Historic Commercial District of Francesville Listed on National Register
The effort to list Francesville’s historic downtown area came to fruition when word was received the historic district was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on September 2, 2025.
Work began in early 2023 when representatives from Uptown Project, the town’s Main Street organization, met with historic preservation consultant, Kurt West Garner, to review and walk the area identified as potentially eligible for the honorary status. Uptown Project members worked with Garner through the process that could result in additional investment and grant assistance to building owners in the district.
K. W. Garner Consulting was contracted to submit a nomination for the district to the state historic preservation office, which was completed in August 2023. The process at the state level takes about 18 months to work through reviews, the final one occurred on July 16, at which time the district received a recommendation for listing to the National Park Service, keeper of the National Register.
The Francesville Historic Commercial District contains over 40 buildings and includes four church buildings, the historic Carnegie Library, post office, and town hall-fire station. The district’s historic period of significance spans nearly 100 years, from 1887 through 1967, dating from the earliest to latest contributing structures in architectural styles that range from Italianate, Queen Anne, Gothic, Neoclassical, Craftsman, and Spanish Colonial.
The National Register of Historic Places is a function of the National Historic Preservation Act, established in 1966, to recognize sites and buildings that are important to our heritage. The program provides for rehabilitation tax credits and grants for qualifying work to homeowners and for-profit and non-profit entities, including churches and municipalities, respectively. Francesville joins other nearby Hoosier cities in this recognition, and the hope of Uptown Project is that property owners will take advantage of the programs offered.
Pulaski County Historical Society
