By Ricky Rieckert
Dear readers,
Hopefully, everyone is staying warm.
This week, I’m going to add to Aurora’s downtown Main Street history.
My dad would frequently use the phrase, Main and Broadway, in reference to something with a lot of people, action, or a happening place. In Aurora, downtown, from the east-bank of the Fox River to Broadway, Main Street (Galena Boulevard) was the main hub downtown, for shopping, eating, and theatres.
From the 1930s to the 1970s, Aurora’s Main Street was where the action was, and then it was downtown on Broadway in the 70s.
The area downtown on Main Street showcased landmarks, from the 1930s through 1950s, such as the Paramount Theatre, the original Korn Krib, Leath’s Furniture, Lyon Healy Music Shop, along with many others.
The intersection at Broadway (Ill. Rt. 25), was a central commercial hub, at the City’s busiest intersection, featuring businesses such as Fannie May, Jet Burger, and Preview Fashions, with some streets like Water Street, also, being busy commercial spots.
Just east of Broadway, on the north side of Main Street, was an old Blatz beer sign, hanging outside of a tavern, called the “Question ? Mark”, owned by Margarette Horrelback, in the 1960s. Sam Arenkill owned the building and The Pawn Shop.
The only name still affiliated with Main Street is Main Baptist Church.
I once met the pastor and a few parishioners when I worked at Osco Drug on Smith Boulevard, many years ago.
Their property basically is an entire city block, from Galena Boulevard to E. New York Street and Smith Boulevard to East Avenue.
Rumor has it they’re breaking ground on E. New York Street, near the former Long Island Sound building. Hopefully they have both properties, and still use the Main Baptist name.
Main Street Supermarket was just past Ohio Street, and was a great neighborhood store when I was a kid in the 1960s. Today, it’s a Mexican grocery store.
It’s pretty sad, that a city of 200,000 doesn’t have a Main Street. Maybe, mayor John Laesch and crew can revitalize the Main Street name, and have it run from Lake Street (Rt.31) to Broadway (Rt.25), like the old days.
Remember, you can go to the Aurora Historical Society to see pictures and exhibits. Just check their hours.
Have a nice warm week.