Name This Peoria Landmark

Peoria Landmark #317

726 Main St. Currently houses Margie’s Cleaners.

Peoria Landmark #309

Alan says: “Jacob Gale House. Downtown Peoria across from the Labor Temple.”

According to the original National Register of Historic Places application {pdf} this house was built in the time period of 1839/1840 and is the oldest remaining single family home remaining downtown. According to Historic Peoria.com, it is also one of only three pre-civil war era buildings remaining downtown. (Can you name the other two?)

Judge Jacob Gale was elected Peoria’s Mayor for the years 1848/49 and again for the two year stint of 1864/65. He was Superintendent of Public Schools from 1857-61 and 1866-70.

This building, located at 403 NE Jefferson, was the former home of the Peoria Area Convention & Visitors Bureau, and is now houses the law offices of Prusak Winne & McKinley.

Peoria Landmark #282

* Photo by Themis.

This sits outside of Hoops Pub & Pizza in downtown Peoria. I don’t know what it exactly is, but it seems to be secured very solidly to the sidewalk.

Peoria Landmark #278

This interesting architectural detail can be found near the rear entrance to Illinois Antique Center on Commercial street near the corner at Liberty. The physical address is 311 SW Water St and resides in a building originally known as the The Clark Quien & Morse Building. It is now called Waterfront Place.

A Journal Star article dated Dec 3, 2008 says “The Water Street location has been a place to find “stuff” since the building was originally built by the Clark, Quien & Morse Co. in 1904 for wholesale hardware merchandise.  Clark’s bargains of the day – circa 1911 – included dynamite that sold for 34 cents a pound, roller skates at $1.50 a pair and a baseball glove for $3.50.”

While running some errands, I looked at thought the windows of these buildings in the 400 block of SW Washington and saw the sky.

I drove around through the alley, correctly identified by David as the alley backing up to 401 Water Street and took the original photo and this other below. The entirety of the buildings have been gutted with the exception of the front facade which I imagine will be getting a nice face lift. I don’t know what the interior looked like previously, but it must have been bad.

It’s heartening to see more preservation and renovation going on in this area.

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.

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