Button House | Since 1868
The Button House has served as Aledo’s primary landmark for more than 150 years. The three-story brick building on the corner of College Avenue and Main Street was originally begun in 1856, only a year after Aledo was founded, but was rebuilt from the ground up after a fire in 1867. Although some of the original architectural features have changed in the last centuries, it has held a special place in the heart of the town and continues to be a beautiful, potential-filled addition to Aledo’s historic downtown.
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The hotel was first erected by some of the town’s founders, Judge John S. Thompson and Levi Willits, in 1856. At the time there was only the anticipation of a railroad and guests to the hotel, but the Barton House (after the newly hired hotel operator) was ready for progress. The first social event in Aledo was the 1857 opening ball. The building was so important as a landmark that businesses in town advertised their locations by where they were in relation to the Barton House.
When the building burned to the ground in November 1867, the town banded together to help the new owner, Schuyler Button, rescue what they could from the lower levels. The newspapers reported that the town “keenly felt the severity of the blow”.
The newspapers did not mourn for long, documenting the construction of the existing building beginning in March—Schuyler Button himself helping lay bricks for the new, slightly smaller hotel. The Button House was hosting parties by Christmastime of 1868, and was ready for the arrival of the first Aledo train in 1869.
The Button House hosted guests, travelers, visiting dental surgeons, photographers, and more. By the 1890s it became the Hotel Livermore, adding bathrooms on each floor and electric lighting. The hotel closed in 1902 and the retail windows and upper offices were added, which have seen many changing businesses and shops throughout the last century.
101 N College Avenue, Aledo, IL 61231