By Ricky Rieckert
Dear readers,
I hope everyone enjoyed the Fourth of July weekend, which is traditionally a time spent with family and friends, often including cookouts, parades, and fireworks.
As we start the final part of North Avenue in Aurora’s history, I hope you have enjoyed the memories so far.
Last week, we left off, at Rosewood Avenue.
Aurora’s North Avenue has a history intertwined with the City’s development, including early industry, residential areas, and transportation infrastructure.
On the north side of North Avenue, just west of the Railroad viaduct was Builders Supply Co.. It had a long and significant history spanning 154 years.
The company was founded in 1854 by Christian Solfisburg, a Swiss immigrant who had settled in the nearby Oswego area in 1850.
When the store opened, Aurora was relatively young and Illinois had a population of more than a million.
The Solfisburg family remained entwined with the Company’s operations throughout its history.
A shop I worked at would send me there often. The store was like a hardware store with more, including portable concrete, building materials, tools, and supplies.
I was at the store a couple of weeks before they closed for good in 2008. Both of the Solfisburg brothers, in their 70s, were there to greet their customers, old and new.
They would talk about how saddened they were about closing, and told old stories about being there all their lives and their life experiences.
I had known both of the brothers for years, but I always loved the one brother’s stories. I hugged him as I left the store that day, and wished them both well.
Several factors contributed to its closure, including competition from large scale retailers, an economic downturn, and a favorable offer from a Geneva-based developer, Kent Shodeen.
Shodeen planned to redevelop the 37-acre riverfront property, which included the Builders Supply site, with condos and offices. However, Mr. Shodeen passed away and nothing was ever built.
But, one thing that was built in Aurora, was bridges. Bridges are necessary for a city built on a river, yet they go largely unnoticed. Aurora has seen many bridges built in different styles and of different materials.
The earliest bridges were constructed of timber. Two of the early timber bridges were dismantled and moved to North Aurora and Montgomery in the 1880s, when they were replaced with iron bridges.
The old iron New York Street Bridge was photographed often, with a sign to remind motorists not to drive faster than a walk.
It, and the original North Avenue iron bridge, were constructed with money paid to the City by the Chicago, Burlington, and Quincy railroad from stock purchased in 1870.
I’ll have more about Aurora’s bridges, next week.
But for now, just west of Builders Supply, was the bridge over the Fox River, whereas on the south side is Hurd’s Island.
I had written in a previous article, it was the site of the East Aurora High School/West Aurora High School annual football game played on Thanksgiving Day.
Heading west, to River Street, North Avenue ends.
Lastly, on the southeast corner, was the property owned by Northern Illinois Gas Company.
Have a great week!