Looking West On University Ave. From Market St. St., Champaign, Illinois
A street view of University Ave. as seen looking west from Market St. This view captures both the previously featured Illinois Traction building on the left, and the City Building straight ahead at University Ave. and Neil St.
Built in 1913, the Illinois Traction Building was designed by architect Joseph Royer in the Early 20th Century Commercial style. It served as the headquarters and Champaign Station of the Illinois Traction System (ITS), a heavy duty interurban electric railroad with extensive passenger and freight business in central and southern Illinois that operated from 1896 to 1956.
When Depression era Illinois Traction was in financial distress and had to reorganize, the Illinois Terminal name was adopted in 1937 to reflect the line's primary money making role as a freight interchange link to major steam railroads at its terminal ends in Peoria, Danville and St. Louis. Interurban passenger service slowly was reduced, ending in 1956. Freight operation continued but was hobbled by tight street running in some towns requiring very sharp radius turns. In 1956, ITC was absorbed by a consortium of connecting railroads.
The Illinois Traction Building later became the headquarters of Illinois Power and Light. Added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2006, the building has been repurposed as commercial and office space.
Seen in the distance is the distinctive green copper roof of the 5-story City Building. Completed in 1937, this Art Deco style municipal building was designed by architect George Ramey, who attended the University of Illinois and graduated with a B.S. in architecture in 1912. My previous view two posts back showed the front facade. This view shows the building from its back side. Today the building continues to be the center of Champaign government with eight of the twelve City Departments calling it home. The City Building is a contributing property within the Champaign Downtown Commercial District listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 2020.
Located in Champaign County in east central Illinois, the twin cities of Champaign and Urbana are the home of the University of Illinois. The population of the City of Champaign at the 2020 census was 88,302, while Champaign County had a population of 205,865.
Looking West On University Ave. From Market St. St., Champaign, Illinois
A street view of University Ave. as seen looking west from Market St. This view captures both the previously featured Illinois Traction building on the left, and the City Building straight ahead at University Ave. and Neil St.
Built in 1913, the Illinois Traction Building was designed by architect Joseph Royer in the Early 20th Century Commercial style. It served as the headquarters and Champaign Station of the Illinois Traction System (ITS), a heavy duty interurban electric railroad with extensive passenger and freight business in central and southern Illinois that operated from 1896 to 1956.
When Depression era Illinois Traction was in financial distress and had to reorganize, the Illinois Terminal name was adopted in 1937 to reflect the line's primary money making role as a freight interchange link to major steam railroads at its terminal ends in Peoria, Danville and St. Louis. Interurban passenger service slowly was reduced, ending in 1956. Freight operation continued but was hobbled by tight street running in some towns requiring very sharp radius turns. In 1956, ITC was absorbed by a consortium of connecting railroads.
The Illinois Traction Building later became the headquarters of Illinois Power and Light. Added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2006, the building has been repurposed as commercial and office space.
Seen in the distance is the distinctive green copper roof of the 5-story City Building. Completed in 1937, this Art Deco style municipal building was designed by architect George Ramey, who attended the University of Illinois and graduated with a B.S. in architecture in 1912. My previous view two posts back showed the front facade. This view shows the building from its back side. Today the building continues to be the center of Champaign government with eight of the twelve City Departments calling it home. The City Building is a contributing property within the Champaign Downtown Commercial District listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 2020.
Located in Champaign County in east central Illinois, the twin cities of Champaign and Urbana are the home of the University of Illinois. The population of the City of Champaign at the 2020 census was 88,302, while Champaign County had a population of 205,865.