Name This Peoria Landmark

Peoria Landmark #346

This photo is from the historical marker in front of the “Erastus D. Hardin House” at 511 W. High St. The plaque reads:

This house, one of the earliest on High Street, was built by Mr. Erastus D. Hardin about 1859. The Hardins, a socially prominent and active family, occupied the house until 1904, a period of about 45 years.

Upon his arrival in Peoria in 1857, Mr. Hardin was associated as a partner in the private banking firm of S. Plsifer & Co. After the liquidation of the bank about 1878, Mr. Hardin entered the real estate business.

The design of the house is influenced by the French Second Empire style, a style just coming into fashion in the United States at the time. The style is best characterized by the use of the mansard roof and the pavilion or tower. The two story portico in front is a later addition.

The Hardin House is listed on the Illinois Historic Structures Survey and has been designated a significant structure in the West Bluff Historic District.

House as seen today:

Addition photos, including interior, are found at the Zerla Properties website.

Peoria Landmark #289

Scio: “I think this is a retaining wall from one of the houses on High St. Looks like this picture was taken from the dead end road that curves off High St. and goes halfway down the bluff about 2-3 houses down from Giant Oak Park.”

That is precisely where this is located.

The road was paved with brick all the way down to where it ends behind the U of I College of Medicine. Just past this very impressive retaining wall, the road curves down and to the right at which point the road resembles more of a creek bed than anything else, but curbs and steps to non-existent places still remain. It appears the road used to extent to N. State St (see map).

Peoria Landmark #286

Located in Giant Oak Park on High Street near the Easton Manor.

Thanks as always to my commenters. This site would be nothing without you.

A horse is a horse, of course, of course,
And no one can talk to a horse of course
That is, of course, unless the horse is the famous Mister Ed.

via an article about Joseph Greenhut in PEORIAmagazines.com: “Greenhut’s mansion on High Street at Sheridan (today officially 802 Sheridan) once featured a tall tower, a turret, and a glassed conservatory. The carriage house, decorated with white-painted cast iron horse heads, testifies to the grandeur of the original red brick architecture of the house.”

The only other reference to the Carriage House I could find is contained in the paperback Peoria – A Postcard History, which states that it was built in 1886, two years after the completion of the Greenhut Mansion.

You can read more about the Greenhut Mansion at NTPL#96, and the conversion to the Wolfner Apartments at NTPL#95.

Thanks to Mitch Mitchell and to all who commented.

I never suspected anyone will get this exactly right.  I’d say Clayton would be the closest with his observation: “Is that one of infamous tunnels from back in the day that is blocked off?”

This stone barricade would be found just below High Street, very near the new construction off of Main.  I had heard that there were tunnels connecting the houses on High with their carriage houses below the hill.  With the construction digging into the hillside, I thought just on a fluke that maybe they’d uncovered something, so I decided to take a look.  The only thing I found was this intrigueing stone wall.

Close-Up:

Peoria’s oldest tree is a 300 year old Bur Oak. “Tricentennial Tree” is located in “Giant Oak Park” on High Street.