Practical (or not) suggestions for the future

Down to Business

Sunday, November 4, 2007

If you haven't been to the Seminary Square area for a while, Midwest Bank of Western Illinois' new main Galesburg branch is starting to take shape. It's fun to watch construction in and near the new shopping center.

As the cleanup of the former O.T. Johnson site continues, I would be interested to hear what readers would like to see built on that site once it is cleared. Personally, I would like either a two- or three-story Barnes and Noble, similar to the one in downtown Naperville, or a Borders. Another great addition to downtown, if the bookstore doesn't come to pass, would be a mixed-use building with retail on the ground floor and condominiums or loft apartments on the upper floors. A four- or five-story building, with an exterior designed to fit in with an historical look, would be nice. There should be plenty of room to the north, off Ferris Street, for parking.

I know this would take some time, but wouldn't it be great if more downtown business owners followed the lead of World Wide Travel and returned their facades to an early 20th or late 19th century look? With Seminary Street, the railroad museum, Civic Art Center, Discovery Depot, Orpheum Theatre, Prairie Players new theater, a growing restaurant district on Cherry Street, brick streets and Amtrak service as a base, downtown Galesburg could be marketed as a larger version of Galena. I know we don't have the scenic beauty of a small town built on the side of a steep hill, but there is no reason we couldn't offer as much - or more - in the way of shopping, culture and entertainment.

With some work - and a lot of imagination - Park Plaza could become a unique venue, while a large, lighted fountain in the circle on the Public Square could add to the ambiance.

I know my next suggestion is not practical (that's never stopped me before.) Can you imagine how downtown would look if all the buildings were outlined with lights at night? With the cost of electricity these days, it's probably not practical - I know this is a real town, not Walt Disney World - but the look of Main Street in the Magic Kingdom and the various buildings in Epcot's World Showcase outlined with lights during the nightly "Reflections of Earth," fireworks' show, are something to behold.

(Hey, how about a theme park in Galesburg? Walt Disney Prairie? I'm sure if we just called the Disney folks and ... OK, maybe not. Walt himself did grow up in a prairie town in Missouri, Marceline. Hmmm.)

I remember while growing up going to the ceremony when the Country Club Plaza, an outdoor shopping district in Kansas City, Mo., was lighted up for the Christmas season. After music by a band and other festivities, all the street lights in the area were dimmed, then the lights framing the building were turned on - a magical moment. Even something like that during the holiday season would be amazing. Stores could stay open late that night and people from throughout the area would attend.

Speaking of holidays, Halloween just passed. Galesburg is a city that loves parades. How about a lighted Halloween parade downtown? Maybe it's too close to the date of the Veterans Day parade, but it could be a mini-parade in conjunction with other downtown Halloween activities. I don't know, I guess I'm just in a holiday mood. It's just more than seven weeks until Christmas, which means I'll start my holiday shopping in just less than seven weeks, and area radio stations should start playing nothing but Christmas carols in a week or two. Ho, ho, ho!

John Pulliam is business editor of The Register-Mail. Contact him at 343-7181, Ext. 215, or email at jpulliam@register-mail.com.