Update: I photographed the town again in August of 2019 and again in March of 2022.

The beautiful town square of Washington, Illinois demonstrates how a walkable downtown can continue to thrive, even with the construction of new buildings in the late Twentieth Century.

Correct building frontage is maintained, and there is no surface parking other than metered street parking around the square. The one small parking lot is tucked behind the buildings of the square.

Sadly, one must still run willy-nilly across the streets to avoid being run over by cars. Luckily traffic is not nearly as stressed out as in major cities, so the crosswalks are a bit safer.

Abraham Lincoln once traveled through this square while living in Illinois.