Parking to Promenade

In 1975, a parking deck was built alongside Riverside Drive, jutting out into the Fox River, between Prairie Street and Chicago Street. A joint venture between Spiess Department Store and the City of Elgin, it was intended to improve the parking situation in Downtown Elgin and help the area compete with the burgeoning indoor malls springing up in the area. (Spiess was located where the condominium building currently stands.)

The shelf life of this structure was not very good. The running water, harsh weather, and neglect took its toll on the structure.


By the mid 2000s, portions of the pavement began to cave in to the water below, and for safety reasons, the deck had to be closed.

Riverside Drive was barricaded to southbound traffic in order to maintain a northbound flow along with a handful of parking spaces.

The barricade approach into the parking area from the south.

A once peaceful pocket of river viewing has fallen into disrepair.

A proposal was made to tear down the deck, which had become an eyesore, as part of a long range plan for a riverwalk through most of the city. A plan was drafted, architectural drawings were made, some state funding was secured, and the middle of June 2012 has been set to commence the razing of the old deck and construction of the new promenade.

It looks like it's going to be a great place to be once it's finished. It is schedule to be complete by the end of the year, which some finishing work to be done in 2013.

As construction proceeds, I'll document it.