Features

Sangamon Street is the coming place

[SEPT. 13, 2002]  Sangamon Street was a busy place in the 1850s, bustling with hotels and other businesses to serve the travelers who came in on the train. Almost 150 years later, the historic street is once again bringing folks to downtown Lincoln, not just for an overnight stay but as a place to live.

[Click here for more photos]

Above the businesses on South Sangamon there are now 21 apartments. According to Larry Steffens, who has developed 14 of them, there could be a lot more if everybody who owned property on the street decided to turn the upper stories of their businesses into living units. He estimates there could be 46 housing units on the block between Pulaski and Broadway alone.

[Photos by Jan Youngquist]

The newest apartment, already rented, was remodeled by Steve and Susie Fuhrer. It’s located above Health and Fitness Balance, also remodeled by the Fuhrers, which is next door to Susie’s Blue Dog Inn.

The new apartment, like many others on the block, preserves as much historic appeal as possible. Windows the size of the originals were installed in the foot-thick brick wall in front, providing a view of the courthouse dome and the mural across the street. The brick has been cleaned, tuck-pointed and sealed.

It wasn’t possible to save the original wood floor, so the new apartment is carpeted except for tile floors in the kitchen and bath. The apartment is a gracious blend of old and new — the old brick wall and a brand-new all-electric kitchen.

Above her Blue Dog Inn, Susie said, the floors are in good condition, but the Fuhrers have no plans to develop that space right now. Originally the Illinois Hotel, the upper floors are divided into 34 small rooms and a suite. If times get better, the Fuhrers might think about building more apartments.

Dwight Smothers, who owns Flounders, thinks he could fit eight apartments in the space above his nightclub, but he’s not ready to do that right now, either. He did remodel the front of his building about four years ago and put in new floors.

"If things pick up, we might think about making apartments upstairs," he said.

Across Pulaski Street, Dale Bassi and partner Dr. Larry Crisafulli are completing the last of six apartments in the building at 201-205 Sangamon. They have also created new street-level space, which now houses a group of new and old businesses.

Again, the developers have kept many of the historic features, including brick walls and hardwood floors. Two of the front apartments have lofts. All are rented.

"We’ve developed 4,000 square feet up and another 4,000 square feet down," Bassi said. Bassi has no concrete plans to do anything more on Sangamon Street now, but he’s open to ideas for further development there.

In the corner building at street level are Franz Express, with shipping and copying services, Coffee With Einstein, and Lan Café, which offers Internet access and gaming. To bring even more people to Sangamon Street, Coffee with Einstein holds open mic night on Thursdays and has live entertainment most weekends.

The newest business, AMP Studio, is a digital photography studio owned by Adam May, whose motto is "pictures about people."

The Steffens family owns several businesses on the ground floor below their apartments and rents space to two others, Closet Classics resale shop and A. Lincoln General Store, which sells both new and consignment items.

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The family operates Grapes and Grounds, which sells wines and specialty coffees, Capone’s restaurant, and Eckert’s, Inc. decorating studio. Grapes and Grounds has recently been incorporated with Capone’s.

Capone’s is giving folks another reason to visit Sangamon Street, with a full lunch menu Monday through Saturday and a dinner menu for the evening. It also features live jazz or blues Wednesday, Friday and Saturday evenings.

Steffens bought the property on the south half of the block and began developing it five years ago. His 14 apartments include efficiencies, one-bedroom and two-bedroom units; the largest has 1,300 square feet of space.

His own home, a former warehouse above Closet Classics, includes 4,500 square feet of living space on the second floor, a 500-square-foot library on the ground floor and another 4,500 square feet in the basement.

Historic features preserved in the Steffens buildings include the oak woodwork and the pressed tin ceiling in Eckert’s.

The Steffens family also maintains the park between Sangamon Street and the railroad track, and Larry painted the mural on the back of the Neal Tire building. The mural gives tenants and visitors an idea of the bustling place Sangamon Street was in the early history of Lincoln, during the decade when Abe Lincoln himself christened the new town.

Many of the buildings depicted in the mural were hotels — the Spitly Hotel, C & A House, the Illinois Hotel, the Western Hotel and the Monroe House. Other businesses include Dutz Paints, Boots and Shoes, and the Lincoln Volksblatt, an early German-language newspaper.

Bassi says "living above the store" has been a tradition in downtowns since the turn of the last century.

"It is the best use of downtown space in towns like Lincoln. If you bring people downtown, you bring life downtown. There is no replacement for bringing people here."

[Photo provided by Adam May]
[Click to enlarge]

Bassi is a member of the Economic Restructuring Committee of Main Street Lincoln, which has a $20,000 grant from the state to find ways to bring more businesses downtown.

"We still need more shops downtown. We need to point to smaller niche market stores, specialty stores like Merle Norman. We’d like to see a shoe store or a women’s clothing store. We won’t see another J.C. Penney store here.

"We need more stores like Abe’s, Beans and Such, and Prairie Years. We are trying to find other little businesses that can make it downtown."

[Joan Crabb]

Announcements

The Chamber Report

Ambassadors to meet

[OCT. 7, 2002]  The quarterly meeting of Lincoln/Logan County Chamber of Commerce Ambassadors will be at noon Friday, Oct. 11, at Capone’s.

This is the annual "recruitment meeting." Chamber members who are interested and willing to serve as official Chamber Ambassadors are invited to attend this meeting. We can always use energetic new ambassadors to celebrate business milestones!

[Bobbi Abbott,
Lincoln/Logan County Chamber of Commerce]

Bobbi Abbott, Executive Director

Lincoln/Logan County Chamber of Commerce

303 S. Kickapoo St.

Lincoln, IL 62656

(217) 735-2385

chamber@lincolnillinois.com
www.lincolnillinois.com

The chamber of commerce is a catalyst for community progress, bringing business and professional people together to work for the common good of Lincoln and Logan County.

Honors & Awards

Main Street Corner News

Mornings on Main invitation

From Cindy McLaughlin

[OCT. 4, 2002]  It’s that time again! 

Cindy

Main Street Lincoln

Cindy McLaughlin, program manager

303 S. Kickapoo

Lincoln, IL 62656

Phone: (217) 732-2929

Fax: (217) 735-9205

E-mail: manager@mainstreetlincoln.com

Job Hunt

Lincolndailynews.com makes it easy to look for a job in the Logan County area.

House cleaning wanted: Dependable, reliable, honest, available anytime. 735-9257.

The Logan County Housing Authority is accepting applications for the position of Receptionist/Program Aide. The position requires an office professional who has excellent telephone skills, good computer and typing skills, and outstanding customer service skills,  with the ability to deal with people of all age groups.

We offer an excellent benefit package, competitive wages and a friendly work environment.

Applications and a job description may be picked up at the office located at 1028 N. College St., Lincoln, IL 62656. Applications will be accepted until the position is filled.

E.O.E.

MINE SUPERINTENDENT

(Underground)

Black Beauty Coal Company is seeking applicants for the position of Underground Mine Superintendent for its location near Vincennes, Indiana.

Qualifications

• 10 years of underground mining experience
• 5 years in a supervisory role
• BS Degree in Engineering preferred

• Supervisor certification is required

Benefits include health, dental, prescription drug card, life insurance, short-term and long-term disability, 401(K), vacation and bonus.

Candidates wishing to be considered for this position must send a request for application and state they are applying for Underground Mine Superintendent. Requests for an application may be made by mail, fax or e-mail.

By mail: Director of Human Resources, P.O. Box 233, Evansville, IN 47702-0211

By fax: (812) 424-6551; Attention: Director of Human Resources

By e-mail: jobs@bbcoal.com

Resumes and applications are not accepted in person at the mine sites or the corporate office.

Job Line (812) 423-6000, Ext. 136

Equal Opportunity Employer -- Affirmative Action Employer

MINE ENGINEER

(Underground)

Black Beauty Coal Company is seeking applicants for the position of Underground Mine Engineer for its location near Vincennes, Indiana.

Qualifications

• BS Degree in Engineering and a minimum of 5 years experience in underground mining

• Registered Professional Engineer

Benefits include health, dental, prescription drug card, life insurance, short-term and long-term disability, 401(K), vacation and bonus.

Candidates wishing to be considered for this position must send a request for application and state they are applying for Underground Mine Engineer. Requests for an application may be made by mail, fax or e-mail.

By mail: Director of Human Resources, P.O. Box 233, Evansville, IN 47702-0211

By fax: (812) 424-6551; Attention: Director of Human Resources

By e-mail: jobs@bbcoal.com

Resumes and applications are not accepted in person at the mine sites or the corporate office.

Job Line (812) 423-6000, Ext. 136

Equal Opportunity Employer -- Affirmative Action Employer

ATTENTION NURSES! Advantage Nursing Services is hiring for home health care positions in Lincoln, Hopedale, Beason and Bloomington. Full- and part-time available with excellent pay and flexible scheduling. Call Jennifer at (800) 514-4309.

YOUTH SERVICES LIBRARIAN: Full-time position, $22,467-$30,625, starting salary DOQ. Work schedule generally 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m., Monday-Friday; night and/or Saturday hours as needed. Includes health and dental insurance, paid vacation/sick leave/compensatory time/compensatory holidays.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS: BA or BS degree in library science or related field; two years experience in library work related to youth services. Graduate work in library science or a related field may be considered as a substitute for experience.

To apply, send a cover letter and resume with three professional references no later than Oct. 8, 2002. EOE.

For more information and a complete job description contact:

Richard Sumrall, Director

Lincoln Public Library District

725 Pekin Street

Lincoln, IL 62656

217-732-8878

217-732-6273 - fax

richards@alpha1.rpls.lib.il.us

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