Charles Crusoe House — 313-315 South Ottawa Street

The Crusoe House is a 2½-story, frame, two-unit residence built on a Joliet limestone foundation in 1892. The structure has a fore-and-aft gabled roof and is defined by a 2-story, shed roof porch located on the front façade, which is a later addition. The two front entry doors are located at the north of the front façade, inset to the plane of the original building.

The structure was the home of Charles Crusoe, a famous Joliet jazz musician who colored Joliet’s musical landscape for decades with big band jazz that filled ballrooms and theatres. The Charles Crusoe Orchestra was known as the “Cotton Pickers” in their early days.