The history of One Main Plaza stretches back to the early days of Champaign when Henry Swannell opened his drug store there in 1865. The building, dubbed Barrett Hall, was home to many businesses including Swannell Drug Store and Brown’s Business College. Barrett Hall was also one of the area’s first public gathering places. In 1870, Susan B. Anthony lectured there on, “work, wages, and the ballot.” Abolitionist leader Frederick Douglass and writer Mark Twain and also spoke there around the same time.

In 1950, Barrett Hall was razed and replaced by Grant’s department store which operated until 1975. It was replaced by a disco called The Poison Apple which was open for less than a year. The Grant’s building went through various owners and incarnations until an arsonist burned the buildings surrounding it in late December, 1987. After that, the location was turned into a municipal parking lot.

One Main Plaza as we know it today serves as a landmark and beacon for downtown Champaign. In addition to housing some of downtown’s most coveted residences, It is home to the game development firm Volition, Veriflow Systems, real estate offices, and numerous fine dining choices. The courtyard in front of One Main Plaza frequently plays host to outdoor entertainment during the summer months and hosts the City of Champaign’s Christmas tree during the holiday season.

 
 
 

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Wurth, Julie. “Local women planning to honor pioneer on Election Day.” The News-Gazette [Champaign, IL] 28 Oct. 2016: news-gazette.com Web. Accessed 18 January 2017.

Bloomer, J. Philip. “Phoenix to rise in downtown; call it Volition.” The News-Gazette [Champaign, IL] 19 Jan. 2003: news-gazette.com Web. Accessed 18 January 2017.

Blakeman, TJ. “1 East Main Street.” Champaign History, 14 Dec. 2012, http://champaignhistory.blogspot.com/2012/12/1-east-main-street.html Accessed 18 January 2017.