SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) – The building that once housed President Abraham Lincoln’s law office in Springfield will soon be opened as a tourist welcome center.
The State Journal-Register reports that the first floor of the Lincoln-Herndon Law Offices historic site will open next month as an extension of the Springfield Convention and Visitors Bureau.
Bureau Tourism Manager Jeff Berg says building renovations and amenities for the center have cost about $100,000. Funds for the project came from the bureau’s budget, which is funded by the city’s hotel-motel tax.
Troy Gilmore is the superintendent of state historic sites. He says the second and third floors have recreations of Lincoln’s law office and a federal courtroom that operated while Lincoln was practicing law. He says the floors will remain closed to the public.