Peoria Lock and Dam Historic District | |
Location | 1071 Wesley Rd., Creve Coeur, Illinois |
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Coordinates | 40°37′55″N 89°37′30″W / 40.63194°N 89.62500°W |
Area | 27.3 acres (11.0 ha) |
Built | 1938 | -39
Architect | LeGromwell, Paul |
MPS | Illinois Waterway Navigation System Facilities MPS |
NRHP reference No. | 04000169[1] |
Added to NRHP | March 10, 2004 |
The Peoria Lock and Dam is a historic lock and dam complex on the Illinois River at Creve Coeur, Illinois. The complex was built in 1938-39 as part of an effort to make the river navigable and establish a route for barges between Chicago and the Mississippi River.[2][3] The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers designed the complex; their influence is particularly evident in the dam's control station, as the State of Illinois designed most other dam control stations along the river. The lock has a standard 100-by-600-foot (30 m × 183 m) chamber, similar to other locks on the river, and a vertical lift of 11 feet (3.4 m). The dam is 536 feet (163 m) long and includes 108 wicket gates and a Tainter gate; it is one of two Illinois dams that still use wicket gates.[4] The control station is for the most part a large, functional building, though it has Art Deco surrounds at the main entrance. The district also contains an original maneuver boat designed to raise and lower the dam's wicket gates; the boat is still used and is one of four boats of its kind left in the United States.[5]
The complex was added to the National Register of Historic Places on March 10, 2004.[1]
Significant repairs were made during July through October 2020.[6][7][8] After securing a multi-million dollar federal funding appropriation in 2022, the Peoria Lock and Dam is expected to further update its infrastructure.[3][9]