Illinois Travel Guide 2009 - (Page 39) ornamentation (mimicking the orbiting patterns of the celestial skies) that surround a sanctuary where guests of all faiths are welcome to pray and meditate. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, Galena offers a wealth of 19th-century architecture. A hub for steamboats and lead mining in the 1800s, Galena became a busy port city that was built in a variety of architectural styles, including Italianate, Greek Revival and Queen Anne. In 2004, the National Trust for Historic Preservation put Galena on its list of America’s Dozen Distinctive Destinations. Pick up the free Galena Walking Tour guide at the Old Train Depot Visitor Information Center, which includes addresses and tidbits about important sites, and take a self-guided tour of the town. You’ll see many architectural gems that have been lovingly preserved, including the Victorian Belvedere mansion, the Italianate-style home of President Ulysses S. Grant and the DeSoto House Hotel, Illinois’ oldest operating hotel, which opened its doors in 1855 and has hosted many famous guests, including Abraham Lincoln. Rockford’s bluff-top Tinker Swiss Cottage was built in 1865 for a local industrialist who fell in love with the architecture of Switzerland during a MARK PALMER RICHARD CUMMINS trip to Europe. Today, visitors can tour the storybook cottage, which features the home’s original furnishings, murals, ornate woodwork and Victorian rose garden, as well as diaries from the Tinker family, who lived there for more than 75 years. The Illinois chapter of the American Institute of Architects named the Tinker Swiss Cottage as one of the state’s 150 Great Places. The Nauvoo Temple is a faithful replica of the original that was built by Mormons when they first settled in the tiny river town of Nauvoo in the mid-1800s. The six-story limestone temple features grand staircases and stained glass windows. Although it’s not open to the public, the Nauvoo Temple Visitors Center across the street offers a video presentation that depicts the building’s interior and explains the importance of temples in the Mormon religion. Learn about Quincy’s renowned architecture at the Gardner Museum of Architecture & Design, housed in the town’s 1888 public library. Linger at the corner of 16th and Maine streets in the East End Historic District, described by National Geographic as one of the 10 most architecturally significant COURTESY OF NAUVOO TEMPLE Top to Bottom: The ornate Bahá’í House of Worship is one of only seven Bahá’í temples in the world, Galena’s opulent Belvedere mansion is a Victorian gem, the striking Nauvoo Temple is an important symbol of the town’s Mormon roots 800/2CONNECT ILLINOIS. MILE AFTER MAGNIFICENT MILE. 39
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