Downtown Quincy Historic District facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Downtown Quincy Historic District
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State Savings Loan & Trust Building on Maine St.
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 Location in Illinois
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| Location | Quincy, Illinois |
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| Built | Late 19th century to early 20th century |
| Architect | Multiple |
| NRHP reference No. | 83000298 |
| Added to NRHP | April 7, 1983 |
The Downtown Quincy Historic District is a special area in Quincy, Illinois, filled with many old buildings. These buildings show off the cool styles of the late 1800s and early 1900s. Back in the 1800s, Quincy was a busy place. People traveling west by train often stopped here. The mighty Mississippi River also helped Quincy grow. It made the city an important center for trade and business.
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Exploring Quincy's Historic Downtown
This part of Quincy is home to many interesting buildings and places. Each one has its own story!
Cool Buildings to See
The Elkton Hotel
The Elkton Hotel was built in 1924. Local architects Martin Geise and Harvey Chatten worked together on it. It was first meant to be the new home for the Elks Club. Look for the cool geometric shapes on its brick walls! In 1949, the top floors became apartments. The building was then called the Elkton Hotel. The old Elks Club rooms are now a popular restaurant called The Patio.
The History Museum
The History Museum building was finished in 1888. It first served as the Quincy Public Library. This building faces Washington Park and has a Romanesque Revival style. After being a library, it became the Gardner Museum of Architecture and Design. This museum showed off Quincy's amazing building history. It also had a huge collection of stained glass. Due to money problems, the museum closed in 2012. Most of its exhibits and stained glass were bought by the Historical Society of Quincy and Adams County. Today, the building is home to the History Museum. It displays many items from the Society's collections. The Historical Society also hosts special events about Quincy's rich past.
Hotel Quincy
The Hotel Quincy is a tall, 7-story building. It was finished in 1910. It was first known as the New Tremont Hotel. Today, it's an apartment complex. It also holds the television studio for WGEM-TV, a local NBC channel.
Illinois State Bank
Construction on the Illinois State Bank started in 1880. This seven-story building shows off the "Chicago-style" of architecture. Quincy architect Martin Geise designed it. The first floor, where the bank was, had a grand lobby. It was made of white Colorado marble with fancy ivory and gold details.
Kresge Building
The Kresge Building started being built in 1923. More construction happened in 1939. Architect Harold Holmes designed it. There was a small problem when developers only wanted two floors. The city rules said buildings needed three. So, they cleverly made two levels of windows. This way, they followed the rule while keeping their two-story plan!
In 1968, a big fire badly damaged the building. Its future looked uncertain. But Dale Kirlin Sr., who worked there when he was young, bought it. He fixed it up a lot. Then, his company, Kirlin's Hallmark, moved in.
- Free & Public Library, The District/WGEM
- Kresge Building, The District/WGEM
Lincoln-Douglas Apartment Building
The Lincoln-Douglas Apartment Building is an eight-story apartment complex. It has been renovated and now helps low-income seniors. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development helped fund it. This building is also the main studio for STARadio Corporation. This local company owns several radio stations in the area.
Masonic Temple
The Masonic Temple was built in 1911. It cost about $84,000. It has a Renaissance Revival design. Inside, you can find a reception hall, a parlor, a library, and an armory for the Knights Templar.
Quincy Post Office
The historic Quincy Post Office was built in 1887. It also served as the Adams County Courthouse for a while. The Post Office is designed in the Châteauesque style. Famous architect Mifflin E. Bell designed it. He was known for his government buildings. This Post Office was built with strong brick walls and a limestone outside. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1977.
Schott Building
The Schott Building was built in the 1890s by Swiss architect John Batschy. It shows influences from Romanesque Revival and Sullivanesque styles. Today, a restaurant is on the first floor. The building was also used a lot in the 2009 horror movie Hampshire: A Ghost Story.
S.J. Lesem Building
The S.J. Lesem Building is a four-story brick building. It has an Italian style. It was first used as a warehouse and finished in 1871. Now, the upper floors have lofts. The first floor is home to the Tiramisu Italian restaurant.
State Savings Loan and Trust
The State Street Savings Loan & Trust Building is a great example of Richardsonian Romanesque architecture. Chicago architects Patton & Fischer built it in 1892. In 1906, local architect Ernest M. Wood designed an addition. The bank had problems after the Great Depression. It was almost torn down. But George M. Irwin bought it in 1964. Irwin fixed it up. He changed the lobby into retail space. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1979. In January 2000, President Bill Clinton visited Quincy. This building was the backdrop for his visit.
Villa Katherine
The Villa Kathrine is a unique home built in 1900. It has a Moroccan style. It sits high on the bluffs, looking over the Mississippi River. A rich Quincy resident named W. George Metz built it. He loved Moroccan architecture from his travels. People say Metz wanted to live there with a woman he met, but she never moved to Illinois. The building was sold in 1912 and fell apart. Then, a local group called Friends of the Castle restored it. Today, the Villa Kathrine is Quincy's Visitor Center. You can even take tours of the home!
Washington Theater
The Washington Theater was built in 1924. It has 1480 seats. It was made for both live shows and movies. The building has cool Mediterranean and Byzantine architectural styles. It was updated in 1926 after Balaban & Katz bought it. For years, the theater hosted many vaudeville and silent film shows. But when movies got sound, it struggled. So, it got another upgrade to bring audiences back. The Kerasotes Theater chain bought it in 1971. They showed films there into the 1980s. Since then, the theater has changed owners several times and was neglected. Now, the City of Quincy owns it. An organization is working to fix it up and make it modern. They hope to open it again soon!
Western Catholic Union Building
The Western Catholic Union Building is an 11-story skyscraper in downtown Quincy. It was built in the Beaux-Arts style. A Catholic insurance group built it in 1925. It took two years to finish. This building had many features, like a rooftop garden, an auditorium, a barber shop, four bowling alleys, offices, a small gym, and a swimming pool in the basement! In 1929, the pool closed and was covered. This made room for more offices after a crack was found. Today, the WCU Building is still Quincy's tallest building.
Modern Attractions in Downtown Quincy
Oakley-Lindsay Center
The Oakley-Lindsay Center is a big convention center for Quincy, Illinois and the surrounding area. It opened in 1995 and cost $8 million. It's a major spot for conventions in the Quincy micropolitan area. It fills the gap between bigger cities like St. Louis and Iowa City, Iowa. It hosts concerts, wedding parties, rodeos, and many other events.
Quincy Newspapers Corporate Headquarters
The main office for Quincy Newspapers is in the southern part of downtown. This building is where the regional newspaper, the Quincy Herald-Whig, is printed. It also holds the company's main offices. The company owns several local TV stations across the Midwest. Their main TV station, WGEM, is located nearby in the Hotel Quincy.
Salvation Army's Ray & Joan KROC Center
Opened in 2011, the Salvation Army's Ray & Joan KROC Center is a modern community center. You need a membership to use it. It has cool features like an indoor swimming pool with a slide. There's also a 499-seat auditorium, gyms, a game room, and a cafe. It even earned a silver LEED certificate for being good for the environment!
Looking for Lincoln
Throughout downtown Quincy, you'll find special information plaques. These plaques tell stories about US President Abraham Lincoln's life in Illinois. They mostly follow his time as a lawyer in this part of the state.
Washington Park
Washington Park is Quincy's very first park. It was once called John's Square, named after the city's founder, John Wood. This park was the site of the sixth famous debate between Abraham Lincoln and Stephen A. Douglas. They debated the big issues of slavery and national unity. A huge crowd of 10,000 to 15,000 people came to listen! In 1994, a re-enactment of the debates was shown on TV by C-SPAN. Washington Park is also where many of Quincy's fun events happen. These include the Dogwood Festival, Blues in the District, and the Midsummer Art Festival.
Former Downtown Buildings
Newcomb Hotel
The Newcomb Hotel was a large, five-story hotel with 130 rooms. It was built in 1888. It was next to the Gardner Museum and Washington Park. St. Louis architect Issac S. Taylor designed it. Quincy-Chicago businessman Richard Newcomb, who owned the Gem City Paper Mill, paid for it. The hotel opened on the same day President Benjamin Harrison was sworn in. A big party was held for him! For a time, it was thought to be the best hotel in Illinois outside of Chicago.
A major fire hit the hotel in 1904, killing two workers. Over the years, the hotel fell apart because it was not taken care of. In 2013, it was listed as one of Illinois' most endangered historic places. On September 6, 2013, another fire caused huge damage. It was considered a complete loss and was torn down the next Sunday.
Old Adams County Courthouse
On April 12, 1945, a tornado tore through Quincy's business district. It badly damaged the courthouse. The wind was so strong it blew the roof off! The building was too damaged to fix. This happened just a few hours after news reached Quincy about President Roosevelt's death. Some people joked that "FDR and God were just fighting over the power up there."
Fun Annual Events
The Downtown Quincy Historic District hosts several big events every year.
- During summer, Washington Park holds Blues in the District. This is a free concert with many blues musicians.
- Washington Park is also the spot for the local Farmers' market.
- The Midsummer Arts Faire is an event that shows off art from artists all around the region.
- Amusement rides fill the town square during the Dogwood Parade and Festival in May.
- Basketball players from all over the region come to play in the 3-on-3 Gus Macker tournament later in May.
Gallery
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The former Gardner Museum of Architecture and Design
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The S.J. Lesem Building
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State Savings Loan and Trust
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Washington Park
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United States Post Office, Quincy
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Villa Katherine
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Ernest M. Wood Office and Studio
Images for kids
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St. John's Anglican Parish and Cathedral
