ROCKFORD (WIFR) — Two properties in Rockford were listed in the National Register of Historic Places by the U.S. Department of the Interior on August 28. Their inclusion in this prestigious national list was announced by the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency, which administers the National Register program in Illinois.

The 1949 Kenneth and Phyllis Laurent House was designed by famed architect Frank Lloyd Wright. Ken was a World War II veteran who used a wheelchair. Wright’s one-story Usonian style house was adopted to provide better accessibility, a major design innovation in 1949. The Laurents lived in this house until 2011. The house and furnishings were subsequently purchased by a local foundation and they plan to make it available for public tours in 2013.

The 1891 vintage Greenwood Chapel and Crematory is an excellent example of Romanesque Revival architecture using the buff-colored limestone common to northern Illinois. The structure was altered to include a crematory in the 1920s, which continues in use today.

The two properties were recommended for listing in the National Register by the Illinois Historic Sites Advisory Council in July. The recommendations were forwarded to the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency, and Agency Director Amy Martin concurred and sent the nominations to the National Park Service in Washington, DC for a final determination.

The National Register of Historic Places is the official list of the nation’s historic places worthy of preservation. Thousands of Illinois historic and prehistoric places have been designated and each year more places are added by applicants who want the prestige, financial benefits, and protections that National Register designation provides. Every one of the 102 Illinois counties has at least one property or historic district listed in the National Register. High-style mansions, vernacular houses, burial mounds, military aircraft, canals, and historic downtowns together represent a cross section of the Prairie State’s history from its early settlement to the mid-20th century. In general, properties have to be more than 50 years old to be eligible. Listing on the National Register places no obligations on private property owners but does make properties eligible for some financial incentives. For more information on the National Register application process, visit http://www.illinoishistory.gov/PS/applynr.htm.