Stolp Woolen Mill Store
Encyclopedia
The Stolp Woolen Mill Store was built in 1860. It is located on Stolp Island
in Aurora, Illinois
. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
in 1983. It is also a contributing building in the Stolp Island Historic District.
and operated a wool carding business. Stolp had previously worked in wool manufacturing in Marcellus, New York
. His first office was built in 1837 in a small frame building on Stolp Island
. He bought a brick mill in 1849 and continued to grow the business. By the 1860s, he needed a new place to sell his goods outside of the mill. The growth of the railroad industry dramatically increased competition against Stolp's business, and he had to shut down the mill in 1887. The mill store was rented to C. C. Hinckley & Co., a local producer of watchmaking tools, and J. D. Rice & Sons, a painting and decoration company. In 1889, Stolp improved the building by rehabilitating the interior and adding an extension on the east. The mill store is the oldest building still standing on Stolp Island today. The building was recognized as a Historic Place
by the National Park Service
on September 1, 1983 and was listed as part of the Stolp Island Historic District when it was created three years later.
projects from the second floor with a flat window on either side. The bay window has a shallow cornice
above the windows, with an ornamented pediment
above the central window. A palmette
design adorns the top of the gable at the apex. The first floor on the north side was updated to a modern glass storefront. piers
can be found on either side of the facade, detailed at the time with limestone fluting
. The only other exposed elevation is the eastern facade. The northernmost window remains from the 1889 addition with a limestone lintel.
Stolp Island
Stolp Island is a small island in the Fox River in Aurora, Illinois. In 1986 the island and its 41 buildings were added to the National Register of Historic Places as the Stolp Island Historic District. It covers of land area.-History:...
in Aurora, Illinois
Aurora, Illinois
Aurora is the second most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois, and the 112th largest city in the United States. A suburb of Chicago, located west of the Loop, its population in 2010 was 197,899. Originally founded within Kane County, Aurora's city limits have expanded greatly over the past...
. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
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...
in 1983. It is also a contributing building in the Stolp Island Historic District.
History
Joseph G. Stolp built the Stolp Woolen Mill Store in 1861. Stolp was one of the first settlers of Aurora, IllinoisAurora, Illinois
Aurora is the second most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois, and the 112th largest city in the United States. A suburb of Chicago, located west of the Loop, its population in 2010 was 197,899. Originally founded within Kane County, Aurora's city limits have expanded greatly over the past...
and operated a wool carding business. Stolp had previously worked in wool manufacturing in Marcellus, New York
Marcellus, New York
Marcellus, New York may refer to:*Marcellus , New York in Onondaga County*Marcellus , New York, located within the Town of Marcellus...
. His first office was built in 1837 in a small frame building on Stolp Island
Stolp Island
Stolp Island is a small island in the Fox River in Aurora, Illinois. In 1986 the island and its 41 buildings were added to the National Register of Historic Places as the Stolp Island Historic District. It covers of land area.-History:...
. He bought a brick mill in 1849 and continued to grow the business. By the 1860s, he needed a new place to sell his goods outside of the mill. The growth of the railroad industry dramatically increased competition against Stolp's business, and he had to shut down the mill in 1887. The mill store was rented to C. C. Hinckley & Co., a local producer of watchmaking tools, and J. D. Rice & Sons, a painting and decoration company. In 1889, Stolp improved the building by rehabilitating the interior and adding an extension on the east. The mill store is the oldest building still standing on Stolp Island today. The building was recognized 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...
by the National Park Service
National Park Service
The National Park Service is the U.S. federal agency that manages all national parks, many national monuments, and other conservation and historical properties with various title designations...
on September 1, 1983 and was listed as part of the Stolp Island Historic District when it was created three years later.
Architecture
The mill store building is 80 by 25 ft (24.4 by 7.6 ) on the southwest corner of Downer Place and Stolp Avenue. The main entrance on the north was built during Stolp's 1889 renovation. Since then, the facade has been updated with modern wood and glass, but the design has not changed. An oriel windowOriel window
Oriel windows are a form of bay window commonly found in Gothic architecture, which project from the main wall of the building but do not reach to the ground. Corbels or brackets are often used to support this kind of window. They are seen in combination with the Tudor arch. This type of window was...
projects from the second floor with a flat window on either side. The bay window has a shallow cornice
Cornice
Cornice molding is generally any horizontal decorative molding that crowns any building or furniture element: the cornice over a door or window, for instance, or the cornice around the edge of a pedestal. A simple cornice may be formed just with a crown molding.The function of the projecting...
above the windows, with an ornamented pediment
Pediment
A pediment is a classical architectural element consisting of the triangular section found above the horizontal structure , typically supported by columns. The gable end of the pediment is surrounded by the cornice moulding...
above the central window. A palmette
Palmette
The palmette is a motif in decorative art which, in its most characteristic expression, resembles the fan-shaped leaves of a palm tree. It has an extremely long history, originating in Ancient Egypt with a subsequent development through the art of most of Eurasia, often in forms that bear...
design adorns the top of the gable at the apex. The first floor on the north side was updated to a modern glass storefront. piers
Pier (architecture)
In architecture, a pier is an upright support for a superstructure, such as an arch or bridge. Sections of wall between openings function as piers. The simplest cross section of the pier is square, or rectangular, although other shapes are also common, such as the richly articulated piers of Donato...
can be found on either side of the facade, detailed at the time with limestone fluting
Fluting (architecture)
Fluting in architecture refers to the shallow grooves running vertically along a surface.It typically refers to the grooves running on a column shaft or a pilaster, but need not necessarily be restricted to those two applications...
. The only other exposed elevation is the eastern facade. The northernmost window remains from the 1889 addition with a limestone lintel.