Category Archives: Architecture

First game at Reservoir Park/Robin Roberts Stadium, 1925

Posted on May 26, 2025 by editor

On May 12, 1925, 9,000 people watched the very first baseball game ever played at what today is Robin Roberts Stadium. They filled the grandstand, crowded the foul lines and jammed temporary bleachers erected around the outfield. “Not even on … Continue reading →

Posted in Amusements, Architecture, Buildings, Celebrations, Sports and recreation | Leave a comment

Forum 30/Wyndham Springfield City Centre

Posted on April 18, 2025 by editor

Three factors drew attention to Springfield’s Forum 30 hotel even before it opened in 1974: its height, its site and its whiz-kid developer. At 30 stories high, the building was the tallest in downstate Illinois – by most measurements even … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Buildings, Hotels & taverns, Restaurants | Leave a comment

‘German Settlers Row’ (300 block of West Cook Street)

Posted on March 23, 2025 by editor

German Settlers Row, a group of buildings centered around the 300 block of West Cook Street, takes its name from the families who built the first homes there in the 1860s: Mack, Schutte, Lauer, Godenrath, Dressendorfer. From Cook Street today, … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Buildings, Ethnic groups, Family life, Germans, Historic Sites | Leave a comment

Crow’s Mill Covered Bridge (photo)

Posted on February 19, 2025 by editor

Sangamon County still had a half-dozen covered bridges at the start of the 1930s, more than any other county in the state of Illinois. By the time the decade ended, only two remained. The first of the bridges to fall … Continue reading →

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St. John’s Sanitarium

Posted on November 19, 2024 by editor

St. John’s Sanitarium near Riverton was a refuge for tuberculosis patients and disabled children for more than 50 years. The project was the idea of a Catholic priest, the Rev. Joseph Straub, and the final product was almost as elaborate … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Buildings, Churches, Medicine, Prominent figures, Public health, Social services | 3 Comments

Springfield High School sketches, 1930 (Alda Raulin)

Posted on October 8, 2024 by editor

                                    Alda Raulin captured classic views of Springfield High School in five line drawings that led off the 1930 edition of The Capitoline, … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Arts and letters, Buildings, Education, Illustrations, Lithuanians, Lithuanians, Schools and school districts, Uncategorized | 1 Comment

U.S. Grant speech at Lincoln Tomb dedication, 1874

Posted on June 23, 2024 by editor

President Ulysses Grant was not the main speaker when Abraham Lincoln’s tomb was dedicated on Oct. 15, 1874. Grant was asked to deliver the official dedication address, but declined. He did, however, did give a short speech at the ceremony, … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Historic Sites, Lincoln Tomb, Museums, Presidents, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

First talking movie

Posted on November 21, 2023 by editor

Harry T. Loper (1860-1948), historically linked to Springfield’s race riot of 1908, also introduced talking movies to Springfield. Loper went into the restaurant business when he moved to Springfield from Greenfield in 1883, and Loper’s Restaurant at 223 S. Fifth … Continue reading →

Posted in Amusements, Architecture, Buildings, Business, Prominent figures, Restaurants, Social life, Theaters, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

St. Joseph Church construction, 1960s (video)

Posted on November 12, 2023 by editor

Parishioners of St. Joseph Catholic Church in Springfield attended Mass in their new church for the first time on Thanksgiving Day 1967. The modernistic, in-the-round sanctuary was a break from tradition for the historic parish, which was founded in 1875. … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Buildings, Churches, Videos | 2 Comments

Machinery Hall collapse, 1895

Posted on April 24, 2023 by editor

Two workmen died in the state’s rush to develop the new home of the Illinois State Fair in 1895. Springfield was named the permanent site of the fair in 1894, and the Exposition Building was constructed by September of that … Continue reading →

Posted in Agriculture, Architecture, Buildings, Disasters, Illinois State Fair | Leave a comment