Downtown Plainfield Listed on National Register of Historic Places

Plainfield has a new claim to fame: much of the downtown historic district is now listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Plainfield Historic Preservation Commission (HPC) Chairman Michael Bortel said officials got word last Friday that Plainfield's application had received federal approval. The National Register district applies to 53 properties on both sides of Lockport Street from Route 59 on the east to James and Main Street on the west.

"It was officially [approved] Sept. 18, but they didn't get around to notifying anybody because of the government shutdown," Bortel said.

So what does this mean for property owners in the district? According to Bortel, the designation doesn't carry any additional regulations for building owners, but it could provide financial help for those who want to restore or improve their property.

"Anybody who has a property in the district would be eligible for a 20 percent federal rehabilitation tax credit," he said. The credit could be used for both interior and exterior projects — although the work would be subject to approval by both the Village of Plainfield and the Illinois Historical Preservation Agency.

The HPC will place labels at each downtown building included on the registry. The labels will have a QR code visitors can scan with their smartphones to learn more about the history of the building.

"It would take you to the village website and a current picture [of the building], plus any historical images we have and a few paragraphs about its history," Bortel said. The posters should go up in the next week or so, he said.

For more downtown history, guests can stop at Village Hall, 24401 W. Lockport St., or the Plainfield Public Library, 15025 S. Illinois St., and pick up a walking tour brochure that includes facts on 26 of the buildings in the historic district.

According to Bortel, signage will be installed on Route 55 near the Route 126 exit letting motorists know they are approaching a National Register district sometime in 2014. Plaques will also be placed near the entrances to the district, he said.

A $15,500 grant from the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency covered about 70 percent of the cost of hiring a consultant to write the nomination for the National Register designation. 

Because the consultant did not use up the entire budget, the remainder of the funding was used to produce the walking tour brochures and QR labels, Bortel said.