View source for Lockport Powerhouse

{{Use American English|date=January 2025}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2023}}
{{Infobox NRHP
| name         = Lockport Lock, Dam and Power House Historic District
| nrhp_type    = hd
| nocat        = yes
| image        = Lockport1.jpg
| caption      = Lockport Dam, Lock and Powerhouse
| nearest_city = [[Lockport Township, Will County, Illinois|Lockport Township]], near [[Lockport, Illinois]]
| coordinates  = {{coord|41|34|10|N|88|04|44|W|display=inline,title}}
| locmapin     = Illinois#USA
| mapframe             = yes
| mapframe-marker      = building
| mapframe-zoom        = 12
|mapframe-caption      = Interactive map showing the location of Lockport Powerhouse
| built        = 1910
| architect    = Frederick L. Barrett (power house)
| engineer     = Isham Randolph (original lock)<br>Walter M. Smith (control station), Illinois state engineers (Navigation lock)<br> M.G. Barnes, Walter M. Smith, R.S. Heath, Fred Hendershot (Lockport)
| builder      = Joseph J. Duffy, Lorimer & Gallacher Co (original lock)<br>Green & Sons co (Navigation lock)<br>Schmidt Brothers Construction Co (control station)
| architecture = Renaissance
| added        = March 10, 2004
| area         = {{convert|44.2|acre}}
| mpsub        = Illinois Waterway Navigation System Facilities MPS
| refnum       = 04000167<ref name="nris">{{NRISref|version=2010a}}</ref>
}}
The '''Lockport Powerhouse''' is an American [[run-of-the-river]] [[dam]] used by the [[Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago]] to control the outflow of the [[Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal|Sanitary and Ship Canal]] and limit the diversion of water from [[Lake Michigan]] into the [[Des Plaines River]].

==History==
The [[Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal]] reached [[Lockport, Illinois]] in the 1890s. As part of this construction, a lock and dam was built in Lockport. Seven waste gates, used to control the level of water in the canal and [[Des Plaines River]], were part of this project.{{sfn|Belden|2012|p=92}} From 1903 to 1907, the canal was extended from Lockport to [[Joliet, Illinois|Joliet]]. Construction on the Lockport Powerhouse began as part of this extension in 1905. Designed by Frederick L. Barrett, the red-roofed [[Beaux Arts architecture|Beaux Arts]] powerhouse was constructed with concrete blocks coursed to resemble stone. The powerhouse featured four Francis-style [[turbine]]s to generate electrical power, capable of generating {{convert|40000|hp}}. These turbines have since been replaced with two vertical [[Kaplan turbines]]. The powerhouse was also the home of the waste gate controls. The lock and gates were designed to manage a {{convert|40|ft|adj=on}} drop in canal elevation between the two municipalities.{{sfn|Belden|2012|p=99}}

A second phase of construction occurred from 1922 to 1933 to handle differing water loads following the opening of the [[Ohio River Standard Navigation Lock]]. First operational in 1907, the powerhouse is now recognized as the oldest hydroelectric plant in Illinois.{{sfn|Belden|2012|p=109–110}} The Lockport Lock, Dam and Power House Historic District was recognized by the [[National Park Service]] with a listing on the [[National Register of Historic Places]] on March 10, 2004.<ref name="nris"/>

==Navigation Lock==
The lock next to the dam & powerhouse is largely used for barge traffic and has a 39 foot (11.8 meters) drop. It is the second of eight locks on the [[Illinois Waterway]] connecting Lake Michigan to the Mississippi River.

==References==
{{reflist}}
*{{cite book|last=Belden|first=David A.|title=Illinois and Michigan Canal|year=2012|series=Images of America|publisher=Arcadia Publishing|place=Charleston, SC|isbn=978-0738582979}}

== External links ==
{{stack|{{Portal|Illinois|Water|Renewable energy}}}}
{{commonscat-inline}}
* [https://mwrd.org/lockport-powerhouse Lockport Powerhouse]
* [http://imcanal.lewisu.edu/ I&M Canal Photo History]
* [http://www.eia.doe.gov/cneaf/electricity/ipp/ipp2.pdf Inventory of Nonutility Electric Power Plants in the United States 2000 (PDF)]
* [http://www.nationalregisterofhistoricplaces.com/IL/Will/state.html National Register of Historic Places] (Will County, Illinois)

{{Crossings navbox
|structure=Crossings
|place=[[Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal]]
|bridge=Lockport Powerhouse
|bridge signs=
|upstream=9th Street bridge
|upstream signs=[[File:Illinois 7.svg|20px]]
|downstream=[[Canadian National Railway|CN]]/[[EJ&E]] bridge
|downstream signs=
|note=
}}
{{National Register of Historic Places}}
{{Will County, Illinois}}

[[Category:Buildings and structures in Will County, Illinois]]
[[Category:Hydroelectric power plants in Illinois]]
[[Category:Lockport, Illinois]]
[[Category:Dams completed in 1907]]
[[Category:Dams on the National Register of Historic Places in Illinois]]
[[Category:Energy infrastructure completed in 1907]]
[[Category:Energy infrastructure on the National Register of Historic Places]]
[[Category:Locks on the National Register of Historic Places in Illinois]]
[[Category:Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Illinois]]
[[Category:National Register of Historic Places in Will County, Illinois]]
[[Category:Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago]]