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Owings Building Located next to the U.S. Grant Hotel, at the southeast
corner of 17th Street and Charleston Avenue, the Owings Building
had many occupants before it became one of Mattoon’s finest parking
lots. I am not sure when it was
built, just before 1913. It was torn
down in May of 1982. Henry Shaw Shoe Store moved several times before moving
to this building in 1913. Prior
locations included 1528 Broadway, South 15th Street and 1607
Charleston. In 1960, Quigle’s Furniture Store purchased the Owings building
and remodeled it for their new Mattoon branch. In 1963, a cigarette was blamed for fire, heavily damaging the
building. Quigle’s closed in 1966
after only six years in Mattoon. The building was sold at auction to the Methodist
Church. They used it for Sunday
school classes. The church leased a
portion of the building to Lake Land College for classes before the campus
was completed. They had plans to hold
youth and scout meeting in the building, and remodel the front of the
building for use as a reception hall.
Quigle Furniture Parking Lot Also demolished at the same time was the A.V. Morrison building which faced 17th Street and was directly behind the Owings building. The Morrison building housed the Chicago Motor Club in 1955 and Dunlop Tire in later years. It was also the location of Rodie's Bakery, which later became Dixie Cream Donuts.
Owings building and Morrison building |
