Downey Building

Last updated
Downey Building - Palms Grill Cafe
Downey Building, Atlanta.jpg
Front of the building
USA Illinois location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Usa edcp location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Location110-112 Southwest Arch St.,
Atlanta, Illinois
Coordinates 40°15′37″N89°13′53″W / 40.26028°N 89.23139°W / 40.26028; -89.23139
Arealess than one acre
Built1867 (1867)
ArchitectDowney, Alexander
Architectural styleItalianate
NRHP reference No. 04000069 [1]
Added to NRHPFebruary 25, 2004

The Downey Building is a historic building located at 110-112 Southwest Arch Street in Atlanta, Illinois. The Italianate building was constructed in 1867 by local businessman Alexander Downey. The building contains two storefronts, which have historically housed separate businesses. [2]

The Exchange National Bank of Atlanta moved into the south side of the building shortly after it opened; at the time, it was the only bank in Atlanta, as it had been chartered the previous year after the previous bank shut down. The bank later changed its name to the First National Bank of Atlanta and the Atlanta National Bank. In 1916, the bank relocated, and John Luther Bevan acquired the space for his and his son's law office. His son, Samuel Bevan, used the office until his death in 1960. The south side of the building now houses an annex of the Atlanta Museum. [2] [3]

The north side of the building housed various businesses until 1934, when James Robert Adams opened the Palms Grill Café in that storefront. The grill was both a community gathering place and a stop for travelers on U.S. Route 66. In addition to serving food, the café also hosted community gatherings such as dances and bingo. It also served as Atlanta's Greyhound Bus stop. The restaurant featured a large neon sign in front, which was also used to signal buses.

The restaurant was closed during the 1960s but reopened in 2009 after the building was extensively renovated. It is now a popular stop on Historic Route 66 in Illinois. [2] [3] [4] The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places on February 25, 2004. [1]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Seligman, Arizona</span> CDP in Yavapai County, Arizona

Seligman is a census-designated place (CDP) on the northern border of Yavapai County, in northwestern Arizona, United States. The population was 456 at the 2020 census.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Harvard Square</span> Plaza in Cambridge, Massachusetts, U.S.

Harvard Square is a triangular plaza at the intersection of Massachusetts Avenue, Brattle Street and John F. Kennedy Street near the center of Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. The term "Harvard Square" is also used to delineate the business district and Harvard University surrounding that intersection, which is the historic center of Cambridge. Adjacent to Harvard Yard, the historic heart of Harvard University, the Square functions as a commercial center for Harvard students, as well as residents of western Cambridge, the western and northern neighborhoods and the inner suburbs of Boston. The Square is served by Harvard station, a major MBTA Red Line subway and a bus transportation hub.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Powelton Village, Philadelphia</span> United States historic place

Powelton Village is a neighborhood of mostly Victorian, mostly twin homes in the West Philadelphia section of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It is a national historic district that is part of University City. Powelton Village extends north from Market Street to Spring Garden Street, east to 32nd Street, west to 40th and Spring Garden Streets, and to 44th and Market Streets.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dearborn Station</span> Former train station in Chicago, United States

Dearborn Station was, beginning in the late 1800s, one of six intercity train stations serving downtown Chicago, Illinois. It remained in operation until May 1, 1971. Built in 1883, it is located at Dearborn and Polk Streets, to the south of the Loop, adjacent to Printers Row. The station was owned by the Chicago & Western Indiana Railroad, which itself was owned by the companies operating over its line. The station building headhouse now houses office, retail, and entertainment spaces.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">West Palm Beach station</span> Train station

West Palm Beach station is a train station in West Palm Beach, Florida. It is served by Amtrak passenger rail and Tri-Rail commuter rail service. It is located at 203–209 South Tamarind Avenue, south of First Street/Banyan Boulevard.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">U.S. Route 66 in Texas</span> Historic highway in Texas

U.S. Route 66 in the state of Texas extended across the Texas Panhandle from its designation in 1926 to its decommissioning in 1985.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">U.S. Route 66 in Illinois</span> Historic highway in Illinois

U.S. Route 66 was a United States Numbered Highway in Illinois that connected St. Louis, Missouri, and Chicago, Illinois. The historic Route 66, the Mother Road or Main Street of America, took long distance automobile travelers from Chicago to Southern California. The highway had previously been Illinois Route 4 and the road has now been largely replaced with Interstate 55 (I-55). Parts of the road still carry traffic and six separate portions of the roadbed have been listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ambler's Texaco Gas Station</span> Historic building in Dwight, Illinois

Ambler's Texaco Gas Station, also known as Becker's Marathon Gas Station, is a historic filling station located at the intersection of Old U.S. Route 66 and Illinois Route 17 in the village of Dwight, Illinois, United States. The station has been identified as the longest operating gas station along Route 66; it dispensed fuel for 66 continuous years until 1999. The station is a good example of a domestic style gas station and derives its most common names from ownership stints by two different men. North of the station is an extant outbuilding that once operated as a commercial icehouse. Ambler's was the subject of major restoration work from 2005 to 2007, and reopened as a Route 66 visitor's center in May 2007. It was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places in 2001.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">U-Drop Inn</span> United States historic place

The U-Drop Inn, also known as Tower Station and U-Drop Inn and Tower Café, was built in 1936 in Shamrock, Texas along the historic Route 66 highway in Wheeler County. Inspired by the image of a nail stuck in soil, the building was designed by J. C. Berry. An unusual example of art deco architecture applied to a gas station and restaurant, the building features two flared towers with geometric detailing, curvilinear massing, glazed ceramic tile walls, and neon light accents. It has traditionally held two separate business: "Tower Station," a gas station on the western side, and the "U-Drop Inn," a café on the eastern side. Though it has passed hands several times in its history, the building has consistently housed the same types of businesses it was originally constructed for.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ariston Café</span> United States historic place

The Ariston Café is a historic restaurant located in Litchfield, Illinois along Old U.S. Route 66. It was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places in 2006.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sprague's Super Service</span> United States historic place

Sprague's Super Service is a historic independent gas station on Route 66 in Normal, Illinois. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, Town of Normal Local Landmark, and is in the Route 66 Association of Illinois Hall of Fame.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Belvidere Café, Motel, and Gas Station</span> United States historic place

Belvidere Café, Motel and Gas Station is a historic building in Litchfield, Illinois, United States, along Route 66. The site also has a residence and two motel units.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dell Rhea's Chicken Basket</span> United States historic place

Dell Rhea's Chicken Basket is a restaurant in Willowbrook, DuPage County, Illinois. It is located along historical U.S. Route 66, near present-day Interstate 55.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ficke Block</span> United States historic place

The Ficke Block is a historic building located in downtown Davenport, Iowa, United States. It was individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983. In 2020 it was included as a contributing property in the Davenport Downtown Commercial Historic District.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">J. Mack Robinson College of Business Administration Building</span> High-rise business school in downtown Atlanta, US

The J. Mack Robinson College of Business Administration Building is a 14-story highrise at the corner of Broad and Marietta streets in the Fairlie-Poplar district of downtown Atlanta, which houses the business school of Georgia State University. When completed in 1901 as the Empire Building, it was the first steel-frame structure and the tallest in the city, until surpassed by the Candler Building in 1906.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wagon Wheel Motel, Café and Station</span> Tourist stop in Cuba, Missouri

The Wagon Wheel Motel, Café and Station in Cuba, Missouri, is a 19-room independently owned historic U.S. Route 66 restored motel which has been serving travelers since 1938. The site opened as a café in 1936; the motel has remained in continuous operation since 1938. The motel rooms were fully restored in 2010, adding modern amenities such as HDTV and wireless Internet.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rock Café</span> United States historic place

The Rock Café in Stroud, Oklahoma, a historic restaurant on U.S. Route 66, takes its name from the local sandstone used in its construction.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Big Chief Restaurant</span> Eatery in Wildwood, Missouri

Big Chief Restaurant, located at 17352 Manchester Road in Wildwood, Missouri, currently operates under the name Big Chief Roadhouse. It was also formerly known as Big Chief Highway Hotel and Big Chief Dakota Grill. The restaurant opened in 1928 as part of a tourist camp that included overnight accommodations for travelers on the newly opened U.S. Route 66 in Pond, Missouri, now incorporated within Wildwood. After the highway was later routed to bypass Pond, the business struggled to survive, operating as housing for government employees during World War II. Eventually the cabins were demolished, and the restaurant was used for other business operations. It was reopened as a restaurant in the 1990s.

References

  1. 1 2 "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  2. 1 2 3 Thomas, William Michael (August 2003). "National Register of Historic Places Registration Form: Downey Building" (PDF). National Park Service. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-03-04. Retrieved June 18, 2013.
  3. 1 2 "Downey Building". Discover Our Shared Heritage Travel Itinerary: Route 66. National Park Service . Retrieved June 18, 2013.
  4. "Welcome to the Palms Grill Cafe". Atlanta, Illinois. Archived from the original on July 19, 2013. Retrieved June 18, 2013.