By Ricky Rieckert
Dear readers,
We start off this week in our tour of Aurora, on W. Benton Street, heading west toward S. River Street, from the former Post Office and Sci-Tech building.
As we cross over the west branch of the Fox River, take notice that between the east and west branch of the Fox River, and every thing built in between, is on an the island, hence, Island Avenue, now called Stolp Island.
The Island runs from near the Hollywood Casino, off W. New York Street, to the north and south to the back of the former Post Office.
I’ll have more about the Fox River, at a later time, I promise.
The building on W. Benton and S. River Streets, on the northeast corner, was a huge launderer’s factory, just like the former Aurora Laundry on S. River Street.
Years later it became home to the West Aurora School District 129 Administration Building.
Offices were in the front, on River Street and on the Benton Street side, and there was a steep hill driveway going down to an overhead door of the old basement area, next to the River. That area was mostly used as a large mail room for the School District. They had a step-van they used to deliver the mail to all of their schools after it was sorted.
On the east side below, was a bathroom, which I worked on a few times, and the rest was for parking between the pillar columns supporting the building.
On the far east wall, were windows, 4 feet off the floor, that you could look out to the River. You could look north towards the dam or south to the bridge, on Benton, over the River, where a homeless person set up camp, under the north side of the bridge, hiding away.
On the southeast corner of Benton and River Streets was Pocus Motors which was at that corner for many years.
Today, it is home to Society 57, a coffee shop and event venue.
On the southwest corner of Benton and River Streets was the Aurora Beacon News, which was home for the Aurora newspaper, started by the Copley Family.
When the Beacon moved out, River Street Press occupied the south end of the building for a while.
Then they tore all of the above mentioned, along with buildings on Middle Avenue to make access for the new Santori Library, and parking, which is on the site, today.
As we continue west on Benton Street, we come by Woodlawn Avenue. On the southside, and going south a block, at an angle to the west, starts Garfield Avenue; continuing west, going up the hill, on Benton Street, it turns into S. Locust Street.
Garfield Avenue on the west side of Aurora, is the E. Benton Street on the east side of Aurora. It runs one block south of W. Downer Place on the West Side.
See you next week, when we take the Aurora History Tour Bus out and about on another episode of old streets, buildings, and history.