Western Illinois

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Alton (Madison County)

While the city of Alton has not designated any local historic districts, the Alton preservation ordinance gives the preservation commission binding design review within its three National Register Historic Districts. All three districts are residential and include multiple architectural styles from 1860s Federal to 1920s bungalows and Arts and Crafts.

The local non-profit preservation organization, the Alton Area Landmarks Association (AALA), gives a yearly historic house tour in October and plays a key advocacy role in the city. The AALA nominated Alton’s 1927 city hall to Landmarks Illinois’ annual Ten Most Endangered Historic Places in Illinois list in 2003. Inclusion on the list gave a publicity boost to the “Save the City Hall” local campaign and persuaded city officials to reevaluate its position on building a new city hall. The historic city hall was renovated at a cost less than new construction and according to Mayor Donald Sandidge, made economic sense.
 

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