It was just recently announced that the City of Galesburg and Knox College were awarded a $2 million Illinois grant to modify and update Standish Park which sits just west of the county courthouse.
I wrote over a year ago how Knox College and Galesburg were born of the same father: George Washington Gale. He wanted a town to support his idea of creating a unique college on the plains of the Prairie. He succeeded in doing both.
I have major issues with this Standish Park proposal. Spending $2 million to enhance Standish Park is a great thing to do.
Unfortunately, there are other items of importance that need to be addressed as well. That money will be misspent if you can’t fix other issues with this historical area that defines our community.
When looking at the street overview of Galesburg and Knox college, you will plainly see that North Broad Street from the town “Square” to Tompkins, then through Standish Park, takes you to Knox College’s famous Old Main. There is a photo from 1907 that shows the beauty of this historical stretch of sidewalk and street (photo can be found at our new Galesburg Library). This corridor was designed to show the invariable connection to Galesburg and Knox.
Take a walk today from our circle “square” (starting at the butt end of Carl Sandburg and his goat) directly to Knox’s Old Main. I did just that recently on a Saturday morning. I took my digital camera and all along the way I took photos of my sojourn. The journey wasn’t as beautiful as it probably was back in 1907.
The first thing I noted was the long-abandoned bank building on the Southeast corner. Wells Fargo left that building in 2017. The current owner, Knox County purchased it in June of 2024 for $850,000. The intent was to move some offices there from the aging County Courthouse. That still has not happened.
As I was walking toward Knox, an unhoused person asked me to come talk to him. I said “nope” and continued to walk. Apparently not wanting to engage with this man initiated a stream of derogatory epithets being yelled at me as I walked toward Standish Park.
I also noted that the main entrance steps to another highly visible landmark, the First Congregational Church, was a gathering place for more unhoused campers.
I walked by another abandoned building, the old public library, the back parking lot being used by numerous city vehicles. I also noted how badly pitted and patched North Broad Street appeared.
I entered Standish Park and kept walking directly toward Old Main. On my left, I noted the cordoned off area of the courthouse where apparently the sewer line had collapsed. This made the courthouse toilets unusable. The high end rented “portable” toilets on the west end of the courthouse were still in place.
To my right was another unhoused individual sitting peacefully on a picnic bench. I saw that grassy areas of the park were in horrible shape with bare spots, weeds and some failed attempts to get some areas re-seeded. The area where the small gazebo formerly sat is full of grassy weeds and gravel.
I crossed West South Street and entered Knox College campus walking directly to the pristine site of our Lincoln/Douglas debate. Immediately after crossing South Street, you could tell just how charming and well maintained the campus appeared. I have always appreciated the look of our hometown college.
I moved east and turned north onto Cherry Street to walk by another existing eyesore: the old St. Mary’s hospital. This building has sat empty for years. At some point, it is to be torn down as voted by the Galesburg City Council in 2024. The cost to do so? $750,000 to $1M.
Now imagine a Knox College recruit with their parents touring Galesburg and taking the same stroll I did. Or some tourist interested in our history. Or even a local like myself out for photo opportunities.
The County Board has to decide what to do about the old courthouse and the former Wells Fargo Bank building. The courthouse task force is expected to render a decision on the old courthouse’s fate at the end of 2026.
I feel that decision making process should have been initiated over a year ago. Apparently $15M would be needed to make the courthouse marginally viable.
Then there is St. Mary’s. Tear it down and you have another empty grass lot.
Then the chronic issue of the unhoused that seem to favor the new library and the area around Standish.
Overall Standish Park is part of the historical heart of Knox College and Galesburg. There needs to be a concentrated effort to make this entire area the jewel of Galesburg.
Stephen Podwojski is a retired, well-traveled former hotel consultant and training specialist. He was also a long time original member of the Register Mail Community Roundtable.
This article originally appeared on Galesburg Register-Mail: Many Paths: Spending $2M on Standish Park isn’t enough | Opinion
Reporting by Stephen Podwojski, Special to the Galesburg Register-Mail / Galesburg Register-Mail
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By Stephen Podwojski, Special to the Galesburg Register-Mail | USA TODAY Network
