Architecture

Take a walk outside and discover the architectural treasures around Franklin Park! This tour was put together by the Franklin Square Association in 1979 and includes an update from Greg Koos from 1988. 

This tour describes Lexington as it was July 1, 1979. The tour was developed under the auspices of the McLean County Arts Council and written by staff writer Deborah Corra in cooperation with Greg Koos of the McLean County Historical Society. 

The buildings profiled in this book offer a cross section of the architecture that was practiced in Bloomington during most of its first 100 years. Many of these structures have varied histories, while others have served basically the same purpose -- under a string of different owners -- since the day they were built. The structures, which are listed on the National Register of Historic Places, range from the 1840s to the 1940s and evoke the dominant styles of those times. In some cases, buildings changed appearance to keep up with the times. 

This account of the Old McLean County Courthouse will relate how this symbolic center of our community was imagined and built. It includes a history of the courthouse square and the buildings that preceded the Old Courthouse, architectural features of the interior and exterior, materials used, and technologies that keep the building warm, illuminated, and clocks on time.

"In publishing "Up-to-Date Homes" it was my intention to show a number of plans and views of buildings which are inexpensive in construction, and suit the majority of people who are desirous of making their home a convenient, artistic, and comfortable dwelling. Should you find any plan in this book that pleases you, and is somewhere near what you would like, kindly write me, and I shall be pleased to furnished you a complete set of drawings and specifications at a reasonable charge."