Instead of rushing through the intersection at Lawrence and MacArthur, think about "Hands Across America"!

When I moved to Springfield, I moved into an upper flat near the corner of Lawrence and MacArthur. The sounds of squealing brakes were all too common but I loved the area. The flat has spacious rooms and wonderful architectural details. Coming from living in small apartments that were part of large complexes, I loved the charms and convenience of the building. But the landscape was much different then --

What started out in 1900 as stores with living quarters above became all residential - for me it was a unique place to live ----

                                                   Here is what it looked like in 1985 -



But the corner looked far different in 1967 -

The corner lot that is now a garden appeared like this:

On May 25, 1986 - this traffic- troubled area played a part in the national effort "Hands Across America."   People from NYC to California formed a human chain to show support for the unfortunate of America. The route went through Springfield  on Lawrence.  Illinois had the longest unbroken chain and 50 Lincoln impersonators participated in Springfield. At 2:00 PM all radios stations played the theme song "Hands Across America" simultaneously.

Then (1967)

And now (2010)



Here on the West Side we live with our history -- Buildings don't have expiration dates on them!