Dublin Core
Title
Illini Motel: History from Marian and Ed Saloga
Subject
[no text]
Description
Marian and Ed Saloga describe how they built the Illini Motel in 1953.
TRANSCRIPTION
March 1984
The Illini Motel is located on the west side of Route 47 just north of Cross Street in Sugar Grove. It was built in 1953 and 1954. We had five units, a storeroom, and our living quarters in the center. The office was in front, living room, dining room, kitchen, two bedrooms, breezeway, and a two car garage.
We moved in on a cold day, December 15, 1953. We had to move in the units as the house wasn’t finished. We had only been in there a few days and our first visitor was Rev. Mercer inviting us to the Methodist Church and making us feel so welcome. We went to the school Christmas program, and everyone was so friendly.
We opened in May of 1954. We weren’t ready right then but five people stopped and need rooms. The rooms were clean but the drapes weren’t finishes. We got busy and made beds and hung drapes temporarily, and we were in business.
At the time we moved to Sugar Grove, the population was one hundred and seventy-five. Our boys went to school in the old school building south of the Community Building, and kindergarten was held in the Community Building.
In 1957, we added three more units and a storeroom on the north end of the Motel. In 1959, we build an Esther Williams swimming pool, much to the joy of our boys and their friends in town.
The state then bought twenty-five feet of our frontage for the cloverleaf, and we lost the pool. We lost our two direct accesses, and they gave us a frontage road, as it is today.
The following year, 1961, we built the House of Plenty Restaurant. Mr. and Mrs. Ray Weltch, their daughter and husband, Eva and Chester Leland, rented it and had if for 10 years. Mr. and Mrs. George Ratos rented an eventually bought it. They are celebrating their thirteenth year this March 1984.
We built the apartments in back of the motel in 1968 and 1970. We sold the motel in 1970 to Dolly and Ed Kunsh. They had it until 1982 when George Ratos bought it and converted it into apartments.
We have lived here thirty-one years and in that time Ed has built many houses in the village. We have been active in the Church Board, P.T.A., Village Board, and have enjoyed living here.
/Signed/
Marian Saloga and Ed Saloga
March 1984
TRANSCRIPTION
March 1984
The Illini Motel is located on the west side of Route 47 just north of Cross Street in Sugar Grove. It was built in 1953 and 1954. We had five units, a storeroom, and our living quarters in the center. The office was in front, living room, dining room, kitchen, two bedrooms, breezeway, and a two car garage.
We moved in on a cold day, December 15, 1953. We had to move in the units as the house wasn’t finished. We had only been in there a few days and our first visitor was Rev. Mercer inviting us to the Methodist Church and making us feel so welcome. We went to the school Christmas program, and everyone was so friendly.
We opened in May of 1954. We weren’t ready right then but five people stopped and need rooms. The rooms were clean but the drapes weren’t finishes. We got busy and made beds and hung drapes temporarily, and we were in business.
At the time we moved to Sugar Grove, the population was one hundred and seventy-five. Our boys went to school in the old school building south of the Community Building, and kindergarten was held in the Community Building.
In 1957, we added three more units and a storeroom on the north end of the Motel. In 1959, we build an Esther Williams swimming pool, much to the joy of our boys and their friends in town.
The state then bought twenty-five feet of our frontage for the cloverleaf, and we lost the pool. We lost our two direct accesses, and they gave us a frontage road, as it is today.
The following year, 1961, we built the House of Plenty Restaurant. Mr. and Mrs. Ray Weltch, their daughter and husband, Eva and Chester Leland, rented it and had if for 10 years. Mr. and Mrs. George Ratos rented an eventually bought it. They are celebrating their thirteenth year this March 1984.
We built the apartments in back of the motel in 1968 and 1970. We sold the motel in 1970 to Dolly and Ed Kunsh. They had it until 1982 when George Ratos bought it and converted it into apartments.
We have lived here thirty-one years and in that time Ed has built many houses in the village. We have been active in the Church Board, P.T.A., Village Board, and have enjoyed living here.
/Signed/
Marian Saloga and Ed Saloga
March 1984
Identifier
[no text]
Date
1984
Creator
Wozniak
Language
[no text]
Rights
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Format
[no text]
Relation
[no text]
Source
[no text]
Publisher
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Contributor
[no text]
Type
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Coverage
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