St. Charles Municipal Building
Encyclopedia
The St. Charles Municipal Building is a Registered Historic Place
located on the east bank of the Fox River
in St. Charles, Illinois.
, best known for designing the art deco
Pickwick Theater in Park Ridge
. Art deco was an inspiration for the St. Charles building, but the end result conformed more closely to the Art Moderne movement. The building was constructed on the former site of the Fixture Factory, which was destroyed in a 1929 fire. Col. Edward J. Baker
and Mr. and Mrs. Lester J. Norris were the primary donors for the building; Baker and Mrs. Norris were the heirs of the John W. Gates barbed wire
and oil fortune. Baker and the Norris' also funded the Arcada Theater and Hotel Baker
. Baker was very interested in local history, and was adamant that the building have a wing dedicated to industrial history. The St. Charles Municipal Building was the first permanent building to exclusively use Fluorescent tube lighting, thanks to the efforts of R. A. Warren, the head of St. Charles Technical Laboratories. The building was dedicated on September 2, 1940. The original floor plan divided the structure into several city functions. The main entrance led toa general office, with a waiting room for a bus stop and the city clerk's office on the south end. The west end featured cashier's offices, and a lobby leading to the rotunda. North of the main office area was an office for the superintendent of public works and a police office. The rotunda led to the industrial museum. A staircase accessed just east of the tower led to the second floor, which was mainly the city council chamber. A storage room was also built into the south send, and the mayor and city committee had offices on the north end. The St. Charles Municipal Building was recognized by the U. S. Department of the Interior as a Historic Place
on February 21, 1991. In 1998, a mural was painted on the side depicting the history of St. Charles.
on the north side of Illinois Route 64
. The exterior is carved from white marble from Georgia. The centerpiece of the building is an 84 feet (25.6 m) tower. To support the structure, a limestone wall was built along the banks of the Fox River; the terrace on top of this structure features two fountains and a railing along the edge. The museum wing of the building (44 by 58 ft (13.4 by 17.7 )) is on the north with a 16 feet (4.9 m) high ceiling. The rest of the structure (66 by 96 ft (20.1 by 29.3 )) is two stories, with a 10 feet (3 m) ceiling on the first floor and a varying height ceiling on the second. The tower is a true octagon with a diameter of 31 feet (9.4 m). Stained glass windows feature on all sides of the rotunda, which is surrounded by an 8 feet (2.4 m) canopy on the west that extends to the south side of the building. The interior has been maintained since its original floor plan.
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
located on the east bank of the Fox River
Fox River (Illinois River tributary)
The Fox River is a tributary of the Illinois River in the states of Wisconsin and Illinois in the United States. There are two other "Fox Rivers" in southern Illinois: the Fox River and a smaller "Fox River" that joins the Wabash River near New Harmony, Indiana.-Wisconsin:The Fox River rises near...
in St. Charles, Illinois.
History
The St. Charles Municipal Building was designed in 1940 by noted local architect R. Harold ZookR. Harold Zook
Roscoe Harold Zook was born in Valparaiso, Indiana in 1889. He received a degree in architecture from the Armour Institute of Technology in 1914. In 1916 Zook married his first wife, Mildred. They divorced in the late 1930s. They had one son, Harold B...
, best known for designing the art deco
Art Deco
Art deco , or deco, is an eclectic artistic and design style that began in Paris in the 1920s and flourished internationally throughout the 1930s, into the World War II era. The style influenced all areas of design, including architecture and interior design, industrial design, fashion and...
Pickwick Theater in Park Ridge
Park Ridge, Illinois
-Climate:-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 37,775 people, 14,219 households, and 10,465 families residing in the city. The population density was 5,374.6 people per square mile . There were 14,646 housing units at an average density of 2,083.8 per square mile...
. Art deco was an inspiration for the St. Charles building, but the end result conformed more closely to the Art Moderne movement. The building was constructed on the former site of the Fixture Factory, which was destroyed in a 1929 fire. Col. Edward J. Baker
Edward J. Baker
Colonel Edward John Baker was an American philanthropist from St. Charles, Illinois, most known for building the St. Charles landmark, the Hotel Baker.- Early life :Col. Baker was born in St. Charles on a farm east of town to parents Edward and Martha Baker....
and Mr. and Mrs. Lester J. Norris were the primary donors for the building; Baker and Mrs. Norris were the heirs of the John W. Gates barbed wire
Barbed wire
Barbed wire, also known as barb wire , is a type of fencing wire constructed with sharp edges or points arranged at intervals along the strand. It is used to construct inexpensive fences and is used atop walls surrounding secured property...
and oil fortune. Baker and the Norris' also funded the Arcada Theater and Hotel Baker
Hotel Baker
Hotel Baker is a historic landmark in St. Charles, Illinois. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and has been in and out of the hotel business since 1928....
. Baker was very interested in local history, and was adamant that the building have a wing dedicated to industrial history. The St. Charles Municipal Building was the first permanent building to exclusively use Fluorescent tube lighting, thanks to the efforts of R. A. Warren, the head of St. Charles Technical Laboratories. The building was dedicated on September 2, 1940. The original floor plan divided the structure into several city functions. The main entrance led toa general office, with a waiting room for a bus stop and the city clerk's office on the south end. The west end featured cashier's offices, and a lobby leading to the rotunda. North of the main office area was an office for the superintendent of public works and a police office. The rotunda led to the industrial museum. A staircase accessed just east of the tower led to the second floor, which was mainly the city council chamber. A storage room was also built into the south send, and the mayor and city committee had offices on the north end. The St. Charles Municipal Building was recognized by the U. S. Department of the Interior as a Historic Place
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
on February 21, 1991. In 1998, a mural was painted on the side depicting the history of St. Charles.
Architecture
The St. Charles Municipal Building was built on the east bank of the Fox RiverFox River (Illinois River tributary)
The Fox River is a tributary of the Illinois River in the states of Wisconsin and Illinois in the United States. There are two other "Fox Rivers" in southern Illinois: the Fox River and a smaller "Fox River" that joins the Wabash River near New Harmony, Indiana.-Wisconsin:The Fox River rises near...
on the north side of Illinois Route 64
Illinois Route 64
Illinois Route 64 is an east–west road in north-central Illinois. Its western terminus is at the Iowa state line, connecting with U.S. Route 52 and Iowa Highway 64 via the Savanna-Sabula Bridge at the Mississippi River west of Savanna...
. The exterior is carved from white marble from Georgia. The centerpiece of the building is an 84 feet (25.6 m) tower. To support the structure, a limestone wall was built along the banks of the Fox River; the terrace on top of this structure features two fountains and a railing along the edge. The museum wing of the building (44 by 58 ft (13.4 by 17.7 )) is on the north with a 16 feet (4.9 m) high ceiling. The rest of the structure (66 by 96 ft (20.1 by 29.3 )) is two stories, with a 10 feet (3 m) ceiling on the first floor and a varying height ceiling on the second. The tower is a true octagon with a diameter of 31 feet (9.4 m). Stained glass windows feature on all sides of the rotunda, which is surrounded by an 8 feet (2.4 m) canopy on the west that extends to the south side of the building. The interior has been maintained since its original floor plan.