Neighborhood History
The Prospect Hill Addition was platted and annexed to the City on June 7, 1893. It was laid out on a rounded hill on what was then the southwestern edge of Bloomington, with South Rogers, Fairview, Third and Smith Streets as its borders. The McPheeters Addition, which encompasses the eastern edge of the district, was platted and annexed in 1888.
The neighborhood was developed as a prestigious upper middle class area bordered by workers' cottages on the east, north and later to the west. It represents the only area developed as a professional residential neighborhood on the west side of town. Residents included a lawyer, a railroad conductor, storeowners and employees of the Showers Brothers furniture company.
The architecture of the district represents various "high styles" popular between 1890 and 1925, a time of growing affluence in Bloomington. The neighborhood includes Queen Anne, Free Classic and Period Revival style houses, some designed by prolific Bloomington architect John Nichols. There are also several examples of vernacular style houses, two mid-nineteenth century houses with Greek Revival and Federal details and bungalows and American four-squares of the 1920s. This diverse group of homes is a microcosm of Bloomington's overall residential history.
The Prospect Hill Historic District was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in March 1991. Within the year, district residents also established Bloomington's first locally designated historic district. More information on Prospect Hill, and a copy of the National Register nomination, is available in the Indiana Room of the Monroe County Public Library.
Discover more about your own house's history here.
The neighborhood was developed as a prestigious upper middle class area bordered by workers' cottages on the east, north and later to the west. It represents the only area developed as a professional residential neighborhood on the west side of town. Residents included a lawyer, a railroad conductor, storeowners and employees of the Showers Brothers furniture company.
The architecture of the district represents various "high styles" popular between 1890 and 1925, a time of growing affluence in Bloomington. The neighborhood includes Queen Anne, Free Classic and Period Revival style houses, some designed by prolific Bloomington architect John Nichols. There are also several examples of vernacular style houses, two mid-nineteenth century houses with Greek Revival and Federal details and bungalows and American four-squares of the 1920s. This diverse group of homes is a microcosm of Bloomington's overall residential history.
The Prospect Hill Historic District was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in March 1991. Within the year, district residents also established Bloomington's first locally designated historic district. More information on Prospect Hill, and a copy of the National Register nomination, is available in the Indiana Room of the Monroe County Public Library.
Discover more about your own house's history here.
