Attic dormers on the east and west
sides feature three small windows. The front attic roof has a bow
windowed extension under a shingled witch's hat turret. The
pitched front porch roof has six columns with a triangular center
pediment. To the west of the front door is another set of bowed
windows. The eight room home includes a spacious foyer leading to
a second floor windowed sitting area.
458 W CENTER -
Peterson
(Photo by Diane Johnson)
This Dutch Colonial home has a broad
gambrel roof with flaring eaves creating a barn-like effect. The
style enjoyed a revival during the first three decades of the 20th
century as the country looked back with nostalgia to its colonial past.
In 1902 this home was built for a Mr. Peterson. This Dutch
Colonial home has a fantastic second floor balcony facing Center Street.
139 S ELM
- R. A. McCracken
(Photo by Diane Johnson)
The home was built for R. A. McCracken in
1897. Family ownership was maintained until 1986. The interior features carved
woodwork and inlaid floors, R. A. McCracken wrote a book about the
house entitled "Hidalgo and Home Life at Westlawn." Hidalgo was a pony.
A fire in 1910 burned off the roof but the home was rebuilt. In
1919 the house was used as an influenza sanatorium. The home was later
divided into two apartments and in the late 1980's was converted to a
bed and breakfast called "West Lawn Manor." In recent years it has been
used as a single family home again.
Winner of 2007 Preservation and Conservation
Association " Residential Heritage Award."
511 W PELLS -
Croft
(Photo by Diane Johnson)
Listed on
National Register of Historic Homes. Charles Howard Yoemans
built this Queen Anne Victorian house in 1897 for Abraham Croft.
He owned it for a year and a half but never lived in it. Distinctive Victorian features include
the cupola, stained glass windows, and hand-carved ornate woodwork. This
home is currently for sale.
Copyright 2006. Diane Johnson,Webmaster |
PAXTON, IL