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Looking East on W. Main from Race St., Urbana, Illinois

A view of the south side of the 100 block of W. Main looking east from Race St. The Tudor Revival style Bennett Building described in my previous post is seen on the corner. In addition to the Bennett Building, two other buildings in this block are contributing to the Downtown Urbana Historic District listed in 2019 on the National Register of Historic Places. These are the buildings at 133 W. Main (next to the Bennett Building) and 115 W. Main (four story building further down the block).

 

133 W. Main: Constructed in 1890, historically this building was a confectionary. Wood cladding now covers the first floor store front area. The building is mixed use with commercial space on the 1st floor and residential space on the 2nd floor.

 

115 W. Main: Completed in 1870, this building was originally an opera hall known as Tierman's Hall. In 1914, architect Joseph W. Royer did a complete terra cotta facade renovation of the building as part of its conversion to a temple for the Urbana Masonic Lodge. The first floor is now a restaurant known as Crane Alley, with office space on the second through fourth floors.

 

The buildings in this block all lie within Downtown Urbana Historic District and the Joseph W. Royer Arts and Architecture District. Seen in the next block is the tower of the beautiful Champaign County Courthouse, also designed by Royer and completed in 1901.

 

Urbana is the seat of Champaign County. Located in east central Illinois, the twin cities of Urbana and Champaign are the home of the University of Illinois. The population of Champaign County at the 2020 census was 205,865.

 

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Uploaded on August 10, 2022
Taken on July 15, 2015