First Court House - Galena, Illinois - American Guide Series on Waymarking.com

My Commentary:
I would have liked to have seen this building with the portholes instead of the double hung windows on the second floor. This is an early stone building - most are brick. This is the older section of downtown - all of the pre 1850 buildings are here.

Directly across Main Street stands the FIRST COURT HOUSE, a two- story gray stone building easily distinguished by six portholes on the second floor. The building, now a monument works, was built by Nicholas Dowling in 1838 for a store, and for a time was rented by the county. It held the first theater of the lead mining area, when the Jefferson-McKenzie players came from Chicago in open wagons to play in Galena until early in 1839; they then left for a month, and returned to await the opening of the river in April. After an extended tour the troupe split and the elder Jefferson died. Young Joe Jefferson attended the Campbell school next door to the courthouse.

- Galena Guide, 1937, pgs. 60-61

Current name: Fried Green Tomatoes

Style: Parapet-Front

Architectural Description: This is a 2-story commercial building in the Parapet-Front style built ca. 1870/c. 1920. The foundation is limestone. Exterior walls are limestone; ornamental concrete block. The building has a flat roof. Windows are original or historic; contemporary wood; vinyl 6/6 fixed; double- or single-hung; Chicago/Picture. Doors are original or historic wood glazed; paneled; recessed entry with transom; sidelights.

- ruskinarc.com Historic Architecture Survey Database

National Register Building Details
ADDRESS	HIST. PROPERTY NAME	C or N/C	DATE	STYLE, FORM, TYPE
211-213 N. Main Street	Dowling Building	C	1837 /c.1920s	No Stylee

- National Register Application

Book: Galena, IL Page Number(s) of Excerpt: 60-61 Year Originally Published: 1937

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