There are several great places in La Salle County, but three in particular received special recognition among a statewide committee of architects.

To celebrate the state’s bicentennial, the American Institute of Architects named the 200 great places across the state, including St. Columba Church in Ottawa, Hegeler Carus Mansion in La Salle and Starved Rock Lodge near Utica.

The list also includes the Pioneer Gothic Church in Dwight, the Livingston County Courthouse in Pontiac and the Farnsworth House in Plano.

These places were selected by architects working with local officials and other organizations.

St. Columba Catholic Church, 122 W. Washington St., Ottawa, was built in 1882.

Its brick Gothic Revival design is a style that was widespread in Northern Germany, Scandinavia, and the Baltic countries, where tall wall buttresses, lancet windows with stone tracery and load-bearing masonry prevail, according to the AIA.

The church recently underwent a rehabilitation, in which the slate roof was replaced, structural repairs were made to the wood roof framing and original stained-glass windows were removed, restored and reinstalled with protective storm windows.

The Hegeler Carus Mansion, 1307 Seventh St., La Salle, was designed in the Second Empire style by W. W. Boyington, the architect of Chicago’s famous Water Tower.

The 16,000-square-foot, seven-level home features a mansard roof, dormer windows, molded cornices, decorative brackets and a tower crowned by a 30-foot cupola, according to the AIA.

Because zinc was readily available from the nearby Matthiessen & Hegeler Zinc Company, the metal, which doesn’t rust, is used throughout the mansion. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1995 and was nominated as a National Historic Landmark in 2006.

Built on a wooded bluff overlooking Starved Rock State Park and the Illinois River, the Lodge was part of a concerted effort by officials to expand and make more accessible the Illinois state park system, according to the AIA.

Built to rival more expensive private resorts, the labor to build the lodge and cabins at several state parks was delivered through the New Deal program, the Civilian Conservation Corps.

The Lodge, although modernized and updated, still retains “the massive natural charm and rustic beauty of the original stone and heavy timber construction and much of its historic furnishings,” according to the AIA.

The site was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1985.

“We are honored to be awarded this distinction,” said Lodge CEO/Concessionaire Amy Trimble, in a statement. “It’s an ongoing process to maintain the historical integrity of the Lodge by repainting, adding new windows and keeping our interior spaces updated to give our guests the best experience possible.”

The 200 Great Places list emphasizes “the collective sense of place created in cities and towns as well as buildings designed by individual architects,” according to the association. The list of 200 expands upon a list of 150 that was made in 2007 to celebrate the association’s 150th anniversary.

Go to illinoisgreatplaces.com to find a complete list.