With this post I am beginning a new series on Delavan, a city in Tazewell County, Illinois. This Central Illinois community is part of the Peoria Metropolitan Statistical Area. Delavan's population at the 2020 census was 1,924. Delavan, a rural, agricultural community, derives its name from Edward C. Delavan (1793-1871), a wealthy businessman from Albany, New York who devoted much of his fortune to promoting the temperance movement.
The photos in this short series will focus on the Delavan Commercial Historic District. When the district was added in 1991 to the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP), 20 of the 26 buildings listed were contributing properties.
The oldest buildings in the district, two simple brick commercial structures, were built around 1860. The remaining buildings were mainly built later in the 19th century, with a few built during the early 20th century. The buildings mostly have either Italianate or vernacular commercial designs, as was typical for commercial buildings of the period. Several of the buildings feature decorative metal elements such as storefronts, cornices, and window treatments. One notable exception to this design trend is the Masonic Hall at 401 Locust Street, which has a Queen Anne design featuring a large turret. This building will be featured in a future post.
This first photo was taken from the intersection of Locust and Fourth St. looking north at the west side of the 300 block of S. Locust St. The buildings in this block are:
323 S. Locust (left, on the northwest corner of Locust and Fourth St)
This building, erected in 1880, housed the Baldwin Bank which operated until 1932. A post office was located in the rear of the building in the early 1900s. Recently renovated as a distillery, the building is currently for sale.
321 S. Locust (second from corner)
Also erected in 1880, this building is part of 323 and is very similar in cornice and window treatment. The building housed a restaurant operation for many years with numerous proprietors. It later became a shoe store, and then an insurance agency.
319 S. Locust (third from corner)
This single story building originally was occupied by a drug store. Over the years it has been home to two groceries, including an A&P (think frosted cinnamon raisin bread), two paint stores, and the Delavan Community Historical Society which occupies the space today.
317 S. Locust (fourth building from corner)
This building was constructed in 1902 as a men's clothing store. A decade later the building was repurposed as a shoe store. The building also was the home of two appliance stores, including one that sold televisions. The local telephone exchange once had offices on the second floor. A sign hanging in front of the building tells us it was recently used as The Harvest Cafe, but that business is now permanently closed.
313-315 S. Locust (two-story red brick building fifth from corner)
This highly versatile, circa 1888-1910 building has two store fronts. In the early 1900s this was a harness shop, followed by a mortuary, then a restaurant, a Catholic parish center, and was temporarily used by the Tazewell County National Bank while their new building was being erected. More recently one side of the building was occupied by the now closed Hometown Wine & Spirits, while the other side is a bar and restaurant known as The Exchange.
311 S. Locust: Built in the early 1900s, this building was once the Savoy Theatre. In later years it was a hardware store, drug store, grocery store, Ben Franklin store, and a flower shop.
Up to this point, all of the aforementioned buildings are contributing properties in the historic district. Now for the two non-contributing properties:
307-309 S. Locust: This two-story building with a modern, light tan facade, was built in 1900 and saw use as a succession of hardware stores into the early 1970s. It then became a variety store, and now is a Maytag Appliance Store. The remodeling of the front facade is the reason for the building's non-contributing status.
301 S. Locust: The final property on this block, a one-story tan-brick building built for First Farmer's State Bank on the southwest corner of Locust and Third St., is non-contributing due to being more recent construction.
Tags: Delavan Tazewell County Central Illinois IL Street View Architecture Architectural Style Italianate Late 19th Century Commercial Early 20th Century Commercial 323 S. Locust Baldwin Bank 321 S. Locust 319 S. Locust 317 S. Locust 313-315 S. Locust 311 S. Locust 307-309 S. Locust 301 S. Locust Delavan Commercial Historic District National Register of Historic Places NRHP Reference # 91001687 Canon EOS 5D Mark IV
A view looking north at the west side of the 400 block of S. Locust St. in Delavan. The 300 and 400 blocks of S. Locust comprise the Delavan Commercial Historic District, listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1991. Most of the buildings in the district were built in the late 19th century, although a few still exist from the mid-19th century.
The buildings mostly have either Italianate or vernacular commercial designs, as was typical for commercial buildings of the period. Several of the buildings feature decorative metal elements such as storefronts, cornices, and window treatments. One notable exception to this design trend is the Masonic Hall at 401 Locust Street (ahead on the corner), which has a Queen Anne design featuring a large turret.
The central Illinois community of Delavan is located in Tazewell County. The population at the 2020 census was 1,568.
Tags: Delavan Tazewell County Central Illinois IL Street View Architecture Architectural Style Italianate Late 19th Century Commercial Delavan Commercial Historic District National Register of Historic Places NRHP Reference # 91001687 Canon EOS 5D Mark IV
One of the best locations to view Fall color along the Illinois River is from Peoria's famous Grandview Drive atop the Illinois River bluffs. Grandview Drive is a two and a half mile scenic road with adjacent parking areas through Peoria and Peoria Heights, Illinois. One of the first "linear parks" of its time, the park was designed by landscape architects Oscar F. Dubius and Frederic Klein. The residential area on the west of Grandview Drive, opposite the river, was added to the National Register of Historic Places as an historic district in 1996.
While in his post-presidency, Theodore Roosevelt proclaimed Peoria's Grandview Drive as the "World's Most Beautiful Drive" during a 1910 visit. An exaggeration, the drive nevertheless offers gorgeous views of the Illinois River and its valley, along with views of some of the most prestigious and historic homes in the area.
In this view the camera is pointed toward the ENE, and on the other side of the river is the northwestern Tazewell County. The white tower seen in the distance along the right edge of this frame reveals the location of the Caterpillar Proving Ground. Caterpillar Inc. is the world's largest construction equipment manufacturer, and this location is the company's heavy equipment playground.
With a 2020 population of 113,150 (402,391 metro), Peoria is the seventh largest city in Illinois and is the largest city on the Illinois River. It also is the seat of Peoria County. Prior to prohibition, Peoria was the center of the whiskey industry in the United States. More than 12 distilleries operated in Peoria by the end of the 19th century, more than any other city in the U.S.
A major port on the Illinois River, Peoria is a trading and shipping center for a large agricultural area that produces corn, soybeans, and livestock. Although the economy is well diversified, the city's traditional manufacturing industries remain important and produce earthmoving equipment, metal products, lawn-care equipment, labels, steel towers, farm equipment, building materials, steel, wire, and chemicals. Until 2018, Peoria was the global and national headquarters for heavy equipment and engine manufacturer Caterpillar. The city is associated with the phrase "Will it play in Peoria?", which originated from the vaudeville era and was popularized by Groucho Marx.
Tags: Peoria Peoria Heights Peoria County Tazewell County Illinois IL Landscape Vista Illinois River Illinois River Bluffs Grandview Drive U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt Peoria Park District Landscape Architecture Park Linear Park Architect Oscar F. Dubius Frederic Klein Architectural Style City Beautiful Movement Pleasure Driveway and Park District of Peoria National Register of Historic Places NRHP Reference # 96000399 Caterpillar Inc Proving Ground Season Fall Autumn Canon EOS 5D Mark IV
Our final stop in Delavan is the Masonic Hall building on the southwest corner of Locust and Fourth streets. Constructed in 1875, architect W. A. Corwine of Lincoln, Illinois designed the Queen Anne-style building.
The Masonic Lodge meeting rooms were on the second floor of this building. The first floor of the building was configured with retail and office space. For many years, the front corner of the building was occupied by various dentists, and in the late 1920s, the middle room was used as a movie theater that operated under various names, including the Regent.
Other tenants over the years include the Delavan Home Loan Association, various lawyers, two dry cleaners, a bakery, feed store, plumber, dress shop, and an auto parts store. The Masonic Lodge has moved to a different location and, as far as I could tell, the building now appears to be vacant.
Located in Central Illinois, Delavan is part of the Peoria Metropolitan Statistical Area. Delavan's population at the 2020 census was 1,924. This rural, agricultural community, derives its name from Edward C. Delavan (1793-1871), a wealthy businessman from Albany, New York who devoted much of his fortune to promoting the temperance movement.
Tags: Delavan Tazewell County Central Illinois IL Street View Architecture Architect W. A. Corwine Architectural Style Queen Anne 401 S. Locust Masonic Hall Contributing Property Delavan Commercial Historic District National Register of Historic Places NRHP Reference # 91001687 Canon EOS 5D Mark IV
A closer look at two of the more interesting buildings in the 300 block of S. Locust. Both buildings are contributing properties to the Delavan Commercial Historic District that was added to the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) in 1991.
On the left is 312 S. Locust, a two-story building constructed in 1891 that originally was a meat market. Subsequent tenants included a restaurant, furniture store and pastry shop. Apartments are located on the second floor. This historic building is currently for sale.
On the right is 314 S. Locust, better known as the home office of The Delavan Times, a weekly newspaper that has been published since 1874. The first floor of this building was constructed in 1890, with the second story added in 1891.
Plans were announced in 2015 to create a museum in the building that illustrates the historic contributions of small newspapers in Central Illinois, and informs the community about the responsibility of newspapers in a democracy. Funds for the project were being sought through grant money and private donations. At present, it appears that project is on hold.
Delavan, with a population of 1,924 at the 2020 census, is part of the Peoria Metropolitan Statistical Area. It is a rural, agricultural community, that derives its name from Edward C. Delavan (1793-1871), a wealthy businessman from Albany, New York who devoted much of his fortune to promoting the temperance movement.
Tags: Delavan Tazewell County Central Illinois IL Street View Architecture Architectural Style Italianate Late 19th Century Commercial Early 20th Century Commercial 312 S. Locust 314 S. Locust The Delavan Times Delavan Commercial Historic District National Register of Historic Places NRHP Reference # 91001687 Canon EOS 5D Mark IV