The Principia College Historic District is a
National Historic Landmark District
A National Historic Landmark District (NHLD) is a geographical area that has received recognition from the United States Government that the buildings, landscapes, cultural features and archaeological resources within it are of the highest signific ...
encompassing the central portion of the campus of
Principia College in
Elsah, Illinois. The campus master plan, as well as eleven of its buildings, are important late designs of architect
Bernard Maybeck, best known for his influential architecture in the American West.
The Principia was declared a
National Historic Landmark
A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a National Register of Historic Places property types, building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the Federal government of the United States, United States government f ...
in 1993,
[. ] and was also placed on the
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 ...
that same year.
Description and history
The Principia was founded by
Mary Kimball Morgan in 1898 as an educational institution primarily serving the needs of
Christian Scientists. Beginning with primary and secondary schools, the organization (unaffiliated with the
Church of Christ, Scientist but operating with its approval) established Principia College in the early 20th century. Initially based in
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis ( , sometimes referred to as St. Louis City, Saint Louis or STL) is an Independent city (United States), independent city in the U.S. state of Missouri. It lies near the confluence of the Mississippi River, Mississippi and the Miss ...
, the organization in the 1910s began to search for a suitable campus location for the college. A former country estate overlooking the
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the main stem, primary river of the largest drainage basin in the United States. It is the second-longest river in the United States, behind only the Missouri River, Missouri. From its traditional source of Lake Ita ...
just south of Elsah was purchased, and college president Frederic E. Morgan hired West Coast architect Bernard Maybeck to develop the campus master plan and buildings. Maybeck used the existing roads on the estate as a foundation, and laid out what resembles an English country village.
The centerpiece and first permanent building of the campus is the chapel. It was built in 1931–34 in Maybeck's conception of an
American Colonial Revival structure, with a limestone exterior. Most of the other buildings Maybeck designed have steel frames and use concrete extensively inside, but have exteriors of stone, brick, and timbering. In the later phases of the campus construction, the onsite work was supervised by Henry Gutterson, who also contributed designs for several of the buildings. One architectural oddity on the campus is what is called the "Mistake House", which was used as a design and materials test vehicle by Maybeck.
See also
*
List of National Historic Landmarks in Illinois
*
National Register of Historic Places listings in Jersey County, Illinois
References
External links
*
{{National Register of Historic Places
Geography of Jersey County, Illinois
National Historic Landmarks in Illinois
Principia College
Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Illinois
National Register of Historic Places in Jersey County, Illinois