Alton Chapter House

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
Location509 Beacon St., Alton, Illinois
Coordinates38°53′43″N 90°11′24″W
Area1.1 acres (0.45 ha)
ArchitectHelfensteller, Hirsch and Watson
Architectural stylePrairie School
MPSAmerican Woman's League Chapter Houses TR
NRHP reference No.80001388[1]
Added to NRHPNovember 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


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