Written by Rich O’Hara
Streator Township High School
Class of ‘66
Edited by Mary Volkman
Main Street Memories
Streator’s Main Street runs east and west, and in 1965 it was the center of commerce for the city and for thousands of people in surrounding areas. Memories of Main Street are best jogged by taking a short walk just to see what’s going on, what’s for sale, and who’s downtown.
Our walk starts at the Main Street Bridge on State Route 18, which passes through downtown and crosses the Vermillion River. On the west side of the bridge is the West Gate Mall, located in Riverside. At the top of the bridge, on the north side of Main, is American Legion Post 217, named for Leslie G. Woods, one of the first Americans killed in World War I and a Streator native. Old-timers gather here to talk with their pals from WW I, and their grandchildren hold their wedding receptions here.
We’ll stay on the north side of the street and walk towards the heart of town. Just east of the Legion is the Dog-N-Suds Drive In, with its aroma of grilling burgers and hot French fries. Streator Glass & Mirror is next to the Dog-N-Suds. Across the street is the Streator Clean Towel Service in the tall building, and Danko’s Standard Service.
We zip past Nick’s Auto Repair and Lucky’s Body Shop and slow down at Beckman Motors to look at the new cars in the display room. That Chrysler Imperial in Beckman’s display window is really classy, and Collin’s Motors – one door down -- is showing that new sports car, the Mustang. The GT350 model is the coolest one ever, even if it costs almost $3,000! The venerable Plumb Hotel occupies the rest of the block, and features the Colony Room Restaurant on the corner of Bloomington and Main.
Across the street on the south side of Main is Rizzo’s Barber Shop, the Stork Club, the entrance to the Eagles, and Rokey’s Flame Room, which is located on the corner of Bloomington and Main. Rokey’s building is three stories tall and coated with signs of all types. All the windows on the third floor are boarded over and covered with advertising. There are neon arrows flashing along one side of the building pointing to a liquor store. Following those arrows also takes you to my old hangout, Healy’s Cigar Store, and a little further on is the incomparable Hamburger Inn, where a greasy little burger costs ten cents.
Back at Main and Bloomington, we cross to the east, skip by Milady’s Clothing Store and duck into the narrow space occupied by George’s Sweet Shop, run by George Angelos. His wife runs Milady’s, you know. My brother buys turtles at George’s (pecans and caramel and chocolate), but I like the chocolate covered caramel on a stick that George calls the “Whip Bar.” The little West End Cigar Store is next door, one of Streator’s many pool rooms. The Paddock Club, a smoky bar, is conveniently located nearby. At either one of these institutions and at every other bar, liquor store, poolroom, or fraternal lodge in Streator gambling is readily available. Most people play the punch board for a quarter. Those little pieces of rolled paper could be worth $100 to a lucky bettor, but nobody ever seems to win more than a few dollars. Gambling is the hallmark of the town. Whenever there’s a raid, the Streator Police are the last to know.
Across the street on the corner of Main and Bloomington is Ullom’s House of Color paint store, located in a new building that replaced the Armory Building. The old Armory disintegrated in a thunderous crash in the 1950’s and bricks exploded onto Bloomington Street, crushing parked cars. Someone blamed the building’s demise on all those people who roller-skated on the second floor long ago. Something like metal fatigue, I guess, but I always figured that poor maintenance and shoddy mortar would be a better explanation.
Gamble’s Hardware Store and Snyder’s Gift Shop are in this block. Streator Decorating, which sells Benjamin Moore paint, venetian blinds and wallpaper, is next to Snyder’s. They’ve got a great toy store in the basement that’s very popular at Christmas. Ritchie Furniture is located next door, and on the corner there’s the small office housing First Federal Savings and Loan.
Continuing on the north side of Main, two women’s stores, Kristal’s and Opdyke’s, follow in line and lead to Streator Dry Goods and then to Montgomery Wards. “Monkey Wards” is the biggest store in town, and it occupies the old Heenan Block, has three floors of merchandise and an elevator. They also have a catalog store in the basement. It’s well-lit inside, with tall ceilings, and the smell of new clothes.
Crossing Park Street, we come to the front door of the Union National Bank. The Union National is my bank; I’m in the Christmas Club, and my money is secure behind that steel vault door. There’s a huge aerial photograph of Streator hanging on the wall behind the teller’s cages. I remember the day the picture was taken; we waved at every airplane that flew overhead. I still think I see myself in that photograph, just a smudge on a rock along the Vermillion River.
Union National has a lot of business offices located on the second floor, and the upper floors of most of these downtown buildings are occupied by doctors, dentists, lawyers, photography studios, real estate agencies, dance studios, unions, fraternal lodges, beauty shops, and apartments. Just about everyone goes to a doctor or dentist along Main Street -- Barton, Barickman, Bendixen, Conley, Mason -- and their parents buy insurance from companies like Hardgrove, or get legal services from the Mohans, or schedule a family portrait at Cripe’s or the Lorrane Studio.
Chief of Police Andy Kolesar is standing guard in front of the bank, decked out in his white shirt, dark blue pants, General’s stars, and gold-braided hat. People always say that he looks like a New York City doorman, but he upholds the law like no one else ever has, except for the gambling. In his days as a patrolman he was famous for writing traffic tickets for his relatives.
Out the door and across the street is Scharfenberg Brothers men’s store. They’ve got the best men’s clothes in town. Frank Scharfenberg prints a column every Monday in the Streator Daily Times Press called “Streator Sidelights.” It’s partly advertising, (“Men’s straw hats just arrived; perfect for summer”) but also serves as kind of a social register, giving news of local boys in Vietnam or people who just moved to town.
Nearby is Star Clothing, which is operated by Sid Iskowich, who’s famous for always wearing suspenders and a white shirt. “Star Clothing” is spelled out in tile in the long entryway between two tall display windows. Frank’s Credit Jewelers is next door to Iskowich’s. Then there’s the I.T. Book Store. The “I.T.” in the title stands for “Independent Times,” an early Streator newspaper once located here.
Continuing east on the north side of the street, the smell of cinnamon bread greets us as we pass by the Federal Bakery. The Western Union office comes up next. People primarily use it to wire money since everyone has a phone these days. Jay Nelson weaves by on his bike as we pass Ray’s Paint Store and stop to look in the windows at Lloyd’s Surplus Sales. That place smells like oiled canvas and old army boots. Leslie Shoes comes next and then Wright’s Cigar Store; a spot where older men hang out. They still call it “Proud’s” in honor of the prior owner.
Across the street in the middle of the block is Hill Brothers Confectionary. It’s the coolest place in town. Hills has a lunch counter and dairy bar up front and booths in the back with individual Rockola juke box selectors at each table. After school and on Saturdays, it’s almost impossible to get a place to sit.
Next door to Hill’s is the Fashion Shoe Store, a place where I’ve been buying shoes for as long as I can remember. A fluoroscope lets you see the bones of your feet inside the shoes; all green and fuzzy. Other shoe stores have these devices, too. My parents bought me Buster Brown shoes and Red Ball Jets at Fashion Shoe, but I wear hush puppies now; I’ve got two pairs. S.S. Kresge’s dime store offers its wares along this block. Goslin’s Drugs always has all kinds of camera and photo supplies. My sister worked there as a clerk and served soda drinks and ice cream concoctions at the counter. She wouldn’t let kids sit down until they told her what they wanted. The classic Paris Cloak is next door, a name from a hundred years ago. Paris Cloak has the same kind of entryway as Star Clothing.
We’re crossing Monroe Street now. Hanging out on Miller’s corner is a young man’s privilege, and Miller’s is a young man’s Mecca. Young women would never dream of entering Miller’s. This corner is the place to be on Saturday night when the hot rods are rumbling down Main Street. There’s a pay phone at the curb that’s convenient for making connections.
Adults don’t hang out here, although a lot of older men drop by briefly to buy the paper or pick up a cigar. Al Dordan is often here, looking like a country lawyer with his broad-brimmed hat, suit and tie, and wing-tipped shoes.
Stepping inside, I see Ralph Miller standing behind the candy counter, and ask him for a vanilla phosphate. You never “order” anything from Ralph, you always have to ask. Ralph takes his time, grumbling all the while. His nephew, Gus, is ready to come on duty, and Bobbie is hauling out a box of trash. Jerry Lee Lewis is on T.V. with Dick Clark, and the juke box is right underneath. Sometimes when there’s too much noise, Ralph just unplugs the juke box (and he won’t give you your dime back, either!)
On the way out, I stop by the magazine rack to flip through “Road & Track,” but I duck out quickly when I hear Ralph shouting, “This isn’t a reading room, the library is just down the street.” Next to Miller’s is Stacy’s Place; where a somewhat more serious crowd enjoys their pool. You can drink beer in Stacy’s.
Across the street on the corner is Jack & Jill, which is the spot for children’s clothing. Ford Hopkins Drug Store is adjacent, and there’s also a lunch counter there. Next is Theodohr Drugs and its candy counter. Then there’s the Kinney Shoe Store. And further on is G.C. Murphy’s five and dime.
I pass by Trapp Brothers Tavern and keep on going. Bowman’s shoe store is on the north side of the street, and there are many jewelry stores in this block. Kerr’s is very popular and has a big cast-iron clock outside. Perisho’s Jewelry Store is nearby, as is Carew’s. There’s an old, old Streator establishment here; E.C. Van Loon & Sons Sporting Goods. They sell Schwinn bikes, models, hobby supplies, and every type of sporting equipment. Thrifty Drugs is on this block, and at the end is the entrance to the Knights of Columbus Club Room.
Finishing up across the street, I need to mention J.C. Penneys. It’s in a two-story building, selling mostly clothes, but you can also order items from their catalog. They have a system of vacuum tubes that carry money to the office and return receipts to the cashier station. I suppose that cuts down on theft and errors. On the corner is the Northern Illinois Gas Company office, where you can pay your utility bill right at the counter.
The Plumb Theatre is next door on Vermillion Street. In the summer they hang a banner under the marquee that says, “It’s Cool Inside!” It’s nicely air conditioned, but it’s also cool because it has a balcony and tons of room. All the best movies come to the Plumb. The Plumb is the only show in town, unless you count the drive-in. The Majestic is closed, and the Granada burned down in 1963. (That was a great fire!)
Across Vermillion Street is the gap left by the demolition of the Williams Hardware Store. It blew up in 1958 -- sewer gas they said. Rain had been falling for days, and basements were flooded all over town. A pump was brought into the basement of Williams Hardware and a spark must have set off the gas. The blast blew sidewalks into the air, collapsed half the building into an alley, and started a fire that gutted the place. Next door, on the corner of Vermillion and Main, is the Streator National Bank, which occupies most of the ground floor of the Murray Building. It’s the tallest building in town. The “Human Fly” died there in the thirties when he fell to his death trying to climb up to the roof.
Across the street on the north side is Curran’s Men’s Wear, which is the primary competition for Scharfenberg’s. Next door is the Ace Hardware that the Stone family owns and operates. They are big supporters of Boy Scouts and sell scout uniforms and equipment. Jodie’s Billiard Hall is on this side of the street and Shab’s too. There’s a Spiegel’s Catalog Store on the next corner.
On the south side is Rashid’s “for clothes that fit” and two doors down is Mushro’s. You can buy Streator High School letterman’s jackets and sweaters there. There are a lot of little grocery stores here: Kollar’s, Buehler’s, K&R Meat Market, Grako’s, and Chicago Grocers. They have hand-lettered signs plastered all over, and fruit and vegetables stacked outside in boxes and baskets to attract customers. It’s an old world tradition, just like the grocery stores their ancestors operated in Germany, and Poland, and Bohemia. These little stores have been here a long time; it’s a tradition on this block.
Persistence of tradition is a theme on Streator’s Main Street. Many of the same stores were here 20 years ago and some of the businesses have been here nearly a hundred years. How much longer will it all last? Look at Main Street today and see.
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