I was absolutely stunned and delighted to find some magnificent paintings on the interior of St. Mark’s when I went inside on a quiet Saturday. There’s a long story about how the parish renovated the church to undo changes done in the mid-Twentieth Century, but one of the major alterations was to embrace the work…
Tag: Central Illinois
St. Mark’s Roman Catholic Church, Peoria, Exterior
Up the hill in Peoria away from the South Side is St. Mark’s Roman Catholic Church, which has roots going back to 1891. It is interesting in that it has only two front portals. As is typical of many German Gothic Revival churches, the spire is offset and transitions to an octagonal shape above the…
The South Side, Peoria
My trip up to Central Illinois in mid June took me to all sorts of random surprises, including several new churches and other sights, and that is why I enjoy doing what I do. It is often totally random. But sometimes my totally random path takes me through neighborhoods that tell stories that I don’t…
St. Ann’s Roman Catholic Church, South Side of Peoria
Update: I went by the church again in August of 2023. Due to heavy demolition of the South Side, or Near South Side of Peoria in the mid to late Twentieth Century, the remaining churches in the area south of downtown are easy to spot, notwithstanding their spires, as I noted in regards to St….
Union Illinois Traction Railroad Depot
I’ve written before about the Illinois Terminal or Traction Railroad, which was an electric-powered line that snaked its way around the the Midwest, with St. Louis being a major hub from its underground station at the northeast corner of Washington and Tucker. I featured the well-preserved and occupied station at Mackinaw, Illinois back in September…
Bethel Church, Logan County, Illinois
Through the randomness of Google Maps, I spotted a new landmark popping up in the countryside north of Lincoln, Illinois. Labeled Bethel Church, I knew the short ten minute drive off the interstate was going to be worthwhile. The style of the church is an interesting mix of the massing of the Gothic Revival, with…
State Street Historic District, Jacksonville, Part Two
Moving along down east back towards Central Park in Jacksonville on West State Street, we encounter the August Ayers House, constructed in 1857. That date of construction makes it an incredibly early example of Italianate architecture. Moving along, the Italianate houses are humbler, but I can’t help but notice that the house below has a…
State Street Historic District, Jacksonville, Part One
West of the courthouse and Central Park, Jacksonville dazzles the visitor with the West State Street Historic District, which is one of the best preserved clusters of Victorian Period houses in the Midwest. It is fascinatingly similar to Maine Avenue in Quincy, which is just a short drive from here to the west. The first…
Morgan County Courthouse, Jacksonville, Illinois
The Morgan County Courthouse is a massive pile of Second Empire goodness, sitting not in the middle of the nearby Central Park, but tucked away rather unobtrusively on a street radiating out from the square. Designed by J.B. Randal of Chicago in 1867, it was completed in 1869. The stone comes from Joliet, which makes…
Civil War Monument, Central Park, Jacksonville, Illinois
Jacksonville was a center of the Abolitionist movement, apparently, and it is reflected in its Civil War Memorial. There are a lot of names listed on its base for a relatively small town. At the top is the allegorical figure of Columbia, sculpted by Leonard Crunelle and obviously cast in bronze. The inscription on the…