From the Journal Star:

The Downtown AMVETS building should be considered a historic landmark and preserved for future uses, the city’s historic preservation commission decided this morning.

With a 4-2 vote, the commission endorsed an application from the Central Illinois Landmarks Foundation to landmark the building at 237 NE Monroe St.

The City Council has the final vote on the landmarking status and is scheduled to do so on Nov. 25.

I have mixed feelings about this. I really do. On the one hand, I agree with the Historic Preservation Commission (HPC) that this building should be landmarked. After reading the application, I believe a solid case was made for preserving this 1916 building originally known as the United Duroc Building.

But on the other hand, the timing couldn’t have been worse. The AMVETS need to move, and they had their plans all set. They were going to move to the former Penguin Tap in Peoria Heights. Riverside Community Church was going to buy their downtown building, raze it, and build a new children’s wing. All the arrangements had been made and all they needed to do was close the deal. And then this historic preservation request was filed and scuttled everyone’s plans.

That has made for a lot of hard feelings. It’s no small irony that this happened to a veterans group. “Post 64 Commander Richard Mitchell said the vote was ‘another example of rights we fought for being taken away from us,'” reported the Journal Star.

I hope that preservation groups recognize the spot they put people and organizations in when they wait until the last minute to file preservation applications. Instead of waiting until the wrecking ball is at the door, it would be better if these groups were more proactive. There are a finite number of buildings in Peoria that are worthy of historic designation; make a list, submit it, and be done with it.