financiale Cattle Bank building is located at 102 E. University Avenue Champaign, Il. It was built in 1858. It is  the oldest documented commercial building in.Champaign, Illinois. It was built by William N.Coler and William G. Hubbard. They were prominent local businessmen, attorneys and real estate developers.

     The specific individual who was the architect is unknown.  Mr. Coler and Mr. Hubbard may have had a role in the design of the building.

     The building style is Italianate.

Key Visual Features

     Flat Rooflime: features a low pitched roof hidden behind a   prominent, decorative cornice

      Tall Windows:  Uses narrow, vertically elongated windows  with openings common to the mid Victorian era.

       Brick Masonry: Built using local, red clay bricks fired  directly in early Champaign.

Chronological History of Occupants

     The Cattle Bank (1858-1861).  Built originally a branch of  the Grand Prairie Bank of Urbana,  it operated as a financial hub for regional livestock ranchers until.an agricultural      collapse forced its cloxure.

      Mineral Water Manufactory   ( 1865–1870’s)

      Following the Civil War, local entrepreneur Nicolas Miller  adapted the space into a production facility for manufacturing carbonated mineral water
         Early Pharmacy and Grocery (1870-1893)  The property was leased out and functioned as   a combined neighborhood drugstore and grocery market

     McGraw Grocery (1893-1936)  Purchased by the McGraw      family, the building served as a staple downtown grocery shop for over 4 decades

    Kuesink’s Drug Store (1936-1951). Local pharmacist William Kuesink bought the property and converted it back into a    pharmacy , serving the community for 15 years.

     Heimlich here’s Sundries (1951-1971). The final commercial business to occupy the space was a community drugstore and sundries shop.  It operated continuously until a catastrophic fire gutted the interior in 1971ending the building’s retail era.