Livingston Building, Courthouse Square, Bloomington, Illinois
A view of the Livingston Building on the southwest corner of W. Washington and N. Main streets in downtown Bloomington. The Livingston Building is a contributing architectural property in the Bloomington Central Business District listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) in 1985. The district includes roughly twelve square blocks of the city and encompasses 140 buildings, 118 of which are contributing buildings to the district's historic character.
The 1903 six-story Livingston Building is considered the first "skyscraper" to be built in Bloomington. Built at a cost of $36,000, it is the first steel frame construction building in Illinois outside of Chicago. Designed by Bloomington architect George Miller, the Livingston building is an example of Chicago School architectural style. The design incorporates many elements which would later be connected to what is now called the Sullivanesque Style, after Louis Sullivan.
The building is decorated on both its north and east side with pressed metal oriels. The lower base of the Livingston also makes use of columns, and the top is ornamented by a detailed cornice. The Livingston Building's oriels are arranged in a curtain wall where they are located on the building. Above the first story the windows are flanked by pressed metal spandrels and the third through sixth floors are clad in red brick. One of the oriels faces Washington Street and two face Main Street. The windows are supported by terra cotta brackets and the upper spandrels are ornamented with terra cotta paneling.
The Livingston building was home to the Livingston and Sons department store for its first eleven years, until the store was relocated just down the block to 110-114 W. Washington in 1914. Walgreen Drug Store and numerous legal and insurance business occupied the buildings between 1927 and 1969. Outside of the businesses which have called the Livingston home, the building was also well known for its roof garden in the early 1900s - a site for many dances and other musical performances.
Bloomington is the seat of McLean County. It is adjacent to Normal, and is the more populous of the two principal municipalities of the Bloomington-Normal metropolitan area. Bloomington is 135 miles (217 km) southwest of Chicago, and 162 miles (261 km) northeast of St. Louis. The estimated population of Bloomington in 2019 was 77,330, with a metro population of 191,067.
Livingston Building, Courthouse Square, Bloomington, Illinois
A view of the Livingston Building on the southwest corner of W. Washington and N. Main streets in downtown Bloomington. The Livingston Building is a contributing architectural property in the Bloomington Central Business District listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) in 1985. The district includes roughly twelve square blocks of the city and encompasses 140 buildings, 118 of which are contributing buildings to the district's historic character.
The 1903 six-story Livingston Building is considered the first "skyscraper" to be built in Bloomington. Built at a cost of $36,000, it is the first steel frame construction building in Illinois outside of Chicago. Designed by Bloomington architect George Miller, the Livingston building is an example of Chicago School architectural style. The design incorporates many elements which would later be connected to what is now called the Sullivanesque Style, after Louis Sullivan.
The building is decorated on both its north and east side with pressed metal oriels. The lower base of the Livingston also makes use of columns, and the top is ornamented by a detailed cornice. The Livingston Building's oriels are arranged in a curtain wall where they are located on the building. Above the first story the windows are flanked by pressed metal spandrels and the third through sixth floors are clad in red brick. One of the oriels faces Washington Street and two face Main Street. The windows are supported by terra cotta brackets and the upper spandrels are ornamented with terra cotta paneling.
The Livingston building was home to the Livingston and Sons department store for its first eleven years, until the store was relocated just down the block to 110-114 W. Washington in 1914. Walgreen Drug Store and numerous legal and insurance business occupied the buildings between 1927 and 1969. Outside of the businesses which have called the Livingston home, the building was also well known for its roof garden in the early 1900s - a site for many dances and other musical performances.
Bloomington is the seat of McLean County. It is adjacent to Normal, and is the more populous of the two principal municipalities of the Bloomington-Normal metropolitan area. Bloomington is 135 miles (217 km) southwest of Chicago, and 162 miles (261 km) northeast of St. Louis. The estimated population of Bloomington in 2019 was 77,330, with a metro population of 191,067.