PEORIA MAGAZINE November 2023

S P O T L I G H T

AT 125 YEARS, PEORIA HEIGHTS IS FINDING ITS STRIDE

BY LINDA SMITH BROWN PHOTOS BY RON JOHNSON

D owntown Peoria Heights is one of those charming places where, if you were on vacation, you’d take a picture of it. Even before the Heights became the area’s Restaurant Row, the tidy street of small shops, street planters overflowing with flowers and colorful awnings set it apart from other shopping districts as early as 1990. Photos from just 10 to 15 years earlier show a grittier town, a downtown that was more utilitarian than charming. But like most municipalities, Peoria Heights has been through its share of transformations. This year, Peoria Heights is observing the 125th anniversary of its re-incor poration. The municipality was origi nally incorporated in 1895 as Prospect Heights. Three years later, the village was informed that another Prospect Heights already existed in Illinois and that other town had first dibs on the name. Oops. In 1898, the village was re incorporated as Peoria Heights, making 2023 the village’s quasquicentennial, meaning its 125th anniversary. Following an initial celebration in September, two more quasquicentennial events remain, including a gala at the Peoria Country Club on Nov. 11, the actu al date of the re-incorporation 125 years ago. said Barb Milaccio, president of the Peoria Heights Chamber of Commerce

created the company to promote their new subdivision east of Prospect Road and north of Glen Avenue, with a view from the bluff said to be among the most breathtaking along the Illinois River valley. By 1892, the company had acquired more than 500 acres for its subdivision, valued at $186,000, which were offered at auction. Buyers’ comments reported in the local newspaper of that time in dicate that even nearby residents were surprised by the stunning views from the bluff and saw the subdivision as perfectly situated for a summer home. The developers had big plans for Pros pect Heights, including a racetrack for what they hoped would become the per manent location of the Illinois State Fair. They planned Prospect Park, with a hotel and summer resort built on 10 acres at Prospect Road east of Forest Park Drive. At an estimated cost of $5,000, the three-story structure had some 80 rooms. Immediately east of the hotel was a deep ravine over which a pavilion was situated, with a Hungarian orchestra nightly serenading the countryside. On the morning of Sept. 15, 1899, the hotel was destroyed by fire, taking with it the plans of the Prospect Heights Land Com pany, which never materialized. For fine dining and convivial company, Doc Gray’s Ye Olde Tavern was the place to go during the late 1890s and early 1900s. Located at the corner of

The former observation tower on Grandview Drive

Board. The final anniversary party will be the Chamber’s Kringle Market in Tower Park on Dec. 1 and 2, highlighted by a tree-lighting, carolers and Santa’s arrival, said Milaccio. THE BEST VIEWS IN THE VALLEY Before there was a Prospect Heights in central Illinois, there was the Prospect Heights Land Company. Four investors

92 NOVEMBER 2023 PEORIA MAGAZINE