Charles H. Burr Building, Bloomington, Illinois
A view of the Charles H. Burr Building on the southeast corner of W. Monroe (left) and N. Center St. (right) in downtown Bloomington. Charles Burr was a money manager, and this three story building had built for his offices was designed by Bloomington architect Arthur L. Pillsbury (1869-1925).
This photo also provides views of the south side of the 100 block of W. Monroe St. The only other building on the south side of this block is the Lyman Graham Building whose main address is on N. Main St. The Graham Building, now with large painted murals on its side, was featured earlier in this series.
To the right of the Burr Building on N. Center St. is a Victorian-styled building which is currently occupied by Specs Around, an eyeglass business. The second floor looks like it could be in use as an apartment. What's interesting is that while this building is physically detached from the Burr Building, its historic name is the same. Mr. Burr must have acquired this building at some point, but beyond that I have no additional information.
What is known is that the three buildings mentioned were all completed in 1901, and the designer of both the Charles H. Burr Building and Lyman Graham Building was Bloomington architect Arthur L. Pillsbury (1869-1925).
Pillsbury was one of the first licensed architects in the State of Illinois. During his career he designed and renovated approximately 435 homes, 104 schools, 73 businesses, 32 churches, 17 banks, 16 garages and partook in other architectural projects. Pillsbury designed some of Bloomington's most recognized commercial buildings and residences including the Braley-Field Building, Fervert Building, Lyman Graham Building, People's Bank Building, Schroeder Building, and lead the Art-Deco transformation of the Ensenberger Building.
Today the Charles H. Burr Building is a professional office building, with the legal offices occupying the space. All three buildings discussed here are contributing properties to 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.
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.
Charles H. Burr Building, Bloomington, Illinois
A view of the Charles H. Burr Building on the southeast corner of W. Monroe (left) and N. Center St. (right) in downtown Bloomington. Charles Burr was a money manager, and this three story building had built for his offices was designed by Bloomington architect Arthur L. Pillsbury (1869-1925).
This photo also provides views of the south side of the 100 block of W. Monroe St. The only other building on the south side of this block is the Lyman Graham Building whose main address is on N. Main St. The Graham Building, now with large painted murals on its side, was featured earlier in this series.
To the right of the Burr Building on N. Center St. is a Victorian-styled building which is currently occupied by Specs Around, an eyeglass business. The second floor looks like it could be in use as an apartment. What's interesting is that while this building is physically detached from the Burr Building, its historic name is the same. Mr. Burr must have acquired this building at some point, but beyond that I have no additional information.
What is known is that the three buildings mentioned were all completed in 1901, and the designer of both the Charles H. Burr Building and Lyman Graham Building was Bloomington architect Arthur L. Pillsbury (1869-1925).
Pillsbury was one of the first licensed architects in the State of Illinois. During his career he designed and renovated approximately 435 homes, 104 schools, 73 businesses, 32 churches, 17 banks, 16 garages and partook in other architectural projects. Pillsbury designed some of Bloomington's most recognized commercial buildings and residences including the Braley-Field Building, Fervert Building, Lyman Graham Building, People's Bank Building, Schroeder Building, and lead the Art-Deco transformation of the Ensenberger Building.
Today the Charles H. Burr Building is a professional office building, with the legal offices occupying the space. All three buildings discussed here are contributing properties to 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.
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.