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Pontiac City Hall and Fire Station, Illinois

Historic building
In Pontiac, Illinois
0.8 mi from Route 66
National Register of Historic Places

Finished in 1900, the old City Hall and Fire Station in Pontiac, IL, is a Romanesque Revival building made to hold both the city government and the fire department. Architect John H. Barnes designed it as a single structure with two separate interiors, linked by a bell tower. It did both jobs until 1986, and it is now listed on the National Register.

What is Pontiac City Hall and Fire Station?

From the street it reads as one building, designed in Romanesque Revival style, but inside the city offices and the firehouse were kept apart. The bell tower joins the two halves and is the feature most visitors notice first.

History of Pontiac City Hall and Fire Station

Pontiac had combined its city hall and fire station once before, in a building from 1883. In 1900 this new building replaced it, keeping the same two-in-one idea. City government and the fire service both worked from here until 1986. The building joined the National Register on August 16, 1990.

Visiting Pontiac City Hall and Fire Station: tips

View it from the sidewalk and take a photo of the tower. It is part of a compact group of historic buildings in Pontiac: the Livingston County Courthouse is about 0.1 mile away, and the Jones House and the Strevell House are each about 0.2 mile away. Food is about 0.1 mile away, so it slots easily into a walk and a meal in town.