LaSalle's Julius W. Hegeler the First Home listed in National Register of Historic Places

LASALLE - The Julius W. Hegeler I Home at 1306 Seventh Street in LaSalle was listed in the National Register of Historic Places on February 18, 2009 by the National Park Service.

"The Hegeler Home is historically significant for its Arts and Crafts style of architecture and its association with famed Chicago architects Pond & Pond," said Jan Grimes, director of the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency, which administers the National Register program in Illinois. "We welcome its inclusion in the National Register of Historic Places, the nation's most prestigious listing of properties with historical significance."

German-born mining engineer Edward Hegeler established a successful zinc smelting operation in LaSalle in the mid-1800s. He and his wife built a grand mansion on Seventh Street between 1874 and 1876. In 1903, they commissioned Irving Kane Pond and Allen Bartlit Pond to build a home across the street for their eldest son Julius and his growing family. The Arts and Crafts style home was instantly a LaSalle showpiece, but Julius and Josephine Hegeler occupied the residence only a short time - in 1905, Julius moved his family to Danville, Illinois to start a zinc smelting operation there. After Julius and his family moved to Danville, Talcott and Paula Carus Barnes lived in the home with their two sons, Edward and William. The Herman Carus family also lived there. The house was subsequently used as a community center where many clubs and organizations met before being abandoned to the ravages of weather and time. The Hegeler Carus Foundation is currently working to restore the home to its original beauty and will then use it, once again, as a community center.

For more information on the National Register of Historic Places program in Illinois, visit www.Illinois-History.gov/PS/historicplaces.htm.