Thirty-six buildings in a five-block area of downtown Litchfield contribute to the Historic Commercial District established in 1996.

Walk the sidewalks of Litchfield’s downtown and the city’s history looms large. Many of the historic buildings that frame the city’s main street were built as early as the 1800s.

More than 100 years later, the city’s downtown was designated a Historic Commercial District by the National Park Service and placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1996.

“The district is significant as a uniform collection of late 19th and 20th century commercial buildings...,” according to the National Register of Historic Places. “The buildings are strongly associated with Litchfield’s historic role as an agricultural trade center on the St. Paul and Pacific (later known as the Great Northern) railroad line.”

Owning a piece of history, however, is not easy. While 36 of the buildings in the Historic Commercial District hold architectural significance, according to the National Park Service, they also carry with them significant challenges in terms of maintenance and repair.

As owners have tried through the years to oversee the upkeep of their aging buildings, some of the historic architectural significance of the structures either has been covered up or altered.

Litchfield City Council made a series of decisions in 2008 to help supporters explore saving the Historic Commercial District’s interesting architectural features and help building owners in the process.

The first step was creation of a committee to look at establishing a certified local government. If established, a CLG could help the historic downtown attract federal grants through the State Historic Preservation Office.

The Downtown Historic Committee interviewed building owners in early 2008 and found most to be receptive of the certified local government idea. Later in the year, the City Council appointed several representatives to a Historic Preservation Committee, which is charged with reviewing historic preservation ordinances established in other cities around the state and eventually proposing such an ordinance for Litchfield. The ordinance would be one of the last steps in establishing a certified local government, a kind of historic planning commission that could oversee preservation efforts in the district and help attract federal and state funding for such preservation.

Some business owners have expressed concern about the restrictions that a CLG would put on building owners.

Among the comments offered by building owners who were interviewed by the Downtown Historic Committee were concerns such as “the local CLG needs education and common sense” and “do not want anyone telling us what to do with our property.”

Council member Connie Lies, a committee member, explained that a certified local government’s power could fall in a wide range. The only thing for certain, according to Lies, is that to have a CLG, the city would need an ordinance addressing the demolition of historic buildings.

Lies said she thinks a CLG would not be viewed as restrictive if it could help attract financing that would assist owners in maintaining their building’s historic character.
In its designation, the National Park Service recognized the architectural significance of 36 buildings in a five-block area of Litchfield’s downtown.

Twenty-four of those buildings were built before 1900. And 14 of the buildings are Italianate-style, which is “an unusually large number for a central business district sited in central Minnesota.”

Litchfield’s Commercial Historic District
The Litchfield Commercial Historic District, as defined by the National Register of Historic Places, encompasses most of the central business district. The district has 48 properties, including 36 “contributing” buildings.

Most of the buildings in the district are two-story, brick commercial buildings constructed between 1882 and 1940. At least 15 were built of cream-colored brick manufactured in Litchfield. About 24 of the 46 buildings were built before 1900. About 14 of the buildings were built between 1900 and 1930. Four were built between 1930 and 1945, and four are post-World War II construction. The latter four are non-contributing because they postdate the period of significance.