Urbana-Lincoln Hotel-Lincoln Square Mall facts for kids
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Urbana--Lincoln Hotel--Lincoln Square Mall
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 Location in Illinois
Location in the United States
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| Location | 300 S. Broadway Ave., Urbana, Illinois |
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| Area | 13.9 acres (5.6 ha) |
| Built | 1923 |
| Architect | Royer, Joseph; Gruen, Victor |
| Architectural style | Tudor Revival |
| NRHP reference No. | 06000778 |
| Added to NRHP | September 8, 2006 |
The Urbana-Lincoln Hotel – Lincoln Square Mall is a special group of buildings in Urbana, Illinois. It includes a historic hotel and a shopping mall. The hotel was built in 1923. It has a unique look called Tudor Revival. Later, in 1964, the mall was added next to the hotel. It was one of the very first indoor shopping malls in Illinois! Because of its history, the whole complex was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2006. As of 2017, the mall was still open, but the hotel was closed.
The Urbana-Lincoln Hotel's Story
In 1921, a local group called the Urbana Hotel Company wanted to build a new hotel. They raised money by selling shares, and construction began in 1923. The hotel opened its doors in November of that year. It was officially dedicated on January 31, 1924.
A local architect named Joseph Royer designed the hotel. He used the Tudor Revival style. This style often features decorative wood beams on the outside, which you can see on the hotel.
The hotel faced financial challenges and went bankrupt in 1937. However, it stayed open after the company was reorganized. A new company took over in 1944 and updated the hotel. The hotel was later sold to the mall owners. It closed in 1975 and was almost torn down.
Luckily, the Jumer Hotel chain bought it in the 1970s. They fixed it up and reopened it. An addition was built in 1982. The hotel changed owners several times after 2001. In 2010, a developer named Xiao Jin "XJ" Yuan bought it. He renamed it the Urbana Landmark Hotel. Yuan made many improvements, like fixing the roof and updating the heating and cooling systems. He planned to reopen the hotel in stages starting in 2012.
In 2015, Yuan put the hotel up for sale, and it closed in April 2016. After a few attempts to sell it, Icon Hospitality LLC bought the hotel in 2020. They plan to spend a lot of money to renovate it. Their goal is to reopen it as a Hilton Tapestry hotel.
Lincoln Square Mall's History
In the late 1950s, business leaders in Urbana wanted to improve the city's economy. They reached out to large stores to attract new businesses. A big retailer, Carson Pirie Scott, showed interest if Urbana would build a large shopping area. This idea led to the Lincoln Square Mall project.
The city started planning the mall in 1960. They hired a famous developer named Victor Gruen to design it. The land for the mall was bought in 1961, and the name Lincoln Square was chosen in 1962.
The mall opened in 1964. It was the first fully enclosed shopping mall in Illinois outside of the Chicago metropolitan area. The grand opening on September 17 was a big event. Even Illinois Governor Otto Kerner, Jr. and both of the state's U.S. Senators attended!
The mall's stores mainly sold clothes and trendy items. This was to attract shoppers from up to 50-mile (80 km) away. The mall was very successful for its first 20 years. Most of its original businesses stayed or were replaced by similar ones.
However, starting in the mid-1980s, other malls opened nearby. This competition caused the Lincoln Square Mall to decline. Carson Pirie Scott sold the mall in 1988. Its main department store changed to a Bergner's and then a Herberger's.
In 1994, the mall was renovated. But Herberger's went out of business three years later. Its store closed in 2002. The mall couldn't find another big main store. So, the large space was divided into smaller shops. The mall is still open today. It has many smaller stores and offices.
Images for kids
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Entrance of the Urbana Landmark Hotel showing it no longer in operation
