A couple of days in Peoria, Illinois

[Reaperducer]

Last July I found myself in Peoria, Illinois. It's much like many other midwestern river towns -- one big company anchors the town (Caterpillar); the downtown was once vibrant, then died, and is now recovering; there's lots of great old architecture downtown; the tallest building is 29 stories; and the place is surrounded by nice churches and mediocre malls.

Here's some photos I took. More here: http://gallery.me.com/artefaqs#100177


House converted to an office


From what I read on the internet, this is a crack house. Shame.


Associated Bank Plaza


The Murray Baker Bridge


The Becker Building


The Bishop's House.


Caterpillar World Headquarters


The Cathedral of Saint Mary


The Christian Assembly Church


City Hall


Commerce Bank Building


The Cornerstone Building (former church used for banquets)


The Cursillo Renewal Center (Formerly a Catholic high school)


First United Methodist Church


First United Methodist Church Annex


The Hotel Père Marquette (this is where I stayed)


The Kickapoo Building. Now empty except for a dry cleaner


Peoria Civic Center


Peoria County Civil War Monument






World War I and II Monument


River Station. Formerly the Chicago and Rock Island Railroad Depot. Now a restaurant.


Sacred Heart Church (Fill light provided by the Peoria Civic Center)


The Twin Towers. Tallest buildings in town.


House.

[10101000]

Beautiful!

[Wheelingman04]

I have always been interested in Peoria.

[dugdogmaster]

Nice . The Becker Building is rather unique

[xzmattzx]

Peoria looks pretty nice. I knew about those ugly twin towers and thought that Downtown was pretty dull and boring, but it turns out that there are quite a few nice buildings.

[theWatusi]

nice set

[initiald]

Nice photos. I haven't really heard of Peoria other than when their ECHL team would play the Charlotte Checkers.

[flar]

Great photos. I'd like to see a little more of Peoria.

[LMich]

Nice, nice photos!

Peoria seems to be about as quintessential Midwest as one can possibly get, so it's not a mistake where the phrase "will it play in Peoria?" came from.

What kind of camera do you use, BTW?

[Jibba]

Very nice-looking photographs. Peoria is pleasant enough, for whatever that sentiment is worth, depending on the perspective one wishes to interpret it from. Caterpillar's headquarters is appropriately brawny, but I wish they would have went with a more neutral hue. Although, I suppose the earthen-brown tone that it has can be justified critically for obvious reasons.

[ColDayMan]

Well done, sir.

[kcexpress69]

Nice thread!! Peoria seems to be doing well, at least for the moment!!

[stepper77]

Wow, Peoria has quite a collection of nice buildings and unexpectedly tall. Wonder what the city looks like from afar. Beautiful photos. Thanks!

[Robert Pence]

Beautiful images; I love the deep blue skies and rich colors.

My aunt lived in Peoria until 2004 and I visited there several times. The Illinois riverfront is worth exploring; on the west side of the river, to the south it's old industrial; parts of the old Avery factory that once built steam traction engines and farm machinery still stand, now occupied by Komatsu-Dresser.

To the north there are some very upscale residential areas and great overlooks on hills and bluffs high over the river. The Illinois River at Peoria is navigable, and there are locks and a dam and some large grain-handling facilities there. Sometimes at night you can see towboats working barges on the river, scanning the surface and shoreline with powerful searchlights.

I was in the River Station about 1980, when it was just an abandoned railroad station, with tagging and fallen plaster everywhere. It didn't even seem very safe to enter the building. They did an amazing job adapting it for use as a restaurant.

[PEORIA]

[PEORIA]

[Kingofthehill]

great building portraits.

[stepper77]

The skyline is impressive from afar too. Thanks!

That new hotel looks nice...but it's a shame the older buildings there now are going to be razed for it. Plus, it looks like the whole side of the Hotel Père Marquette is going to go from a great view to no view.

[Robert Pence]

Originally Posted by stepper77

The skyline is impressive from afar too. Thanks!

That new hotel looks nice...but it's a shame the older buildings there now are going to be razed for it. Plus, it looks like the whole side of the Hotel Père Marquette is going to go from a great view to no view.

I don't expect the current economic conditions to resolve very quickly, and I just read that Caterpillar is laying off thousands because sales to distribtors worldwide are way down. I think 2012 is highly optimistic for that hotel development, if it happens at all.

[PEORIA]