By Ricky Rieckert
Dear readers,
This week, I’ll finish the meaningful lyrics of Old Days by the band Chicago:
“Funny faces,
Full of love and laughter.
Funny places,
Summer nights and streetcars.
“Take me back,
To a world gone by.
Boyhood memories,
Seem like yesterday.
“Old days, in my mind and heart to stay,
Old days, darkened dreams of good times gone away.
Old days, of love and feeling fancy free,
Old days, days of magic still so close to me.”
This week, we’re focusing on Fox Street, (Downer Place today), west of the G.A.R. Building at the former City Hall / Police Department building.
It was built in 1868, and west of that building, on the southeast corner of Fox Street and Island Avenue, (today Downer Place & Stolp Avenue), was the United States Post Office building, built in 1895.
Between the two buildings, was an alley running from Fox Street south to Benton Street.
There was a rivalry of the East Side and the West Side of Aurora back then, which I reported on in an earlier article. Every four years the mayors of Aurora would rotate, from the East Side to the West Side, to not show preference.
And in the name of neutrality, the two previously mentioned buildings were built on Stolp Island between the two branches of the Fox River, and the East and West Sides of Aurora.
I was too young, to see those two buildings before they tore them down in 1964. I was only five years old, and didn’t start browsing downtown, until I was 10-11 years old. Although some of you older readers sure got to enjoy the architecture of those two buildings, that in my opinion, still should be standing today, which the City let some great heritage slip away.
The reasons the City gave for removing the buildings was they were ready to fall down and infested with mice. I believe that the City of Aurora government officials thought that they needed a new, more modern downtown, which is my belief and John Jaros from the Aurora Historical Society, who informed me upon sharing the pictures of those buildings years ago.
In 1930, the U.S.P.S. moved over to its new location, on Benton Street, west of the newer Library, vacating their old building.
In the late 1940s, the Tom-a-Hawk Club moved into the former Post Office building. The Tom-a-Hawk Club consisted of East Aurora Tomcats and West Aurora Blackhawk students getting together, and hanging-out. There were dances, ping-pong, and good times, united by school spirit and rivalries.
Marmion (all boys) and Madonna (all girls) Catholic Schools, were also invited, especially if they dated from either East or West high schools.
Marmion and Madonna had the C.Y.A. (Christian Youth Association), where dances were held on Friday nights at the Knights of Columbus building on Lincoln Avenue and Main Street (Galena Boulevard today).
Inside the Tom-a-Hawk Club, on the wall, were three large decals; a Tomcat, a Blackhawk, and a boy and girl holding hands.
In 1964 both of the before mentioned buildings were knocked down and a pay city parking lot installed. It sat for many years, until the 90s, where the new Parking Garage was built, and sits now.
Two historic buildings gone forever to become a parking lot that probably didn’t even pay for itself, and the new property probably hasn’t either. The Aurora Historical Society would be better served in one of those buildings.
“Old days, in my mind and heart to stay,
Old days, darkened dreams of good times gone away.”
Have a nice week.