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Photograph of Clark R. Griggs House
Photograph by Dori, CC BY-SA 3.0 us. Via Wikimedia Commons.

Clark R. Griggs House

Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978.

From the record

“Griggs House is a historic house located at 505 W. The house was built in 1871 by Clark Robinson Griggs; Griggs was a railroad developer who served as Urbana's mayor and was a key figure in establishing the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in the city.”

Wikipedia article Clark R. Griggs House, CC BY-SA 4.0.

One of 61 National Register listings published here for Champaign County · listed in 1978 · category: Building.

Sources: the Wikipedia article · the case file at the National Archives · the National Register database, National Park Service

The listing

  • What is counted as historic. The nomination lists 1 building as contributing to the listing.
  • Listed as. Griggs, Clark R., House - the National Register files a house under its owner's surname.
  • Address. 505 W. Main St., Urbana, 61801
  • When was it listed? November 1978
  • Category. building
  • Township. Cunningham township
  • National Register reference number. 78001116 - the number the National Park Service assigned this property when it was listed, and the key its nomination file is catalogued under at the National Archives.

Fires near this property

13 since 2007

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 13 fires within 5 miles of Clark R. Griggs House in 2007, burning about 130 acres in total. 1 started naturally. 2 were 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/undetermined6
Equipment and vehicle use2
Arson/incendiarism2
Smoking2
Natural1

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
6 September 2007Missing data/not specified/undetermined1.0 acresIllinois Division of Forestry Resourcesnot named
22 September 2007Missing data/not specified/undetermined1.0 acresIllinois Division of Forestry Resourcesnot named
2 September 2007Smoking10 acresIllinois Division of Forestry Resourcesnot named
18 September 2007Arson/incendiarism10 acresIllinois Division of Forestry Resourcesnot named
11 August 2007Smoking1.0 acresIllinois Division of Forestry Resourcesnot named
7 June 2007Missing data/not specified/undetermined6.0 acresIllinois Division of Forestry Resourcesnot named
15 June 2007Missing data/not specified/undetermined1.0 acresIllinois Division of Forestry Resourcesnot named
11 June 2007Natural2.0 acresIllinois Division of Forestry Resourcesnot named

Every fire recorded in Champaign County

Mines and quarries near this property

2 within 5 miles

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 2 workings within 5 miles of Clark R. Griggs House: 2 past producers. None of them still produces. What was taken out: Stone, Crushed/Broken. 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
Champaign City Hwy DeptStone, Crushed/BrokenPast Producer
Urbana City EngStone, Crushed/BrokenPast Producer

Every working recorded in Champaign County

Storms near this property

44 since 1999

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Urbana, the town this property stands in, in 44 storm reports between 1999 and 2026: 28 thunderstorm wind, 10 hail, 3 tornado, 2 flood. 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
July 2020HailUrbana$5,000,000Golf ball-sized hail on the east side of Urbana. The hail was driven by 60 mph winds which resulted in damage to hundreds of house roofs and numerous automobiles, including at a car dealership.
May 2011Thunderstorm WindUrbana$90,000Several powerlines and power poles were blown down in Urbana.
June 2019Thunderstorm WindUrbana$80,000Power outages were reported due to numerous downed trees in Urbana.
June 2011Thunderstorm WindUrbana$50,000Several 6-inch diameter tree branches were blown down in Urbana.
May 2011Thunderstorm WindUrbana$30,000Several powerlines were blown down.
August 2020Thunderstorm WindUrbana$22,000Two large trees were blown down and shingles were damaged.
July 2014Thunderstorm WindUrbana$22,000Trees were blown down in Mount Hope Cemetery in Urbana.
August 2009Thunderstorm WindUrbana$15,000A few large tree branches were blown down onto power lines in Urbana. Approximately 3000 customers lost electricity.
June 2013Thunderstorm WindUrbana$10,000A large tree was blown onto a house in Urbana.
July 2014Thunderstorm WindUrbana$9,000A few trees and large tree branches were blown down near Florida and Orchard in Urbana.
July 2007Thunderstorm WindUrbana$2,000Doors ripped off an outbuilding east of Urbana.
August 2025Thunderstorm WindUrbana-Part of a metal roof was blown off a building at South Farms UIUC.
July 2024Thunderstorm WindUrbana-Considerable tree damage, including an estimated 12 to 24 inch diameter tree limb, were blown down onto a house producing structural damage.
July 2024Thunderstorm WindUrbana-Numerous large trees and tree branches were blown down, including some onto cars or houses.
April 2024Thunderstorm WindUrbana-A tree was blown down at Grange Grove on the University of Illinois campus.
June 2024Thunderstorm WindUrbana-Two 50-foot trees were snapped.
June 2024Thunderstorm WindUrbana-A few tree branches were blown down.
June 2023Thunderstorm WindUrbana-Numerous tree branches were blown down.
June 2023Thunderstorm WindUrbana-A power line was blown down, blocking Glover Avenue.
June 2023Thunderstorm WindUrbana-Several tree branches were blown down.
June 2023Thunderstorm WindUrbana-A large tree was blown down on Grange Drive.
May 2019Thunderstorm WindUrbana-Numerous trees were blown down, and the roof of a house was damaged.
May 2019Thunderstorm WindUrbana-Several tree branches were broken on the east side of Urbana.
May 2019Tornado (EF1)Urbana-A tornado touched down near Race Street and McHenry Street in Urbana at 11:27 PM CDT May 25th. The tornado damaged numerous trees as it traveled to the east-southeast just south of McHenry Street before dissipating west of Philo Road in Urbana at 11:29 PM CDT.
May 2017FloodUrbana-Rain amounts of 2.50 to 3.00 inches in about a two hour period during the evening hours, on already saturated ground, resulted in flash flooding across southern Champaign County. Several streets in Urbana were impassable. Numerous rural roads and highways in the southern part of the county from Pesotum to Broadlands were inundated. An additional 1.00 to 2.00 inches of rain occurred on April 30th, keeping many roads flooded. As a result, areal flooding continued until the late morning hours of May 1st.
April 2017Flash FloodUrbana-Rain amounts of 2.50 to 3.00 inches in about a two hour period during the evening hours, on already saturated ground, resulted in flash flooding across southern Champaign County. Several streets in Urbana were impassable. Numerous rural roads and highways in the southern part of the county from Pesotum to Broadlands were inundated.
April 2017FloodUrbana-Rain amounts of 2.50 to 3.00 inches in about a two hour period during the evening hours, on already saturated ground, resulted in flash flooding across southern Champaign County. Several streets in Urbana were impassable. Numerous rural roads and highways in the southern part of the county from Pesotum to Broadlands were inundated. An additional 1.00 to 2.00 inches of rain occurred on April 30th, keeping many roads flooded. As a result, areal flooding continued until the late morning hours of May 1st.
May 2013Thunderstorm WindUrbana-A flag pole was snapped.
August 2007Thunderstorm WindUrbana-A few shingles torn from roofs and tree branches were blown down.|
June 2005Thunderstorm WindUrbana-Few trees blown down near intersection of Busey and Green.
July 2002Thunderstorm WindUrbana-Several power lines were blown down around town and a power pole was snapped off.
May 2000Thunderstorm WindUrbana-Several trees were broken off at the base half a mile east of Illinois Route 130, 2 miles east of Urbana.
June 1999Tornado (F0)Urbana-A tornado briefly touched down in a field 6 miles north of Urbana. No damage was reported.
June 1999Tornado (F0)Urbana-A tornado briefly touched down in a field 5 miles southeast of Urbana. No damage was reported.
March 2026HailUrbana-no account filed
March 2026HailUrbana-no account filed
February 2023HailUrbana-no account filed
June 2022HailUrbana-no account filed
March 2012HailUrbana-no account filed
July 2012HailUrbana-no account filed
April 2007HailUrbana-no account filed
July 2007HailUrbana-no account filed
June 2005Thunderstorm WindUrbana-no account filed
June 2002HailUrbana-no account filed

Every storm recorded in Champaign 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
Elm Street Court0.1 miles2000
Greek Revival Cottage0.2 miles1977
Downtown Urbana Historic District0.3 miles2019
Urbana-Lincoln Hotel-Lincoln Square Mall0.4 miles2006
Building at 203-205 North Market Street0.5 miles1997
Joseph W. Royer House and Ella Danely Cottage0.5 miles2022

Sources for this property

National Archives recordThe nomination case file for reference 78001116 in Record Group 79.
Wikipedia articleCommunity-written account of this property, licensed CC BY-SA.
Champaign CountyAll 61 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.