The Alton Chapter House is a historic building located at 509 Beacon St. in Alton, Illinois. The building was constructed between 1909 and 1910 as a meetinghouse for Alton's chapter of the American Woman's League. The American Woman's League was a political and social organization founded by magazine publisher Edward Gardner Lewis in 1908. The organization was created to promote feminist causes, particularly the women's suffrage movement; Lewis also intended for the organization to promote and sell his women's magazines. Lewis commissioned the St. Louis architectural firm of Helfensteller, Hirsch & Watson to design five classes of buildings which the League would use as meetinghouses. The Alton Chapter House is an example of a Class II building, which was designed for clubs with 60 to 100 members. The building was designed in the Prairie School style and cost $2,500. After the club disbanded, the building was converted to a private home.[2]
Alton Chapter House | |
 Streetside view | |
   | |
| Location | 509 Beacon St., Alton, Illinois |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 38°53′43″N 90°11′24″W / 38.89528°N 90.19000°W |
| Area | 1.1 acres (0.45 ha) |
| Architect | Helfensteller, Hirsch and Watson |
| Architectural style | Prairie School |
| MPS | American Woman's League Chapter Houses TR |
| NRHP reference No. | 80001388[1] |
| Added to NRHP | November 28, 1980 |
The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places on November 28, 1980.[1] It is one of nine American Woman's League chapter houses on the National Register in Illinois.
References
edit- ^ a b "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
- ^ Meyer, Pauline (July 12, 1980). "American Woman's League Chapter Houses in Illinois Thematic Resource". Heritage Conservation and Recreation Service. Retrieved February 5, 2014.