Much like St. Louis, Quincy got its start due to its location high on the bluffs above the Mississippi River, allowing it to benefit from the trade connections without the threat of flooding.

Much like St. Louis, eventually the railroad connections became much more important, and bridges began to be built across the river at Quincy, though they took a much different form than further to the south, and their ties to Chicago much more apparent.

And much like St. Louis, downtown Quincy is filled with beautiful buildings in a dramatic setting punctuated with far too many pointless parking lots, awaiting cars for a capacity that is not needed. Above, the State Savings Loan and Trust Building, built in 1892 according to designs by Ernest M. Wood, is a great example of Romanesque Revival commercial buildings before Adler and Sullivan built the Wainwright Building in St. Louis. The building below was actually the library for Quincy from its construction in 1888 until 1974, designed by Chicago architects Patton and Fisher. It is now the History Museum of Quincy.

There are several taller buildings in the downtown area, as well.

The slighter shorter building below in the middle ground has actually been converted into lofts.

And there are more commercial buildings that have been restored elsewhere in downtown. Downtown Quincy was quiet on the Saturday we visited. The presence of Washington Park in the middle of downtown is an asset, that surely could be crowded on a workday during normal times if there is enough density.