The Main Gate is the official entrance to the Illinois State Fairgrounds. Built in 1910 at Eleventh Street and Sangamon Avenue, the ornate brick building with its barrel-tiled roof, stucco medallions and red-white-and blue trimmed arches, was designed to spruce up the entrance where street cars once rumbled onto the grounds.
Using a 1911 postcard picture, workers completed an overhaul of the structure in 1985. The brick and stucco structure with a raised center section and two complementary wings features a hip roof covered in clay tile. The central section has a large open arched passage and the side wings also include smaller arched openings. The exterior walls have limestone bases topped by brick halfway up. Bands of electric lights outline the arch tops and the area beneath the eaves, providing a beautiful nighttime display. The 1985 overhaul included the intricate egg-and dart floral design and lamb’s tongue plastering, which was ordered from the original supplier, Decorator Supply Corp of Chicago.
The fairgrounds encompasses 366 acres of land and was added as a historic district on the National Register of Historic Places in 1990.
Source: Illinois State Fair Museum Foundation.
Tags: Springfield Seat Sangamon County State Capital Capital city State of Illinois Illinois IL Illinois State Fair Grounds State Fair Buildings Structures Architecture Main Gate Historic District National Register of Historic Places NRHP Canon EOS 5D Mark IV
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Constructed in 1894, the Exposition Building is both the oldest existing and first permanent building on the State Fairgrounds. The 1893 Columbian Exposition in Chicago had an undeniable impact on the Fairground’s architecture. The Exposition Building was designed by Charles W. Shinn and J.I. Rinaker Jr., and was inspired by the monumental neo-classical architecture of the Columbian Exposition.
The two-and-a-half story red brick building, purported to be the largest building of its type in the United States, was capped by a series of pressed metal domes. Hailed as the “Queen of the Fair,” it housed exhibitions of state-manufactured goods, ladies clothing, artwork, textiles, and vendor booths. It serves the same purpose today, and still looks much as it did when it opened in 1894.
It is a spacious two level building with iron framing, brick walls, and segmented arched windows. the Exposition Building is known for accommodating a variety of major events.
The first Illinois State Fair was held in Springfield in 1853, then was hosted by twelve cities around the state for the first 40 years until making Springfield its permanent home in 1894.
Source: Illinois Historic Preservation Agency
Tags: Springfield Seat Sangamon County State Capital Capital city State of Illinois Central Illinois IL Illinois State Fair Grounds State Fair Buildings Architecture Exposition Building Architectural Style Neo-classical 1893 Columbian Exposition Architects Charles W. Shinn J.I. Rinaker Jr. Canon EOS 5D Mark IV
Constructed in 1894, the Exposition Building is both the oldest existing and first permanent building on the State Fairgrounds. The 1893 Columbian Exposition in Chicago had an undeniable impact on the Fairground’s architecture. The Exposition Building was designed by Charles W. Shinn and J.I. Rinaker Jr., and was inspired by the monumental neo-classical architecture of the Columbian Exposition.
The two-and-a-half story red brick building, purported to be the largest building of its type in the United States, was capped by a series of pressed metal domes. Hailed as the “Queen of the Fair,” it housed exhibitions of state-manufactured goods, ladies clothing, artwork, textiles, and vendor booths. It serves the same purpose today, and still looks much as it did when it opened in 1894.
It is a spacious two level building with iron framing, brick walls, and segmented arched windows. the Exposition Building is known for accommodating a variety of major events.
The first Illinois State Fair was held in Springfield in 1853, then was hosted by twelve cities around the state for the first 40 years until making Springfield its permanent home in 1894.
Source: Illinois Historic Preservation Agency
Tags: Springfield Seat Sangamon County State Capital Capital city State of Illinois Central Illinois IL Illinois State Fair Grounds State Fair Buildings Architecture Exposition Building Architectural Style Neo-classical 1893 Columbian Exposition Architects Charles W. Shinn J.I. Rinaker Jr. Canon EOS 5D Mark IV
A view of the north side of the Exposition Building. Constructed in 1894, it is both the oldest existing and first permanent building on the State Fairgrounds. The 1893 Columbian Exposition in Chicago had an undeniable impact on the Fairground’s architecture. The Exposition Building was designed by Charles W. Shinn and J.I. Rinaker Jr., and was inspired by the monumental neo-classical architecture of the Columbian Exposition.
The two-and-a-half story red brick building, purported to be the largest building of its type in the United States, was capped by a series of pressed metal domes. Hailed as the “Queen of the Fair,” it housed exhibitions of state-manufactured goods, ladies clothing, artwork, textiles, and vendor booths. It serves the same purpose today, and still looks much as it did when it opened in 1894.
It is a spacious two level building with iron framing, brick walls, and segmented arched windows. the Exposition Building is known for accommodating a variety of major events.
The first Illinois State Fair was held in Springfield in 1853, then was hosted by twelve cities around the state for the first 40 years until making Springfield its permanent home in 1894.
Source: Illinois Historic Preservation Agency
Tags: Springfield Seat Sangamon County State Capital Capital city State of Illinois Central Illinois IL Illinois State Fair Grounds State Fair Buildings Architecture Exposition Building Architectural Style Neo-classical 1893 Columbian Exposition Architects Charles W. Shinn J.I. Rinaker Jr. Canon EOS 5D Mark IV overcast
A view of what is now the Artisans building on the Illinois State Fair grounds in Springfield. Originally known as the Poultry Palace, this handsome structure is the second oldest building on the Illinois State Fairgrounds.
The Poultry Palace was built following a disastrous storm in 1895 that killed many of the State Fair's feathered entries which, up to that time, had been housed in sheds. After the calamity, State Fair Poultry Superintendent, and future Governor Len Small, was quoted as saying: “the loss of valuable fowls was considerable, and the necessity of a suitable building, obvious.”
Construction of the Poultry Palace began in 1896, and was completed in time for the 1897 Illinois State Fair. Now repurposed as the Artisans Building, every Illinois State Fair, the building is filled with displays of Illinois crafts. During the rest of the year, the facility is rented for private gatherings such as wedding receptions, meetings, and high school proms.
Sources: Illinois Historic Preservation Agency and Illinois Department of Agriculture.
Tags: Springfield Seat Sangamon County State Capital Capital city State of Illinois Illinois IL Len Small Illinois State Fair Grounds State Fair Buildings Architecture Poultry Palace Poultry Building Repurposed Reuse Artisans Building Canon EOS 5D Mark IV