The Peoria Area Chamber of Commerce is a champion of local business. It is a proactive organization providing value to members through strategic leadership on critical business issues and commerce enhancing products and services. It advocates a positive business climate through selective involvement on issues of local importance where we have both credibility and the ability to influence the outcome. It anticipates and responds to members' needs. It improves their effectiveness by providing information, opportunities for networking and training and development, and leveraging of resources.
The Chamber works in concert with the Heartland Partnership, Economic Development Council, local chambers and others in pursuit of opportunities to strengthen the local economy and business environment.
The Peoria Area Chamber of Commerce is a membership organization of area businesses, delivering value to its members by: Cultivating a thriving business community; Presenting the united voice of local business to government; Offering continuously upgraded products and services for business enhancement; and, Providing strategic business advisory services.
The Chamber enhances the prosperity of the business community through valuable member-only benefits:
The Chamber disseminates business guidance through leading-edge information updates, benchmarking studies, and education that is immediately actionable; The Chamber leverages, promotes, and increases the visibility of its members; The Chamber keeps its members well connected through a myriad of leadership and networking opportunities; The Chamber enhances the prosperity of the business community through valuable business community benefits: The Chamber is uniquely positioned to bring together all aspects of the community, as strategic facilitator, to initiate positive and meaningful change in the community; The Chamber is the champion of local business, educating at the grassroots level, then mobilizing a collective and powerful voice on critical business issues; The Chamber works together with other area organizations to enhance the community, quality of life, and promotion of the Peoria area.
Peoria's Sister Cities are: 1) Benxi, a prefecture-level city located in the Liaoning province of China, south-southeast of Shenyang. Population: 937,805. It was founded as a metallurgical center in 1915. Bengang is the largest steel manufacturer in Benxi. The countryside has rivers and limestone cliffs around Guanmenshan Forest garden where the forest acers turn bright red in autumn. 2) Clonmel in County Tipperary, Ireland is the county seat of South Tipperary County Council. It is home to many large multi-national companies, particularly in the medical area. The two biggest medical companies in the town are Abbott and Boston Scientific, which both manufacture implantable devices. Bulmers cider, also known as Magners outside of Ireland, is brewed in a complex three kilometers east of the town, and the extensive orchards serving the brewery can be seen when entering the town from the east. 3) Friedrichshafen, a town on the northern side of Lake Constance (Bodensee) in southern Germany, near the borders with Switzerland and Austria. Apart from industry and tourism, various regular commercial exhibitions, such as Aero (aviation technology), InterBoot (water sports) and EuroBike are important economical factors. Furthermore, the Graf-Zeppelin-Haus cultural centre has become a popular location for congresses, conferences, and other events.
Archaeologists can trace early man in Peoria as far back as 10,000 B.C.E. Artifacts and burial mounds yield evidence of a Native American civilization that was highly organized, ritualistic and in harmony with nature. By 1650, the Illini Indians, a part of the Algonquin Nation, populated the area. The major tribes of the Illinois Confederacy were: Peoria, Kaskaskia, Michigamea, Cahokia and Tamaroa.
In 1825, the county was organized and the village name was officially changed from Fort Clark to Peoria. Until 1831 when Cook County was formed, Chicago was part of Peoria County. In 1832, a company of local men, led by Abner Eads, fought in the Blackhawk War. In fear over possible Indian threats, Peoria residents started to rebuild Fort Clark. In 1835, Peoria was incorporated as a town. Construction began on a courthouse and jail and in 1845 Peoria was incorporated as a city.
Peoria is the largest city on the Illinois River and the county seat of Peoria County. The Greater Peoria Metro area, including surrounding towns and suburbs, has a population of 370,000.
Peoria has become famous as a representation of the average American city, because of its demographics and its perceived mainstream Midwestern culture. On the Vaudeville circuit, it was said that if an act would succeed in Peoria, it would work anywhere. The question "Will it play in Peoria?" has now become a metaphor for whether something appeals to the American mainstream public, and Peoria is often used as a test market for new products, services and public policy polling.
Bradley University, Midstate College, the University of Illinois College of Medicine at Peoria, the Downtown and North campuses of Illinois Central College, and the Peoria campus of Robert Morris College are based in the city.
In 2007, the State certified boundary expansion for the Peoria Enterprise Zone to include the relocation and expansion of Firefly Energy Inc., a business specializing in lead acid battery research and development. The company plans to invest $5 million for a new corporate headquarters and create 39 jobs in the next three years. The company currently has 32 employees at its facility in Peoria. The expanded Enterprise Zone will extend benefits to include a total of 11. 25 acres, the proposed Firefly Energy headquarters.
The city has five major hospitals: the Midwest Affiliate of St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Children's Hospital of Illinois, Methodist Medical Center of Illinois, Proctor Hospital and OSF St. Francis.
Peoria has been awarded the All-America City Award three times (1953, 1966, and 1989). The most recent Sperling and Sanders Best Places to Live Rankings among 400 metropolitan areas placed Peoria #51 citing "low cost of living, low cost of housing, and attractive residential areas" as the main pros to the area per the publication.
Peoria maintains a healthy and vibrant downtown area which includes corporate, governmental, convention, educational and medical facilities. It also boasts the Peoria Civic Center, Apollo Theatre, O'Brien Field and the arts, dining and entertainment area known as the Riverfront. Downtown also maintains a permanent population living in high rise condominiums, riverfront lofts and converted office/warehouse condominiums and apartments. The new Museum Square is under construction which will house a new regional museum, planetarium, and the Caterpillar World Visitors Center adjacent to the Riverfront.
Grand View Drive, which Teddy Roosevelt is said to have called the "world's most beautiful drive" during a 1910 visit, runs through Peoria and Peoria Heights and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. In addition to Grand View Drive, the Peoria Park District boasts nine thousand acres (36 km²) of parks, including Glen Oak Zoo and five public golf courses. There are also several private and semi-private golf courses. The Peoria Park District was the 2001 Winner of the National Gold Medal Award for Excellence in Parks and Recreation for Class II Parks.
In 2007, the Illinois Bureau of Tourism selected Wildlife Prairie State Park as a nominee for Seven Wonders of Illinois representing the Western Region. One of the nation's premiere wildlife parks, the Hazel and Bill Rutherford Wildlife Prairie State Park provides visitors with the opportunity to step back in time to experience what life was like during the early 1800 pioneer days and to learn about the wildlife that inhabited the area. This 2,000 acre zoological park is home to wolves, bison, waterfowl, black bear, elk, cougar, bobcat, otter and more.
The city maintains a symphony orchestra that is the 10th oldest in the nation. It also hosts Opera Illinois, two ballet companies - Peoria Ballet and the Illinois Ballet, Peoria Municipal Band, Peoria Area Civic Chorale, several community and professional theatres, including the 4th oldest community theatre in the nation and oldest in Illinois - Peoria Players, Central Illinois Youth Symphony, Lakeview Museum for the Arts and Sciences, Wheels o' Time Museum, The Contemporary Art Center of Peoria, The Peoria Art Guild and Galleries - host of the Annual Art Fair that is rated as one of the best professional art fairs in the nation, comedy clubs, as well as several venues for a variety of traveling shows and concerts including major Broadway touring companies. Peoria is also embarking on major renovations and expansion to Glen Oak Zoo. This will triple the size of the zoo and will have a major African safari exhibit. The zoo begins this renovation in Fall of 2006 and will be renamed Peoria Zoo and Gardens.
As part of its 150th Anniversary celebration in 2007, the American Institute of Architects Illinois selected Peoria City Hall as one of "150 Great Illinois Places." City Hall is civic architecture at its most impressive. Built in the German-Renaissance style, the building is elaborately embellished both inside and out. The exterior elevations are divided in horizontal sections of stone with alternating roughness. The red sandstone was quarried near Lake Superior and finished by workhouse inmates, greatly reducing construction costs. The high mansard roof with richly ornamented and stepped dormers helps define the character of the impressive edifice. The building' s plan is centered about a central hall court, which receives natural light through a stained glass skylight. Rooms adjoining the court have large, borrowed-light windows of beveled or cut glass, allowing the light to diffuse more deeply into the building. Other elements, including high decorative iron railings and marble floors, further establish the painstaking care that went into the design and construction of the civic monument. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973.
IN ADDITION TO CITY HALL, FOLLOWING ARE OTHER SITES ON THE NATIONAL REGISTER (courtesy of Historic Peoria).
Grand View Drive (above): Grand View is revered as one of the most beautiful drives in Peoria because of its breathtaking views of the river and the many historic and remarkable homes lining it. One such home, built by Walter H. Kirk, was known as Valley View. As it was one of the first homes built along the drive, today it has been carefully restored. Construction of Grand View Drive began in 1903, and when it was completed in late 1904, the road consisted of gravel measuring 30 feet wide and 8 inches deep. In 1936, the drive was paved and trees were planted along the road. That year, tennis courts, softball fields, and picnic areas were also added. Some Peorians may remember the 75-foot Observation Tower that once stood at Kingman and Grand View. Its construction began in 1905 and ended in 1906 with the completed tower standing 89 feet tall, some 450 feet from river level. The five-story tower contained 126 steps, and anyone climbing to its top was rewarded with a view of up to 30 miles. During WWII, citizens sacrificed this tower for the Allied Forces, who needed the 100 tons of scrap iron the tower provided. Today, a similar tower stands near Grand View Drive.
The Greek Revival style Cumberland Presbyterian Church a/k/a Peoria Musicians Club is Peoria's oldest standing church building, and one of the oldest local buildings constructed by masons. Built in 1856, the Greek revival architectural structure has housed four congregations within its history. Originally serving as the Cumberland Presbyterian Church, it later became the St. John's Episcopal Church in 1863. Twelve years later, First German Baptist Church bought the building. Sold again in 1897 to Agudas Achim Congregation, the building was used for church services until 1911 when the YMCA transformed it into a training school for black youths. The Musicians' Union Local 26 began using the building in 1913 as a union headquarters and rehearsal hall. Minor alterations are the only design modifications that have been applied to the church building. The existence of pediment and cornices, along with double pilasters, on the frontal section of the building depict the Greek revival architectural style. Rectangular in shape, the one story structure is constructed of brick. Wood trimming highlights the two entryways and the windows. Mouldings over the front pediment form the front gable's eaves and cornice, which establish a shadow and style significant to the Greek revival style. The north and south sides of the church consist of three large windows with wood dividers proportional to the size of the Christian cross. Twenty-two panes of class are present in each of the windows. An attic was created through the construction of roof trusses, and a small structure was added to the rear of the building in the early 1900's or late 1800's.
Bryer Post 67 of the Grand Army of the Republic (G.A.R.) was organized in October 1879. In 1909, this group of Civil War Veterans moved into their new meeting quarters at 416 Hamilton St. Their new home, the Greenhut Memorial, was named for Joseph B. Greenhut, a prominent Peorian of their time, who donated approximately two-thirds of the cost of the building. The building's architecture is Beaux Arts style, with the G.A.R. emblem and eagles sculpted into the stone and designed in some of the stained glass. The Central Illinois Landmark Foundation saved the building from being leveled by purchasing it in 1973. Since then, the building has been carefully restored and maintained, with Veteran's Memorial Park located next to it. The G.A.R. Hall, as it is known today, was placed on the National Register of Historic Places on July 19, 1976.
The oldest existing house in the city of Peoria is located at 942 NE Glen Oak Ave. Built by Philadelphia attorney John C. Flanagan around 1840, at what was then 912 Bluff Street, most of the materials were made on the spot or nearby. While the lumber was shipped from Chicago, the bricks were fired on the building site itself. Either Flanagan or his relatives occupied the residence until the turn of the twentieth century, after which it passed through the hands of six different families. The Morrill family sold it to the Peoria Historical Society in 1962 for $15,000, which was raised totally by private donors. In 1975, the Flanagan House was placed on the National Register of Historic Sites because of its age and excellent condition. Original fireplaces grace two upstairs bedrooms and the downstairs parlors. Traces of original wallpaper still exist in the central upstairs hallway and two bedrooms. Most of the doors, baseboards, and molding date from 1840. American-made iron work installed around 1850 enhances the house's frontage.
John C. Proctor, a Peoria businessman and philanthropist, left funds to build a recreation center upon his death on June 22, 1907. His trustees, who were several prominent businessmen, used a $120,000 grant to build the center. It was originally both a recreation center and public baths. An estimated 500 people a day came to the Center for the sole purpose of bathing. The Center included organized games, playgrounds, and wading pools. Children played under the supervision of both a male and female director. After running into financial problems, the Center closed in 1932. In May 1935, a referendum was passed (by an astounding ten to one margin!) to raise taxes to produce funding for the center. It reopened in October 1935 under the ownership of the Peoria Park District. Its first year reopened, the average monthly attendance was 25,000. Built in 1913, the John C. Proctor Recreation Center sits on five acres and two city blocks. Architect Frank Emerson designed the building in the Classical Revival style. The John C. Proctor Recreation Center was added to the National Register of Historic Places on September 6, 1979. The south side center continues to serve the community today.
Built in 1844, the Judge Jacob Gale House is the only pre-Civil War house (and one of only three pre-Civil War buildings) remaining in downtown Peoria. Judge Gale was one of Peoria's earliest lawyers, and he was twice elected as mayor. The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places on March 19, 1982. The Peoria Area Convention and Visitors Bureau was located in the house until the organization moved into its new offices at the Twin Towers in September 2000.
International Harvester Building is a five-story pressed brick structure built in a modified Classical Revival style is located in a warehouse district south of Peoria's central business district. Architect W.D. Price designed the building in 1914 to serve as a regional office, warehouse and distribution center for agricultural implements manufactured by International Harvester. In 1925, a one-story addition was added to serve as a showroom and service center for trucks manufactured by International Harvester. The early 20th century was a period of rapid economic expansion in Peoria and the International Harvester Building remains as a symbol of the city's past as an industrial and distribution center. It was nominated for National Register of Historic Places designation in 2005.
The Madison Theatre, the idea of local showman Dee Robinson, was the last of Peoria's "picture palaces" in the downtown area. The theatre opened at the corner of Main Street and Madison Avenue on October 16, 1920. Robinson also owned the Apollo Amusement Company, the Robinson Theater Company, and the Seaver Amusement Company, but it was the Madison Theatre that was known as his dream theater. Frederic J. Klein designed the auditorium of the Madison, which was a "silent" theater when it first opened. Robinson's theaters were recognized for carrying the most wholesome acts and best pictures-a definite advantage because he owned half of the city's theaters. Robinson, a very respectful man with no children of his own, had a large number of young patrons visit his events. After his death, his dream to have free Christmas shows for the children continued through the 1940s and 1950s. On November 21, 1980, the theater was placed on the National Register of Historic Places. Thanks to Dee Robinson, the Madison Theatre remains in Peoria's constantly growing downtown area and is host to many shows, including Brewster's Comedy Club.
Edward Heidrich established the Peoria Cordage Company in 1888 when he moved his rope and twine business from Ohio. The business employed 225 people and produced 700 tons of twine annually. About 80% of these products were used for agricultural purposes. In 1948, the business said it made enough twine to wrap a double strand around the Earth. The business sold its rope products internationally, and even made the ropes for the Buffalo Bill Wild West Show. WWII hurt the company because sisal (the main part of twine) became more difficult to obtain from worldwide suppliers, such as Central America, the Dutch East Indies, Haiti, Brazil, and Africa. The company switched to making other types of rope products. The Peoria Cordage Company also imported hemp from the Philippines. Because demand for hemp-based twine decreased, the Peoria Cordage Company declined and eventually closed its doors in 1975. That same year, Tri-City Machine Products took over the building. On March 19, 1982, the building was added to the National Register of Historic Places. Today, restoration of some of the original offices is underway.
Peoria Mineral Springs, free-flowing for more than 14,000 years, is Peoria's oldest landmark. The purity of the water enticed many brewers and helped to create Peoria's successful brewery industry. In 1850, Ransom Hickey founded the Peoria Mineral Springs Bottling Works on 7th St, across from the springs. The firm operated in a long, red building at the foot of Union Hill. Peach Cider, Lithia Seltzer, and Rose Malt were some of the beverages it marketed. Peoria Mineral Springs became the site for Peoria's first utility, the Peoria Water Works, on Feb 1, 1843 when Col A. O. Garrett, Norman Purple, and William Moss received a charter from Gov. Thomas Ford (who is buried in Springdale Cemetery). They built a house on the site to be used as the headquarters. The house has been home to Zealy Moss, William Moss, Ransom Hickey, and Preston Clark. The Spencer Street Hill, which runs by the house, is Peoria's only remaining cobblestone street.
The Hotel Pere Marquette opened on January 5, 1927 with 17 suites and 400 rooms. It was officially dedicated on January 16, 1927. An addition in 1930 increased the number of rooms to 500. Later additions included a motor entrance and adjacent parking deck. Outside, the hotel expanded for 171 ft. on Main St. and 115 ft. on Madison St. Inside, the hotel was elegantly decorated. (The furnishings in the Lounge Room were estimated to have cost more than $25,000.) The Cotillion Room was quite spacious, with room for 500 dancing couples. George Harding, a Philadelphia artist, painted two huge murals for the hotel. One painting, featuring LaSalle leaving France, resides in the Cotillion Room. The other, above the elevators in the main lobby, pictures Marquette (for whom the hotel is named) in a canoe holding his hand out to a group of Native Americans, one of whom is offering a peace pipe.
When it opened, the Pere Marquette became Central Illinois' finest hotel, but its appeal eventually faded despite revival attempts by several owners, including a well-known hotel chain. The hotel eventually closed, but reopened in the 1980s. Today, the Pere Marquette is one of the finest in Central Illinois.
Moses Pettengill came to Peoria in 1833 and became Peoria's first hardware merchant. The 11-room house was built in what was then considered the country. Pettengill lived in the Second Empire-style Victorian mansion until his death in 1883. His family continued living there until 1892. The succession of owners went as follows: Samuel Clark, William Jack, Dr. Charles Thomas, (rented), John Boyd Stone, and finally Jean Morron, who bought the house in 1953 and lived there until her death in 1966. Morron moved from her house at 305 NE Jefferson because it was being removed to make room for Interstate 74. She brought several things from her old home to her new: an iron fence, brass rails from the front porch, silver nameplate on the front door, gas lighting fixture (which was converted to electricity), and a marble fireplace mantelpiece from her bedroom. Upon her death, the home was passed to the Forest Park Foundation, who donated the property to the Peoria Historical Society. In 1976, the house was added to the National Register of Historic Sites. Today, the home remains much the way Morron left it, with her furniture, china, silver, and crystal still inside.
Peoria's first train entered town in November 1854, and for many years, Peoria was the fourth largest regional hub in the U.S. railway system. At its largest, Peoria served 15 railroads and 70,000 miles of track. In 1891, the Chicago and Rock Island Railroad built the Rock Island Depot, and a freight house was added in 1899. The large clock tower attached to the building was razed in 1939 because it was declared unsafe. One train, the "Peoria Rocket," served Peoria for 42 years before making its final run on May 29, 1978, when passenger service to Chicago ended. Ownership of the Rock Island Depot then went to the City of Peoria, who used the building for its Community Workshop and Training Center. This Neo-Classical building was added to the National Register of Historic Places as "The Rock Island Depot & Freight House" on December 22, 1978. Reminiscent of the old railroad days, Peoria attempted to revive a Peoria-Chicago run, which lasted about one year between August 1980 and October 1981. After restoring the building, the River Station restaurant opened in 1981 within the former depot and closed in 2000. The Rock Island Depot is now known as the River Station, which houses Byblos, Fine Mediterranean Cuisine, and Martini's on Water, a martini bar.
Springdale Savanna is a rare remnant of tall grass oak savanna located in Springdale Cemetery (National Register, 2004). This ecological community was once dominant on the bluffs overlooking the Illinois River in Peoria. Today, it is restricted to a few acres of degraded habitat. Charles Balance referred to the savanna in his 1870 book, The History of Peoria, Illinois. "Unfortunately, the march of improvement, divorced as it ordinarily is in the West from fine taste and culture, is making mad havoc our flora. It never seems to enter the minds of those owning hundreds of acres of lands to enclose a few rods for the protection of our indigenous plants. I can now call to mind but one exception, and that is worthy of honorable mention. The superintendent of Springdale Cemetery, Capt. John H. Hall, has set apart a portion of that lovely place, which associates so much sadness and beauty, for the preservation of Nature's own flora." Today, Peoria Wilds N.F.P. conducts ecological restoration at the site, trying to bring back some of the former beauty and biological diversity.
The Renaissance style Central National Park Building (Central Building) was designed by D. H. Burnham.
Daniel Hudson Burnham was an American architect and urban planner. He was the Director of Works for the World's Columbian Exposition and designed several famous buildings, including the Flatiron Building in New York City and Union Station in Washington D.C. The building is at 103 SW Adams.
Peoria Water Works Company is a building complex built in 1890 for the Peoria water system. The three-building site was constructed in 1890 after the publicly owned Peoria Water Company was sold to John T. Moffat and Henry C. Hodgskins. The building was designed in Romanesque Revival style and first supplied water to the city of Peoria on December 1, 1890. The three structures, Pumping Station #1, Pumping Station #2 and the Main Well House, were included on the property's listing on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places on March 18, 1980.
Peace and Harvest are two eight foot tall limestone statues in downtown Peoria. The statues are of male and female figures situated in front of the Becker Building, along Hamilton Blvd. The statues were part of the Works Progress Administration's Federal Art Project. The statues were added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1988.
The North Side Historic District is a Registered Historic District in Peoria. The district is located on a terrace at the bank of the Illinois River and is predominantly residential with its Late Victorian and Mid 19th Century Revival homes.. The district was added to the National Register of Historic Places on November 21, 1983. The old part of the city of Peoria is built on a series of two terraces. The lower terrace slopes up from the Illinois River bank to a height of 83 feet where it meets the base of the second terrace. The width of the initial terrace varies from ¾ miles to 1½ miles. The second terrace encompasses a series of bluffs which rise from 75 to 100 feet above the first terrace. The North Side Historic District is located on the initial terrace, to the north of the city's central business district and is primarily residential in nature. The North Side Historic District is roughly bounded by three Peoria city streets, Perry, Madison and Fayette Streets.
The West Bluff Historic District is mostly residential and is an example of the opulence once enjoyed by the upper class in the United States during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Of particular note are two contributing structures designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, Francis W. Little House and the house at 1316 Moss Avenue. The Gale and Pettengill-Morron houses are part of the area and separately listed. The district was added to the National Register of Historic Places on December 17, 1976. The district boundaries are roughly defined by Randolph, Moss and High Streets, an area west of Western Street. In addition, some of the adjacent streets are included in the historic district. |