Lincoln Home National Historic Site: Cultural Landscape Report, Lincoln Home National Historic Site, National Park Service

Quinn Evans Architects, Contractor

The purpose of this Cultural Landscape Report (CLR) is to guide treatment and use of the significant historic landscapes associated with Lincoln Home National Historic Site (LHNHS). The site, located in Springfield, Illinois, contains resources associated with the historic period of significance, 1844 to 1875, encapsulating Lincoln’s residency, presidency, and mourning. The report also describes the landscape during subsequent periods: the late nineteenth century from 1880 to 1889; the Illinois State Park period from 1900 to 1971; and the National Park Service period, spanning 1972 to the present. The report was prepared in two separate phases according to federal standards addressing cultural landscape projects, including A Guide to Cultural Landscape Reports: Contents, Process, and Techniques and The Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties with Guidelines for the Treatment of Cultural Landscapes. The first phase was undertaken in the 1990s and resulted in a 95% draft dated 1997. This provided all of the research and documentation for the current report, included here as Chapter 2: Landscape History. It also provided an analysis that provides the basis for Chapter 4: Landscape Analysis. The remainder of the chapters have been developed through the effort that began in February 2012. In 2012, the General Management Plan (GMP) was completed. The GMP preferred alternative indicates five management zones designed to achieve “a retreat from modern life in the heart of the city” through rehabilitation of the historic landscape, in order to “offer visitors a strong sense of the neighborhood as Lincoln knew it.” The project area includes the entire NHS with an emphasis on the historic resource character area. The “historic resource management area” of the NHS includes the landscapes within the zones entitled “Lincoln Home Restoration,” “Neighborhood Rehabilitation,” and “Historic Yard Rehabilitation.” Also included is the site of the Stuve house at the corner of Seventh and Edwards streets. Throughout Chapter 2: Landscape History, character-defining features associated with each historic period are used to organize the discussion of the overall appearance of the area. Each section concludes with a discussion of the four block area on a lot-by-lot basis, noting known aspects of the appearance of each block and each lot within the period. In this section, when information specific to a particular lot is given, its location is indicated by the Block and Lot numbers in the original 1836 subdivision plat of Elijah Iles’ Addition to Springfield. Based on the historical data (Chapter 2) and existing conditions (Chapter 3), an analysis of the integrity of the cultural landscape, using the character-defining features, is presented in Chapter 4. This analysis compares the existing conditions of the site with the conditions of the site during its period of significance, 1844 to 1875, to note the level of change which has occurred on the site over time. This analysis is conducted using both narrative text and analytical drawings to document changes in the landscape. Existing conditions are presented according to National Park Service standards for cultural landscape reports as well as in a format that can be easily translated into the Facility Management Software System (FMSS) to enhance the usefulness of the CLR for park managers. Documentation of historic significance and evaluation of integrity of the historic landscape served as a framework upon which to develop treatment recommendations. A design workshop was conducted to inform the development of the rehabilitation treatment. The report provides park managers with a comprehensive understanding of the physical evolution of the historic landscape, along with guidance for landscape design and management to implement the GMP preferred alternative.

Lincoln Home National Historic Site: Cultural Landscape Report, Lincoln Home National Historic Site, National Park Service

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