So this is the first thread in what I hope to become a series of Chicagoland's historical centers. I have alot of towns in mind that i'd like to take pictures of but with winter aproaching it won't be very easy. We shall see.
Anyway, to begin with, i'll start with the historic and somewhat wealthy downtown area of the city of St. Charles. Located aprox 40 miles from downtown Chicago and stradling the Fox River, this suburban center of about 32,000 people has been incorporated since 1874. The town is known for its excellent school district and cute downtown. It is also home to the historic Hotel Baker, which upon its completion in 1928 was supposedly the grandest small hotel in the country, with 55 rooms.
A map showing the distance between Chicago and St Charles. There is little suburban sprawl beyond the Fox River.
and here is amap of the downtown area, along with the route I took and some city landmarks that I took pictures of:
Alright, now onto the photos: Heading west into downtown.
Hotel Baker
The Art Deco city hall; a riverwalk is currently being built
Cool old church downtown...
...across from this park...
...and near these Italianate houses.
you can see some modern infill behind this old house
On the other side of the river (west) you will find these somewhat newer but equally as beautiful homes.
There were a few not-so-nice homes downtown, as well
This one looks really old
And thats it for St. Charles. I hope to get somewhere this weekend, too for pictures. We'll see.
Oh, and btw, these were all shot with my super new Nikon D3000.