Simon Hausser House - 600 North Broadway

The building at 600 North Broadway Street has both architectural and historical significance. It is a simple, two-story, Italianate style house. The cross-gable roof line, arch topped windows with heavy stone hoods, and tall, narrow, paneled entry door with a single-light transom reflect the Italianate style. The walls are limestone under stucco (which has been painted white for several decades). This house was built by German immigrants, and their cultural influence is visible in this home’s simple massing and minimal architectural detail. The property has retained some of its early limestone sidewalks and a hitching post on Broadway Street side.

The period of significance for this home is 1872. According to the Genealogical and Biographical Record of Will County Illinois, Simon Hausser built this house in 1872. However, a house does appear at this location on the 1862 Map of Joliet, so it is possible that the house was built much earlier.

Mr. Hausser was a stone mason and, with his brother Jacob, established and operated a quarry to the south of his home at 600 N. Broadway. The quarry was bounded by Stone, Broadway, Bridge and Bluffs streets. Limestone from Hausser’s quarry was used for St. John’s Church (2 blocks from the quarry site), Old St. Joseph’s Hospital (demolished) and Old Jefferson St. Bridge (demolished). Simon Hausser was one of the City’s leading German residents. He was one of the first building contractors and supervised the construction of St. John’s Church, Old St. Joseph’s Hospital (demolished), the county jail and other important structures. Mr. Hausser was also responsible for constructing numerous other stone houses in this German area of Joliet. Simon Hausser sat on several prominent Joliet commissions as well as served as Third Ward alderman. He was also instrumental in establishing St. John’s (German) Catholic Church.

The house appears to have been converted into a two-unit in the 1920s. In the 1930’s the house was listed as a residence as well as West Side Print Shop and Avsec Brothers Printer. The Avsec family ran a successful print shop out of this house until 1958 when they moved their business to 825 Plainfield Road, where they remained in operation until the mid-1990s. By 1965, the building was converted into a four-unit.  The house is in the Bicentennials Bluffs Neighborhood, which was one of the earliest settlement locations, near several other historically significant homes.