The H.C. Pitney Variety Store Building is a

commercial building Commercial may refer to: * (adjective for) commerce, a system of voluntary exchange of products and services ** (adjective for) trade, the trading of something of economic value such as goods, services, information or money * a dose of advertising ...

in downtown

Tampico, Illinois Tampico () is a village located in Tampico Township, Whiteside County, Illinois, Tampico Township, Whiteside County, Illinois, Whiteside County, Illinois, United States next to Rock Falls and Sterling, Illinois. As of the 2010 United States census ...

, United States, constructed in 1900. The building is part of a two-story commercial block along Main Street. Between 1919 and 1920, H.C. Pitney operated the building as the H.C. Pitney Variety Store, and the second-floor apartment was occupied by the family of 40th U.S. President

Ronald Reagan Ronald Wilson Reagan (February 6, 1911 – June 5, 2004) was an American politician and actor who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He was a member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party a ...

. It is listed as a

contributing property In the law regulating historic districts in the United States, a contributing property or contributing resource is any building, object, or structure which adds to the historical integrity or architectural qualities that make the historic dist ...

to the Tampico Main Street Historic District, which was added to the U.S.

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

in 1982.

History

The building, consisting of two store fronts, was erected by Ray McKenzie in 1900.Ward, p.5. The H.C. Pitney Variety Store occupied the property, under various owners, from 1911 until 1920.Ward, p. 4. H.C. Pitney owned the store from 1911 until 1914, when he sold it. During his first period of ownership, Pitney employed

Jack Reagan John Edward Reagan (July 13, 1883 – May 18, 1941) was an American salesman. He was the father of U.S. president Ronald Reagan. Ancestry Jack's paternal grandfather, Michael O'Regan, son of Thomas O'Regan and wife Margaret Murphy, was a nat ...

, the father of 40th U.S. President

, as a clerk.Berger, Marilyn.
Reagan had long struggle with Alzheimer's Disease
" ''The New York Times'', June 5, 2004, p. 4. Retrieved July 17, 2007. While

was employed by Pitney, Ronald was born in the apartment over a bakery/restaurant building at 109 Main Street, across Main Street from the

Variety Store A variety store (also five and dime (historic), pound shop, or dollar store) is a retail store that sells general merchandise, such as apparel, auto parts, dry goods, toys, hardware, furniture, and a selection of groceries. It usually sel ...

. After Pitney sold the store in 1914, the Reagans left Tampico. In 1919, Pitney returned to ownership of the Variety Store and Jack Reagan returned at the same time to work for him. Beginning on August 25, 1919, the Reagan family occupied the

apartment An apartment (American English, Canadian English), flat (British English, Indian English, South African English), tenement (Scots English), or unit (Australian English) is a self-contained housing unit (a type of residential real estate) that ...

above the commercial portion of the building. After Pitney closed the store, the Reagans vacated the premises in December 1920 and moved to

Dixon, Illinois Dixon is a city in Lee County, Illinois, United States, and its county seat. The population was 15,274 as of the 2020 census. The city is named after founder John Dixon, who operated a rope ferry service across the Rock River (Mississippi River ...

Architecture

The building once occupied by the H.C. Pitney Variety Store is part of a commercial block and it stands connected to the building next to it. Of the two structures in the block the Pitney Store is the newer; the other building was built a year earlier. The two-story brick building features a metal

cornice In architecture, a cornice (from the Italian ''cornice'' meaning "ledge") is generally any horizontal decorative Moulding (decorative), moulding that crowns a building or furniture element—for example, the cornice over a door or window, ar ...

and two storefronts listed at different addresses. The first store front, at 124 Main Street is 3 bays wide and the second, at 122 Main Street, is 4 bays wide. The building's windows are flat headed and have stone

lintel A lintel or lintol is a type of beam (a horizontal structural element) that spans openings such as portals, doors, windows and fireplaces. It can be a decorative architectural element, or a combined ornamented/structural item. In the case ...

s and sills. The storefronts are still intact but the original windows have been boarded over and painted.

Significance

The family of

occupied the second floor apartment at the H.C. Pitney Variety Store from August 1919 until December 1920. The building was listed as a "significant"

to the Tampico Main Street Historic District when it joined the U.S.

on June 3, 1982.

Notes

References

*Ward, Michael.
Main Street Historic District
" (

PDF Portable document format (PDF), standardized as ISO 32000, is a file format developed by Adobe Inc., Adobe in 1992 to present documents, including text formatting and images, in a manner independent of application software, computer hardware, ...

), National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form, April 1, 1982, HAARGIS Database, ''Illinois Historic Preservation Agency''. Retrieved July 17, 2007. {{Ronald Reagan Main Street Historic District (Tampico, Illinois) Ronald Reagan Trail Commercial buildings completed in 1900 Presidential homes in the United States Buildings and structures in Whiteside County, Illinois Retail buildings in Illinois Historic district contributing properties in Illinois Commercial buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in Illinois Department stores on the National Register of Historic Places National Register of Historic Places in Whiteside County, Illinois 1900 establishments in Illinois

History

Architecture

Significance

See also

Notes

References