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Photograph of Broadview Mansion
Photograph by Casmeltzer at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0. Via Wikimedia Commons.

Margaret and Bird Van Leer Broadview Mansion

Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2016.

From the record

“Broadview Mansion, is a twenty-two room Edwardian style mansion located in Normal, Illinois, near Illinois Wesleyan University. The three-story estate, originally situated on five acres of land, was built in 1906 for Bird Calladay and Margaret VanLeer.”

Wikipedia article Broadview VanLeer Mansion, CC BY-SA 4.0.

One of 35 National Register listings published here for McLean County · listed in 2016 · category: Building.

Sources: the Wikipedia article · the National Register database, National Park Service

The listing

  • What is counted as historic. The nomination lists 1 building, 1 structure, 1 object as contributing to the listing.
  • Listed as. Van Leer, Margaret and Bird, Broadview Mansion - the National Register files a house under its owner's surname.
  • Address. 1301 S. Fell Ave., Normal, 61761
  • When was it listed? June 2016
  • Category. building
  • Township. Normal township
  • Architectural style. Edwardian architecture
  • National Register reference number. 16000327 - assigned by the National Park Service when the property was listed.

Fires near this property

1 since 2013

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 1 fire within 5 miles of Margaret and Bird Van Leer Broadview Mansion in 2013, burning about 2 acres in total. None started naturally. None was recorded as arson. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a fire counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.

Reported cause Fires
Missing data/not specified/undetermined1

The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.

DateCause SizeReported by Name on the report
3 April 2013Missing data/not specified/undetermined2.0 acresIllinois Division of Forestry ResourcesTALASKI

Every fire recorded in McLean County

Mines and quarries near this property

5 within 5 miles

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 5 workings within 5 miles of Margaret and Bird Van Leer Broadview Mansion: 3 past producers, 1 plant, 1 producer. 2 still produce. What was taken out: Sand and Gravel, Construction, Stone. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a quarry counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.

Where SiteCommodity StatusRecorded
Normal City PitStonePast Producer
Baugh Pit & MillSand and Gravel, ConstructionPlant
Market Street PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast Producer
Rowe Pit No. 3Sand and Gravel, ConstructionProducer
Rowe Pit No.2Sand and Gravel, ConstructionPast Producer

Every working recorded in McLean County

Storms near this property

56 since 1999

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Normal, the town this property stands in, in 56 storm reports between 1999 and 2026: 25 hail, 23 thunderstorm wind, 6 flash flood, 1 tornado. No death or injury is recorded in these reports. Each account below is quoted exactly as the forecast office filed it, from the NOAA Storm Events Database, and each date opens the federal record of that event.

WhenEvent Place namedHarm What the report says
November 2013Thunderstorm WindNormal$225,000A tree was blown down and numerous roofs were damaged near the Illinois State University campus in Normal.
August 2001Thunderstorm WindNormal$100,000Several large tree branches and a small tree were blown down in Normal. In Lexington, at least 16 homes were damaged. Several reports of trees and tree limbs down were received, with some of the trees falling onto vehicles, causing damage. Damage estimates were around $100,000.
July 2016Thunderstorm WindNormal$90,000Several large tree branches were blown down.
May 2016LightningNormal$60,000Lightning struck a home on Ogelthorpe Avenue in Normal on May 26th at around 7:30 AM CDT. As a result of the strike, a fire broke out in the attic of the home. Damage was estimated at about $60,000.
August 2020Thunderstorm WindNormal$30,000A large tree was blown down onto 2 homes near Constitution Trail.
March 2017Thunderstorm WindNormal$25,000A portion of the Wilkins Hall roof was torn off and thrown onto an apartment on the campus of Illinois State University.
June 2010Thunderstorm WindNormal$25,000Large tree limbs were blown down.
August 2008Thunderstorm WindNormal$15,000Trees were blown down onto powerlines on the north side of Normal.
May 2023Flash FloodNormal$5,000Cars were stalled in flood water at the 500 block of North Fell Avenue.
March 2026Thunderstorm WindNormal-A power pole was snapped.
July 2025Flash FloodNormal-Water was flowing across the road near the intersection of College Avenue and Linden Street in Normal.
July 2025Thunderstorm WindNormal-A large spruce tree was snapped off on Center Street.
August 2024Thunderstorm WindNormal-A trained weather spotter estimated a wind gust of 60mph.
May 2023Thunderstorm WindNormal-A large tree was snapped at the base.
June 2023Thunderstorm WindNormal-Numerous large tree branches were blown down throughout Normal.
July 2020Thunderstorm WindNormal-A large tree limb was blown onto power lines at West College Avenue and Keiser Avenue in Normal.
July 2020Thunderstorm WindNormal-A large tree was blown down near the intersection of Kingsley Street and Dale Street in Normal prompting the closure of Kingsley Street.
July 2020Flash FloodNormal-Eight to twelve inches of water flooded the road near the 1000 block of North School Street in Normal. At least two vehicles stalled in the high water.
July 2020Flash FloodNormal-North Fell Avenue was flooded north of Willow Street in Normal.
May 2019Thunderstorm WindNormal-A large tree was blown onto a house.
July 2019Flash FloodNormal-Several streets were flooded on the north side of Normal. Vehicles were submerged in high water at School and Summit Street, Fell Avenue and Willow Street, and at Mulberry and Linden Street.
May 2019Thunderstorm WindNormal-A large tree was blown down at the intersection of College Avenue and Grove Street, blocking traffic.
May 2019Thunderstorm WindNormal-Tree branches were blown down near the intersection of Fort Jesse Road and Towanda Avenue.
March 2017Thunderstorm WindNormal-A fence was blown over and a mailbox was torn off its post.
May 2006Thunderstorm WindNormal-Numerous trees and power lines were blown down.
January 2005Flash FloodNormal-Many streets were flooded in town.
July 2004Tornado (F0)Normal-A tornado briefly touched down in a field. No damage or injuries were reported.
July 2004HailNormal-A large swath of hail fell from the northwest portions of McLean County southeastward to Saybrook. Most of the hail ranged in size from three quarters of an inch to one and three quarters of an inch. Four and one quarter inch hail was reported in Hudson.
July 2003Thunderstorm WindNormal-A downburst hit a large section of the Bloomington/Normal area. An 88 mph wind gust was measured at the Central Illinois Regional Airport in Bloomington. Numerous large trees were blown down, some of which fell onto a few homes causing minor to moderate roof damage. Also, numerous tree limbs and power lines were blown down. Some homes sustained shingle damage and several sheds were destroyed. No injuries were reported.
June 2003Thunderstorm WindNormal-Thunderstorm winds blew down several large tree limbs and power lines.
August 2001Thunderstorm WindNormal-Several trees were blown down.
July 1999Thunderstorm WindNormal-Several power lines were blown down in Normal.
May 2025HailNormal-no account filed
May 2025HailNormal-no account filed
May 2025HailNormal-no account filed
May 2025HailNormal-no account filed
May 2025HailNormal-no account filed
May 2025HailNormal-no account filed
May 2025HailNormal-no account filed
July 2024HailNormal-no account filed
September 2022HailNormal-no account filed
July 2020HailNormal-no account filed
July 2017HailNormal-no account filed
November 2013HailNormal-no account filed
November 2013HailNormal-no account filed
February 2011HailNormal-no account filed
February 2011HailNormal-no account filed
April 2006HailNormal-no account filed
April 2006HailNormal-no account filed
April 2006HailNormal-no account filed
March 2005HailNormal-no account filed
March 2005HailNormal-no account filed
July 2002HailNormal-no account filed
April 2001HailNormal-no account filed
August 2001HailNormal-no account filed
August 2000HailNormal-no account filed

Every storm recorded in McLean County

Map coverage status

No historic map-sheet match is published for this property yet. That does not mean no map exists. This record needs a coordinate-quality review before it can be joined to a sheet boundary. Browse the county's mapped places while that work is pending.

Listed places nearby

6 within 8 miles

Other National Register properties close enough to walk or drive between, ordered by distance from this one. Both positions come from the same geocoding pass that matched these properties to their map sheets.

Photograph PropertyDistance Listed
Cedar Crest Addition Historic District0.1 miles2006
Camelback Bridge0.3 miles1997
White Place Historic District0.4 miles1988
Franklin Square0.7 miles1976
Robert Greenlee House0.8 miles1997
Normal Theater0.9 miles1997

Sources for this property

National Archives recordThe nomination case file for reference 16000327 in Record Group 79.
Wikipedia articleCommunity-written account of this property, licensed CC BY-SA.
McLean CountyAll 35 listed properties in this county.

Provenance

  • Listing record. National Park Service National Register of Historic Places, listed-properties dataset, current to 2026-05-22.
  • Map join. Address geocoded through the United States Census geocoder, then tested against the published boundary of every sheet in the USGS Historical Topographic Map Collection.
  • How this page is made. Listing fields come from federal records; map-sheet coverage is a labelled coordinate-to-boundary calculation, not a source-field claim.
  • Wildfire. Short, Karen C. 2022. Spatial wildfire occurrence data for the United States, 1992-2020 [FPA_FOD_20221014]. 6th Edition. Fort Collins, CO: Forest Service Research Data Archive. https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2013-0009.6 Collected with United States Government funding and usable without additional permissions or fees.
  • Mines and quarries. USGS Mineral Resources Data System (MRDS) https://mrdata.usgs.gov/mrds/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.
  • Storms. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/stormevents/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105. Narratives are quoted verbatim from the National Weather Service report and are not edited or summarised.