June 2025.
Aside from Sycamore’s courthouse and library, I wandered downtown a bit and documented some historic architecture there. It was rather small and a lot of the buildings were heavily altered, so I was able to condense everything into one article this time. I’ll document it as I explored it--from Sacramento Street eastward and back again.
Universalist Church/Memorial Community Center
It took a little digging to find what I was looking for about this one. I was certain that it was built as a church, given the Gothic Revival design. Only when I looked up the previous tenant, the Midwest Museum of Natural History, did I find its full history.
Historic photo of the church as it was built. (Sycamore Memories on Facebook)
This building was designed as the home of the Universalist Church in Sycamore. It was built in 1875 and probably served this purpose until the 1920s, when it was converted into Sycamore’s Memorial Community Center. Given that the tablet with this name is present on the front addition (though recently painted), the church’s alterations and Tudor addition probably date to that time period. The nave was used by basketball courts and a swimming pool.
If you look closely, you can see both the “Memorial Community Center” (over the doorway) and “Midwest Museum of Natural History” signs (below the saloon sign above the windows).
In 2004, the building was renovated once again to convert it to a museum, known as the Midwest Museum of Natural History. It seemed to have housed various live animals and dioramas of taxidermied ones. The museum quickly began to struggle, posting negative income from 2012 onward. COVID was the final blow, as it closed in 2020. The building sat vacant for a few years, and it is currently a country bar and dance hall.
355 West State Street
I also discovered that the NRHP write-up for the Sycamore Historic District is basically useless, as it is both almost completely illegible and covers only a handful of properties in detail, many of which are houses that I did not see. (I like using those as a source because they typically are written by architects and historians, cite sources that I otherwise cannot access, and go into exhaustive detail. I also try to search places by address or present/historic name, but that usually doesn’t bring up very much online.) That means entering conjecture-land, which I don’t like to do if I can avoid it.
Based on this building’s wide floor plan, I assume it was built as either a hotel or apartment building. The Beaux-Arts decor indicates a c. 1900s construction date. It is presently an apartment building known as Fargo on State/Fargo Residential Suites.
337-343 West State Street
These are two simple Commercial style designs, probably dating to 1900-1920. The western building has a peaked parapet and intact bulkheads above the storefront. The eastern structure has been altered, seen in the windows and the metal canopy over the entrance.
321 West State Street
This 1880s-1900 Queen Anne is pretty intact, but it has a lot of landlord-special coats of paint on its facade. The original brick and limestone sill have been painted beige. Next door is this nifty 1970s/early 80s sign for the Moose lodge:
245-303 West State Street
A grand Italianate building built c. 1874 that spans four storefronts, this building is one of the most ornate in Sycamore’s downtown. The storefronts have all been altered at various times, the westernmost most recently between 2007 and 2009. However, the bracketed cornice and elaborate hood molds above are intact.
Old Sycamore Hospital/Westgate Building
It was tough to determine the age of this structure, since it has a new roof, dormers, and windows. However, the gable with “SYCAMORE HOSPITAL” engraved and the porch caught my eye. It turns out that it was built between 1899 and 1900 by Dr. Letitia Westgate, the county’s first female doctor. If Dr. Westgate truly designed this building, she did a pretty good job of an eclectic composition, as it has Chateauesque, Richardsonian Romanesque, and Beaux-Arts features. It was apparently very homey inside, including typical bedroom features like rocking chairs and dressers.
This building was considered to be the new home of the Sycamore Public Library in the early 1900s, but it ultimately received its own structure after Andrew Carnegie donated money to the city. Dr. Westgate was sued for malpractice and closed her practice in 1907, but in 1917 the Elks Lodge began their “lengthy” occupation of the building. The Moose Club also used space inside for a time. The hospital is now known as the “Westgate Building” and has been used as offices since the 1990s.
St. Peter’s Episcopal Church
My autofocus decided not to work here…sorry! This is the only photo I have.
St. Peter’s Episcopal was built in 1878 and funded by a sole donor, James Waterman. Built of Batavia limestone, the Gothic Revival church was designed by Chicago architect George Garnsey and intended to imitate the “private chapels of English nobility.” It was consecrated on January 31, 1879 and retains many of its original features, such as the pews and stained-glass windows. A diagonal tower is a common feature of Garnsey’s churches, as is a small, short nave with a taller tower.
Old Congregational Church
Historic photo of the building. (Shaw Local)
Sycamore’s chapter of the Congregational church began in 1840, meeting in the log courthouse or members’ homes. Their first church, which was built from 1846 to 1849, was located at the corner of Main Street and Exchange Street, and the lot was donated by early settler Capt. Eli Barnes. By the 1880s, the congregation had grown in size, and a larger church was required. The current site was acquired before 1884.
The Congregationalists were taken by the design of nearby St. Peter’s and traveled to Chicago to commission the same architect, George Garnsey. The site allowed him to build his signature angled tower. Other features such as the rose window, gables, and materiality are very similar to Garnsey’s other religious work. An addition to the rear of the building was completed between 1894 and 1899, which employed identical stylistic features and materiality.
Comparing the historic and modern photos, one might notice that the decorative dormers on the spire have gone missing. These were not removed when they went out of fashion, rather, they were too costly to repair after lightning struck the tower in 1978. At this time, the church was owned by Mormons, as the Congregationalists had merged with the Universalist church and founded the Federated Church in the late 1920s.
Google Maps says the church is owned by the Sycamore Baptist Church, but I couldn’t find a website or any information about them. A wooden sign and hastily-applied paper one seem to label the church as the “Blue Door,” which I tracked down an (incomplete) website for. This church seems to have been founded in 2025 and just recently acquired the space.
United Methodist Church [demolished]
1912 view of the church and old hospital. (DeKalb County History Center on Facebook)
Immediately west of the Sycamore Hospital was the old United Methodist Church, which is a parking lot today. It was quite a fanciful brick Gothic Revival design with large rose windows. The congregation was founded in 1835, and this church was built in 1908. A gymnasium and chapel were added in 1923 and 1950, respectively.
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More recent view of the church. (Sycamore Memories on Facebook)
In 1960, the congregation decided to demolish their building in favor of a parking lot. The church’s website tries to justify this by explaining the large number of parishioners, deferred maintenance, and accessibility reasons. In the end, their new 1970s church is a typical urban sprawl-itecture design, much different from the older building.
Immediately north of the church’s site was this groovy sign:
How quaint. Always love some good mid-century kitsch.
219 West State Street
This simple Beaux-Arts design from 1900-1920 may have been built as a bank or theater. An undecorated entablature and pediment are supported by two Doric engaged columns. The area between is simple brick and concrete lintels and sills.
George’s Block/James Block
Hey, taking a picture because a building “looks really old” works! This Italianate was a very early commercial building downtown, completed in 1857. The owner was Daniel James, who founded Sycamore’s chapter of the Republican Party and co-founded the newspaper Sycamore True Republican. By the 1860s, it was known as George’s Block.
The building has been heavily altered during its lifetime. The third floor was once a lecture hall and auditorium, but that use has since ceased and several of its windows are now boarded up. Additionally, a balcony once spanned this area. A sign below the cornice used to read “GEORGE’S BLOCK,” but this has likewise been removed. The storefronts have probably been altered multiple times, as indicated by the different Roman brick used there and the crappy vinyl siding that was likely installed recently.
Post Office
Nothing about this one online. The Beaux-Arts design with Ionic columns and a denticulated cornice makes me think 1900-1920 as the date of construction. It is still Sycamore’s active post office today.
156 West State Street + Townsend Building
These two disparate buildings have been combined into one. 156 West State Street has a more Beaux-Arts facade and was likely constructed later. The Townsend Building is an Italianate building, and by my estimation dates to 1870-1890. Its fancy hood molds are intact, and the elaborate brick cornice achieves an almost pixelated effect.
Masonic Temple
Good thing I know my Masonic insignia now…there’s nothing online about this building otherwise. I actually have a concrete date based on the cornerstone, which is 1889 (5889 A.L.). It is a late Italianate design with a strong horizontal emphasis through its many string courses. The base has been altered.
Waterman Block
Historic photo of the Waterman Block and its since-demolished neighbors. (Daily Chronicle)
These four brick buildings are examples of early Italianate commercial architecture in downtown Sycamore. The easternmost three are the oldest and were built for prominent citizen James Waterman, the town’s richest citizen during his lifetime. He surveyed and platted Sycamore in 1839 while serving as deputy surveyor of DeKalb County, and he founded the Sycamore National Bank in 1871, which was headquartered in one of the storefronts. The fourth building was a later addition but is similar stylistically.
The two eastern buildings were painted beige at one time, but have since been stripped. All of the Italianate details here, such as the cornice, hood molds, and quoins, are executed in brick, the only stone being the keystones and sills. Every storefront has been altered, but the buildings are very intact otherwise.
National Bank & Trust Building
Historic photo of the bank building. (Daily Chronicle)
Adjacent to the Waterman Block, this building is related to that one’s history. James Waterman founded the Sycamore National Bank in 1871, which relocated to a different building after his death in 1884. By the 1920s, the bank was too small for its large customer base and a merger seemed imminent, so they commissioned architects Weary & Alford Co. to design a new Beaux-Arts building.
The bank opened in January 1925, but it went defunct in 1931 during the Great Depression. In the meantime, the building was used as a grocery store and restaurant. In 1955, the National Bank & Trust Co. moved from across the street into this building. An addition was built in the 1970s, which appears to be almost identical (very odd for the time) to the original building. The current tenant is Old National Bank.
I like this fanciful ornamental border, as well as the polychrome brick.
Daniel Pierce Building
View of the intact building. (Shaw Local)
In 1902, a fire destroyed the Wilkins Block on the site of the Daniel Pierce Building. Pierce owned the Wilkins Block, and his grandson inherited the land and the family bank after Pierce’s death four days later. It was completed in 1905. The bank originally occupied the east end of the ground floor, while the west was the W. M. McAllister Co. dry goods store. The third floor was a popular dance hall known as Pierce Hall.
Somewhat recent photo of the building as Henderson’s Department Store. (Always Backroads)
McAllister Co. became Henderson’s Department Store between the 1940s and 1950s. The bank moved out in 1955 to the National Bank & Trust Building across the street, and Henderson’s renovated the building and occupied the entire first floor. From 1973 to 1975, Henderson’s expanded again, and they occupied almost the whole building. The store closed in 2000, and after sitting vacant for a few years, the city of Sycamore restored the facade and converted it to the town’s municipal building.
The wooden storefront from the mid-century era remains, but the windows have been revealed once again and replaced by more energy-efficient ones. The cornice has also been modified or replaced entirely, as it is missing the modillions and dentils. However, the tablet with the building’s name and Ionic pilaster capitals remain.
East facade:
322 West State Street
This c. 1860-1880 Italianate has an unusually broad frieze below the cornice. It appears that the original double-hung windows on the second floor are intact, but the storefront below has been altered.
326 West State Street
The broad oriel window of this one appears to rely on its neighbors for support. It’s possible the three were built at the same time, but this building seems newer, and it has a different brick cornice design. My estimation is 1890-1900.
330 West State Street
This 1860s-1880s design has a large, fancy cornice, and the original storefronts and cornice above seem to be intact as well. However, the hood molds and sills have been painted.
360-362 W State
A rather bare yet very intact Commercial style design, the original bulkheads and tile floors are still present on this one.
You don’t really see these kinds of tile floors anymore, especially in large cities where addresses are renumbered. Most have been paved over. The coffered ceiling above looks original too:
The east side had this heavily weathered stone with the name of the architect, contractor, and mason:
Now I’m curious if this was an old facadectomy of a Victorian-era building. It seems a little unusual to have something like this on a facade that appears to date from 1900-1920.
State Theatre/Fargo Theatre
Historic postcard of the theater. (Cinema Treasures)
Sycamore’s State Theatre opened as the 900-seat Fargo Theatre in December 1925. It is identical to Geneva’s Fargo Theatre, and the two were likely owned and operated by the same company at first. It closed in 1938 for renovations and reopened with 491 seats. It closed for the first time in the 1970s and was converted into a church.
In the 1980s, the theater reopened, as it was purchased by a third party and renovated. However, it quickly failed and closed once more. Main Street Theatres then acquired the building in the 1990s and added a second screen. Today, the theater has three screens and can seat 556 people.
Note the fancy Beaux-Arts ornament, as well as the tablet in the parapet that reads “FARGO THEATRE BLDG.”
The marquee isn’t original, but it’s still pretty cool:
Chicago & Northwestern Depot
The Chicago & Northwestern Railroad was planned to pass through Sycamore when it was built in 1854, but it was ultimately constructed through Cortland and DeKalb instead. Sycamore citizens decided to build a four-mile stretch of track called the “Sycamore, Cortland, & Chicago Railroad,” which connected to the C&NW tracks. This Italianate station was built in 1865 to replace a smaller wood structure. The SC&C likely prevented Sycamore’s economy from drying up, and in 1883 the station was acquired by the C&NW Railroad.
Changes have been minor since the building’s construction. A wooden addition was built and later demolished after 1935. The brackets supporting the roof were removed. The station was in rough shape by 2007, but it was restored by the DeKalb County Nonprofit Partnership, which currently occupies the building. The windows are replacements but match the original character well, as does the roof. The NRHP listing mentions the interior was intact at that time, but I’m not sure if that is still true.
Sources:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/SycamoreMemories/posts/1672296899465602/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Midwest_Museum_of_Natural_History
https://web.archive.org/web/20131203044801/http://gis.hpa.state.il.us/pdfs/200124.pdf
https://cornerstonedekalb.com/our-locations/fargo-residential-suites/
https://dkpl.org/dekalb-county-tours-historic-hospitals-2/
https://www.sycamorestpeters.org/our-church-building.html
https://www.bluedoorchurch.net/home
https://sycamoreumc.org/history/
https://www.facebook.com/groups/SycamoreMemories/posts/259751190720187/
https://alwaysbackroads.wordpress.com/2012/10/31/daniel-pierce-1814-1902/
https://cinematreasures.org/theaters/1658
https://web.archive.org/web/20160313034419/http://gis.hpa.state.il.us/pdfs/200121.pdf
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