Main Street Historic District (Tampico, Illinois)
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Main Street Historic District
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The 100 block of Main Street, Tampico, Illinois.
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| Location | S. Main St., Tampico, Illinois |
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| Coordinates | 41°37′52″N 89°47′9″W / 41.63111°N 89.78583°WCoordinates: 41°37′52″N 89°47′9″W / 41.63111°N 89.78583°W |
| Area | 2.3 acres (0.93 ha) |
| Built | various |
| Architect | various |
| NRHP Reference # | 82002602 |
| Added to NRHP | June 3, 1982 |
The Main Street Historic District in Tampico, Illinois, United States is a historic district notable as home to the birthplace of Ronald Reagan. The district includes the late 19th century collection of buildings that comprise Tampico's central business district, among them are two apartments that the Reagan family occupied in the early 1900s. The buildings in the district went through several periods of rebuilding during the 1870s due to major fires and a tornado. The district boundaries encompass the 100 block of Main Street and exclude properties that do not date from the historic period.
The historic district represents an intact commercial district representative of rural, small town Illinois. The buildings present a cohesive architectural unit; each building within is dependent on the others for its significance. The district's contributing properties are divided into two major categories "contributing structures" and "significant structures." Both commercial buildings that the Reagans occupied second floor apartments in are listed as "significant." The Main Street Historic District was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places in 1982.
Tampico, Illinois, in southeastern Whiteside County, was founded in 1858 but settlers did not arrive in earnest until 1871, partially due to the swampy nature of the terrain. After the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad constructed a line through Tampico in 1871 growth was rapid but faced a series of major setbacks. In 1872, 1874 and 1876 the village was struck by major fires which required the repeated rebuilding of the town's central business district along Main Street. A tornado destroyed about 40 buildings in 1874, adding to the headache caused by the fires. As a result of the repeated rebuilding, all buildings along Main Street built after 1876 are constructed from brick.
Between 1896–1905 the Main Street district in Tampico went through a building boom. Many agriculturally oriented industries located in Tampico during this time period. The construction of the Hennepin Canal from 1899–1907 also contributed to the influx of new buildings in Tampico and during the period of construction five new buildings were added to Main Street. It was in 1906 that the family of Ronald Reagan moved into the district, occupying the apartment on the second floor of the building at 111 Main Street. They would live in other locations in Tampico, move, and eventually briefly return to the village and occupy another second floor apartment within the district.
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