History abounds at Batavia United Methodist Church

You can find numerous historic structures throughout the Tri-Cities, and they all have interesting stories behind them. Bellevue Place, where Mary Todd Lincoln stayed, on Jefferson Street in Batavia is an example.

Some catch your eye from an architectural standpoint and also stand out as a mainstay of a downtown, like the Hotel Baker in St. Charles.

But some don't get a tremendous amount of media attention, yet they have both an interesting story to tell and a prominent spot in a downtown district.

One of my leading candidates as "the most interesting building" in this area is the Batavia United Methodist Church, on the east side of Batavia Avenue near the Wilson Street intersection.

There's no mistaking that this stone structure has been around a long time - since 1887 to be exact. The stones were field boulders from area farms and they create an exterior design that definitely catches your eye - to go along with the interior made mostly of Georgia pine.

"It's really kind of a shame that this church is not sitting by itself at the top of that hill (coming up Houston Street), because that would really make it stand out," Batavia Mayor Jeff Schielke said. "It really is a design that goes back to early entrepreneurs and industrialists of that era."

The church is built in French Romanesque style and was designed by S.S. Berman, a famed architect in Chicago. Schielke said that Berman visited France often in the late 1870s to get ideas for building design.

The church was built as a gift from wealthy Batavia industrialist Cpt. Don Carlos, who was a Civil War veteran, and the Rev. E. H. Gammon, according to the church Web site.

If you've been by this church numerous times and haven't really taken a close look, do so the next time. It has a more modern addition on the back, but it's hard not to notice the original stone structure.

Building follows history: A few comments came in regarding my note last week about the "castle-type" appearance of the framework of what will be the St. Charles Bank and Trust located on Main and Fifth streets.

Bank president Tom Hansen was nice enough to drop me a note to let me know that when the bank opens in late May, the building will immediately have some history behind it. The architectural design will have used some historic St. Charles building elements as a guide.

The brick exterior will be designed to complement St. Patrick's Church across the street, while the windows and dormers will be similar to the Baker Community House. Also, the second-story turret should remind residents of buildings at 203 W. Main St. and 15 E. Main St., Hansen said.

He climbed the ladder: One might say Tom Schoewe has done pretty well for himself after learning a bit about retail and pharmacy by working at Klick and Worthley Drug Store in St. Charles as a young boy in the late 1950s.

"Tom worked for me at the drugstore in 1957 and 1958," said Charlie Brown of St. Charles, a longtime employee and owner of the downtown drugstore (in the location that is now Za Za Trattoria).

And where has it led for Schoewe? He's the chief financial officer of Wal-Mart and was most recently quoted in a Wall Street Journal article about how Wal-Mart continues to gain in this down economy.

The timing of recreation: Can recreation win out during hard times? One would like to think that when facing tough financial situations, we'd want to make sure we are at least taking care of our health.

It's a stretch that anyone would equate the two, but there is no doubt that Batavians have a tough question at hand - whether to support the park district's proposal to build a new recreation center, and when and where such a center would best serve the community.

The question comes up again for community feedback at 6 p.m. Tuesday at the Batavia Civic Center (park district building), 327 W. Wilson, during a "Coffee Clutch" with park board members.

These sessions will be held the third Tuesday of each month, before the regular park board meeting, as a way for residents to discuss important topics facing the board.

The proposed recreation center, which was voted down last November partly because of its $36 million price tag and partly because of its location at Quarry Pool, leaves the board with lots of questions with no solid answers.

Nice gesture: If you've lost your job, Sue Heidelberg wants to make sure you look good while you're looking for another. The owner of Sue's Family Hair Co. in Batavia is offering free haircuts from 1 to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday for anyone who has lost a job. Call (630) 879-2278 to schedule your time.

dheun@sbcglobal.net