tsheets knows his landmarks. “Is it the Cohen’s Furniture building on Oak / Washington??” 800 SW Washington, to be exact.
Cohen’s vacated this building in 1997 and ceased all operations in 2006. Used But Nice furniture was this handsome building’s most recent tenant, but it now sits vacant.
Original photo courtesy of Josh Harris.
According to Bradley University’s website, the Markin Family Student Recreation Center will contain a jogging/walking track, swimming pool, weight training, aerobics and fitness facility, four basketball courts for intramural games, championship basketball court and a juice bar and café.
The Markin Rec Center is named after David Markin, current resident of Kalamazoo, Michigan and 1953 Bradley graduate who donated $1 million to help build Bradley’s David R. Markin Tennis Courts and $8 million towards this project; also from Bradley’s website:
David Markin received his bachelor’s degree in business in 1953. As a student at Bradley, he was captain of the tennis team and a co-founder and president of his fraternity, Alpha Epsilon Pi. Following graduation he joined his family’s business, Checker Motors Co. As its CEO, he expanded the company from a manufacturer of a single product to a major supplier to the automobile industry. On the national tennis scene, Mr. Markin served as president of the United States Tennis Association and piloted the development and building of the Arthur Ashe Stadium in Flushing Meadows, New York.
Mr. Markin is the only individual to twice receive Bradley’s President’s Award for leadership, service, and philanthropic support. He is a Bradley Centurion and was the 1999 recipient of the Distinguished Alumnus Award. He served on the Bradley Board of Trustees from 1992 to 2004 and is now an honorary member. The David R. Markin Tennis Courts, dedicated in 1998, were named in honor of his generous support to the University, and ground was broken for the Markin Family Student Recreation Center in the spring of 2007. The Markin Center is projected to be completed in the fall of 2008.
* Inside photos courtesy of an anonymous reader.
feldencat Says: “The very first Glen Oak School was located in a frame house at 903 E. Frye Avenue. In 1898, Glen Oak School opened in a three-room frame building at the corner of Atlantic and Republic Streets.”
The web site from which I borrowed this photo says simply “Glen Oak School circa 1885.”
For the record, the current Glen Oak Primary School, whose days are numbered, is located at 809 E. Frye Ave.
For those who like a challenge…
Honestly, I didn’t think anyone would know what this was. “Sam” proved that I should never underestimate my readers.
‘The Old Reservior’ The original reservoir was built in 1890-91 up on Grand Boulevard. Three steam engines at the Main pump house at river level could pump over 7 million gallons of water a day up the hill to the reservoir. Lined with over 870,000 paving bricks, the reservoir could store over 19 million gallons of water and had a maximum depth of 40 feet. When use was discontinued, the steam engines were replaced by electric motors, and the land donated to the Peoria Public School District. The reservoir has since been filled in and is used as athletic fields for adjoining Washington Gifted School.
Picture and text from the CityLink 2001 calendar.
Located in Liberty Park along the riverfront, renowned local artist Preston Jackson describes it in his resume as follows:
Private Commission donated to the City of Peoria
“Our Town”, 10 X 12 foot Steel Cityscape, Painted Steel
