City Hall Building
Built in 1899
230 West Stephenson Street
Freeport IL 61032
When the cornerstone for the new city hall building was designed the architect, D.S. Schureman, asked that his name be inscribed on it. City Officials refused his request. He later suggested that since the new City Hall Building would also house the public library, it would be appropriate to inscribe the cornice with names of famous writers and scientists. City Officials liked the idea and agreed to it, oblivious to the architect's motivation for choosing such a random selection of names. After the work was completed, however, City Officials learned the method to Schureman's madness. The first letters of the names inscribed on the frieze spell D.S. Schureman (Dante, Shakespeare, Spencer, Chaucer, Homer, Uhland, Regelais, Emerson, Milton, Addison, and Newton).
Information provided by the Stephenson County Historical Society and the Design Committee of the Freeport Downtown Development
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Freeport City Hall
230 W. Stephenson St.
Freeport, IL 61032
Phone: 815-235-8200 or 815-235-8203
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