Peoria Illinois Walking Tour

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This building serves as the headquarters of the Peoria Historical Society. The Society hosts a quarterly research series, supports the maintenance of two historic homes, assists researchers and genealogists, and maintains a research library, with many of its holdings housed at Bradley Library's Special Collections Department.

2. Cumberland Presbyterian Church (A.K.A. Peoria Musicians Club)

The Cumberland Presbyterian Church (1856), also known as the Peoria Musicians Club, is Peoria's oldest standing church building. The Cumberland Presbyterian Church, a splinter Presbyterian congregation, remained there only a few years before it changed hands among various faiths. In 1913, it was bought by the American Federation of Musicians Local 26. Most recently, it was the home to a bank.

3. Kickapoo Building (A.K.A. Anheuser-Busch Building)

The Anheuser-Busch name adorns the top of the historic, flatiron-shaped Kickapoo Building, marking its original purpose when it was built in 1911. Peoria emerged as town known for its burgeoning distilling and brewing industries, and Anheuser-Busch beer company sought a place to strengthen its presence in the growing city. Because of Peoria's position along the Illinois River, its street layout provided for many triangular plots of land. The flatiron building -- shaped like an iron used in a home, became a popular choice, and that includes the Kickapoo Building built by the brewery. The Kickapoo names comes from a hotel that occupied the second floor in its later years.

4. Marquette Apartments

The Marquette Apartments were built in 1924 at a time when Peoria was in the midst of thoughtfully planning its downtown region. After an influx of government buildings and businesses, such as banks and hotels, arrived in the downtown area, workers sought to live closer to work -- the Marquette Apartments filled that need.

5. Pere Marquette Hotel (Most recently, Peoria Marriott Pere Marquette)

The Père Marquette (1926) stands fourteen stories in downtown Peoria, Illinois, and features 288 guest rooms. The hotel arose during the Roaring '20s when city leaders and prominent entrepreneurs routinely sought to showcase its city through grand, lavish hotels and magnificent theaters, Traveling businessman and guests (often wealthy) could stay at hotels and enjoy the city's social offerings. The hotel is named for the explorer Father Père (Jacques) Marquette, who not only traveled the Mississippi and Illinois Rivers, but settled in Peoria during the late seventeenth century. He was also the first European to winter in what is now Chicago. A mural of his Peoria landing hung in the hotel lobby.

6. Madison Theater (Peoria, IL)

Built in 1920, the Madison Theater opened during an era when many Americans benefited from a growing economy which created myriad new entertainment options for city dwellers, including going to the theater to see a touring vaudeville show. The Madison Theater featured an ornate Italian Renaissance exterior along with tripled arched windows. Theaters of the era were built in grand fashion with ornate details and amenities. The popularity of vaudeville slowly gave way to films, and the Madison followed suit by showing more movies over time. While many downtown theaters were demolished, the Madison was saved in the 1980s and renovated in the 1990s to offer a place for live theater and concerts, including a show by Ray Charles. In 2016, the building was severely damaged by fire and while many local citizens are committed to historic preservation, the future of the Madison remains uncertain.

7. Judge Jacob Gale House

Constructed in 1840, this historic home was built for prominent Peoria citizen, Jacob Gale. The property is one of the oldest homes in Peoria and was constructed only a few years after the town was first surveyed and the future town was laid out with roads and a future downtown area. Gale worked in private business as well as a lawyer, served on the city council, and also became one of the town's first mayors. He also served as the school superintendent and as the Clerk of the Circuit Court and Circuit Judge.

8. YWCA Building (Peoria, IL)

The Peoria YWCA was founded in 1893 and the organization's growth reflected that of the larger city and women's organizations at the turn of the century. Membership growth led to the decision to construct this large facility in 1929. The building included residents quarters, a swimming pool, classrooms, a dance hall, and space for a variety of programs aimed at instruction and uplift. In its early years, the YWCA was both a religious and a social organization that reflected the gendered expectations of the era which included programs designed to helped prepare women for marriage and motherhood. The YWCA also helped women learn skills that could help them find employment with courses that taught marketable domestic skills as cooking or sewing. The YWCA also offered a variety of academic courses such as literature, composition, and psychology as well as courses in mathematics and stenography that helped members find work.

9. Central National Bank Building (Peoria, IL)

Peoria's Central National Bank Building was constructed between 1913 and 1814 and designed by the architectural firm of Daniel Burnham. At the time of its construction, Burnham's firm was one of the largest in the world. However, Burnham himself had died two years before its completion. The ten-story building is indicative of the rapid growth of Peoria between the turn of the century and the early 1900s. At the time, Peoria's leading industries were connected to agriculture including milling, the production of farm equipment, and over twenty distilleries.

10. Peoria Riverfront Museum

Peoria Riverfront Museum opened in 2012 and offers 80,000 square feet of exhibit space dedicated to history, art, and science. The museum includes a planetarium, interactive natural history and science exhibits, and a theater with a screen that rivals IMAX theaters. The art collection includes a sculpture garden as well as 16,000 works of art that are on display in rotating exhibits.

11. Rock Island Depot and Freight House (A.K.A. River Station)

Built in 1900, this historic Rock Island depot has been restored and serves as a reminder of the significance of railways in the Midwest during the last half of the nineteenth century and the early twentieth century. For Peoria, railways were linked to its burgeoning industries from the production of farm implements to distilleries. The river and rail connections near this depot connected the city to Chicago and other urban areas and was central to Peoria's population growth and economic development in these years. The former rail hub is now home to retail establishments and restaurants.

This Tour is a Walking Tour.

Peoria Illinois Walking Tour

Created by Clio Admin on May 15th 2019, 11:22:30 am.

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Description

This walking tour starts at Peoria's historic Rock Island Depot and includes landmarks such as the Père Marquette, Gale House, and Central National Bank Building. The walking tour also includes stops at the Peoria Riverfront Museum and the headquarters of the Peoria Historical Society where residents and visitors can learn even more. In addition to this short downtown walking tour, be sure to use Clio to discover some of the city's landmarks beyond the downtown area such as the John C. Flanagan House Museum, Pettingill-Morron House, Peoria State Hospital, and the African American Hall of Fame Museum of Peoria which is located within the John C Proctor Recreation Center.

Entries on This Tour

Peoria Illinois Walking Tour

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