Historic buildings in downtown Springfield have been put on the market. Several properties along South Second, as well as on Capitol Avenue and Seventh Street, are ready for new owners, while two others have recently changed hands.
Court and Karen Conn of Conn’s Hospitality Group are known for their outstanding historic preservation work, owning many historic sites in Springfield: Obed and Isaac’s, the Inn at 835, Vinegar Hill Mall and the Dewitt Smith mansion at 625 S. Second St. Karen Conn received the Wally Henderson Lifetime Achievement Award at the Downtown Springfield, Inc. annual gala, held March 26. The presentation noted her extraordinary leadership in historic preservation, downtown revitalization and community-driven hospitality.
“Each of these buildings is more than just real estate,” Karen said, which is also true of the other sites. “They are chapters of Springfield’s living history, and we’ve put a lot of care into preserving their character and community value. While there may be fewer traditional buyers in the market right now, that opens up an opportunity for new visionaries – people who care about heritage and community – to step in and shape the next chapter. In short, these properties are not just old buildings. They’re a chance to invest in Springfield’s future while honoring our city’s past.”
All the Conn properties are for sale. Karen said, “We are not throwing in the towel; we are still actively running our business. We have decided, though, that it is time to prioritize our lives and have quality time to do other things.”
Inn at 835, 835 S. Second St.
Now a boutique hotel, the building is the former luxury apartment building built by Bell Miller in 1909 at the cost of $30,000. Designed by Springfield architect George Helmle, it had six flats with oak woodwork and mantels and wainscot paneling in the dining room. It offered steam heat, telephone service, gas/electrical lighting, and indoor plumbing. Ads in the Illinois State Register read: “To Lease: High-class, 6 rooms, janitor service, most desirable neighborhood in the city.”
In 1892, at the age of 22, Miller had started a small floral business with one greenhouse that soon grew to seven, covering the area of First and Canedy streets. She grew 20 varieties of carnations, plus ferns, palms and many varieties of cut flowers. For over 30 years she contributed altar flowers for each Sunday’s service at First Presbyterian Church. She ran the business until 1913.
The building was purchased by Court and Karen Conn in 1994. It was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1995 and in 1997 opened as an inn. A large venue in the back was added in 2005.
Court and Karen Conn acquired Vinegar Hill Mall in 2021. The property is scheduled to be auctioned April 13-16. PHOTO FROM CREXI.COM
Vinegar Hill Mall, 107 W. Cook St.
In 2021 the Conns acquired the Vinegar Hill Mall complex, a nearly three-acre site just south of the Capitol. At the time, Pawn King was the only operating business.
Two years later, the former Julia’s Kitchen area was converted into Trish and Mary’s Pub, and the following year Wm. Van’s relocated into Vinegar Hill from its previous space at 503 S. Seventh St. The two businesses were briefly merged into one eating venue earlier this year before the Conns announced last month that Wm. Van’s was permanently closed and Trish and Mary’s would no longer offer a full menu.
The English-themed pub still serves drinks and appetizers and there is also a large venue for receptions. This site was once the Chapman and Edwards Laundry, started in 1909 by Alvin W. Chapman and Harvey C. Edwards. The first laundry was a small two-story structure on the northeast corner. It had an assembly line track on the ceiling for pulling laundry tubs. Across the street on First Street was the laundry’s horse barn in what had been the carriage house of the Dewitt Wickliffe Smith mansion. It, too, is now owned by the Conns.
The Edwards and Chapman Laundry is pictured in 1910. PHOTO COURTESY SANGAMON VALLEY COLLECTION
In 1927 Edwards sold out to Chapman. There were 300 employees – it was the largest laundry in downstate Illinois, with 51,518 square feet, six motor vehicle delivery trucks and nine horses and wagons. They offered special services: detachable collars cleaned for 2 cents, starched dress shirts for 12 cents, shoes cleaned inside and polished for 25 cents, wool blankets cleaned in coconut soap, 35 cents. In 1935 Chapman said, “We clean the man’s hat, suits, and neckties and wash his shirts, socks and underwear; why shouldn’t we clean his shoes?” Shoes were shined, even the shoelaces were pressed. Furs were cleaned also. The laundry operated until 1954.
The horse barn was converted into Baur’s Opera House Restaurant in 1976 by chef George Baur. This was an upscale restaurant that drew legislators and lobbyists due to its proximity to the Capitol. It closed in 1999. In 1979, the upstairs area of the old laundry became Baur’s Opera House, a place to go dancing. The mall was purchased by Bud Hunter in 1982 to house shops and restaurants. Some of the first stores included a tanning salon, Chapter One bookstore, Blue Monday restaurant, and Itty Bitty Mercantile. Over the years many other businesses have come and gone.
The Conns have listed Vinegar Hill Mall with Springfield-based commercial broker Dan Sperry for an auction that will open April 13 and close April 16. If the Vinegar Hill property sells, Karen Conn said they will transition Trish and Mary’s to the portion of the Obed and Isaac’s downtown Springfield complex that currently houses a cidery.
The Dewitt Wickliffe Smith mansion as it appeared in 1936. PHOTO COURTESY SANGAMON VALLEY COLLECTION
Dewitt Wickliffe Smith mansion, 625 S. Second St.
This 5,000-square-foot building has housed various groups over the years. The house used to sit closer to Cook Street and was built in 1866 by John H. Johnson, a printer and stationer who had a shop on the square called Burchell and Johnson. The house changed owners from 1873-1890 when Dewitt Wickliffe Smith (1844-1929) purchased the house and moved it over from the corner lot. Smith raised cattle on a large farm near the community of Bates in New Berlin Townshipand served in many key roles. He was president of Illinois National Bank, served two terms in the Illinois legislature, commissioner of the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair, and president of the State Board of Agriculture. He owned an office building, constructed in 1896 on the southeast corner of Fourth and Monroe, which had eight floors and a roof garden. The building suffered a major fire in 1918.
The mansion will be up for auction April 13-16 with a starting bid of $50,000. PHOTO COURTESY CREXI.COM.
During the 1940s the Dewitt Smith home became the American Legion building. In 1982 Bud Hunter purchased the building, which housed various offices. The Conns purchased the property in 2021 along with Vinegar Hill Malland moved their administrative headquarters into the building.
The mansion, which has been converted into office space, will be offered in a separate auction during the same time frame as the Vinegar Hill Mall auction.
Obed and Isaac’s Microbrewery and Eatery, 500 S. Sixth St.
The Cidery, 503 S. Seventh St.
Since Court Conn is the great-great grandson of Obed Lewis and Cordelia Iles Lewis, in 2007 the Conns decided to acquire the Lewis home that stood on the corner of Seventh and Jackson, with the hope of restoring it. When they realized it would be impossible to restore the home, it was torn down.
It was also in 2007 that Springfield Clinic purchased Maisenbacher Antiques at 1028 S. Seventh St. There was concern from preservationists and others that the clinic planned to tear down the house to make room for additional parking. This house was built around 1855 by Isaac Lindsay, with the help of a $650 loan from Abraham Lincoln.
The Conns purchased the house and plans were made to move it to their site at Seventh and Jackson, just to the east of what is now Obed and Isaac’s. A request to the Springfield City Council for tax increment financing (TIF) funds for a new foundation met with some resistance, yet many supported the idea. The house was moved in 2008. Although it was only a five-block move, it required placing 60 wheels under the 300-ton house and trimming trees along Seventh Street as the house was a foot wider than the street. As the city continued to debate allocating money for the foundation, the house sat in the middle of Jackson Street for over a month. In 2009 the City Council approved $280,000 from the downtown TIF district to build the foundation.
The Conns also acquired the mansion of the Booth-Grunendike family at 500 S. Sixth Street. The home was built around 1870 and purchased by Amasa Booth. He owned a wagon and carriage business. Later his daughter, Mary Booth Grunendike, lived in the home until her death in 1967 at age 102. The house, along with the original carriage house of the Lewis home where the microbrewery is now housed, became Obed and Isaac’s in 2012. It is a popular dining spot.
AFSCME Building, 615 S. Second St.
AFSCME has moved into new headquarters on Churchill Road. According to Roberta Lynch, executive director of AFSCME Council 31, the group needed a bigger conference room and felt renovation wouldn’t result in enough space.
The 17,200-square-foot Tudor Revival-style office building is now listed for sale at an asking price of $900,000. Listing agent Blake Pryor of Coldwell Banker Commercial said the building is well-suited for another large office user and has dedicated parking across the street.
“The seller has kept up the maintenance over the years; the next owner will be getting a great building at a great price,” Pryor said. “Also, the current zoning allows for residential if there is a developer interested in converting it to that use.”
The building at 615 S. Second was built in 1926 at a cost of $129,500 and opened in April 1927 as the Capitol View Apartments. This was the first efficiency apartment building in the city and offered one- and two-room apartments completely furnished including furniture, appliances, dishes, silverware, and linens – basically, a move-in place. Rent was $65-$115 a month. The sunken lobby offered a place for residents to gather with friends. It was decorated with a plush, mulberry-colored carpet, gold walls, black velvet drapes, sofas, chairs and ornamental mirrors. The ads read, “Modern in every respect… representative of the finest modern hotel.”
After World War II the name changed to the Ann Rutledge Apartments. By 1980 the complex had become a shabby rooming house. Plans were to totally rebuild, but costs prohibited that. Renovations started around 1985. AFSCME moved into the building in 1992.
The Christian Science Reading Room, just to the north, has recently changed hands and is being converted into a martial arts studio. PHOTO BY ZACH ADAMS
Christian Science Reading Room, 116 E. Edwards St.
Next door to the north of AFSCME at Second and Edwards is the Christian Science Reading Room. The various buildings of First Church of Christ Scientist, the official name of Christian Science, have been located on this corner since 1914. In that year, the group purchased the William Edward Shutt home and remodeled the ground floor for $800 to add an area with seating for 175.
Shutt (1842-1908) was an attorney and was elected mayor of Springfield in 1868 when he was only 26. He was elected three times to the Illinois Senate and served as president of the Democratic Senate caucus. In 1893 he was appointed U.S. District Attorney for the southern region by President Grover Cleveland.
The Capitol View Apartments opened in 1927, offering furnished efficiency apartments. It was later converted into office space, and AFSCME moved into the building in 1992. COURTESY SANGAMON VALLEY COLLECTION
The First Church of Christ Scientist had been organized on Jan. 6, 1899, in the art studio of Etta Ackerman at 528 ½ Adams Street, the site where Abraham Lincon had written his First Inaugural Address.
The church on Second and Edwards was razed, and a new church was built in 1962 and held its first service Jan. 6, 1963. The modern structure included an auditorium that seated 300, plus meeting rooms and offices built at a cost of $160,000. The Christian Science Reading Room remained in downtown Springfield at 609 E. Monroe St. until 1984 when it was moved to the Second and Edwards site.
The Christian Science building was purchased by area residents Mark and Crystal Commean in February for $160,000. The site will become Gracie Humaita Springfield Jiujitsu, which offers group classes and private lessons for self-defense, Jiujitsu, boxing/striking, wrestling, and classes for military/police training.
The property has been boarded since a Feb. 28 fire. The owner has temporarily taken it off the market while assessing damage and working through the insurance claim. PHOTO BY ZACH ADAMS
Norb Andy’s and the Hickox House, 518 E. Capitol Ave.
The mansion built by Virgil Hickox in 1839 at 518 E. Capitol Ave. is also for sale. It once housed the Sangamo Club, as well as the famous legislators’ hangout, Norb Andy’s Tabarin, known for its horseshoes, and later Anchors Away restaurant.
The Hickox family history in Springfield began in 1834 when Virgil Hickox (1806-1880) arrived here from New York. He and his descendants, Harris Hickox (1858-1931) and Harris Virgil Hickox (1889-1972) left their mark on Springfield through their work in mercantile, coal and autos. All served as leaders of Springfield and held prominent positions.
David Ridenour has owned the property since 2010 and oversaw the restaurant off and on in between other operators. In 2023, shortly after Anchors Away closed, he announced plans to bring back the name Norb Andy’s and the traditional menu, but that did not materialize.
A historic photo of Norb Andy’s restaurant. PHOTO COURTESY SANGAMON VALLEY COLLECTION.
Crystal Commean, one of the new owners of the Christian Science property, is a Realtor with Re/Max Professionals and had the home and adjacent restaurant space listed for $295,000 until a fire the morning of Feb. 28. Commean said it damaged the third level rear area, an unfinished add-on to the building.
“The lower-level restaurant remains intact, as does the first level of the home,” she said. “But it’s temporarily off the market while we assess the damage. It’s boarded up, so I can’t show it right now. We’re going to have to adjust the price or see what happens with the insurance claim.”
Commean said she still hopes that potential buyers see the value of the historic property. “It desperately needs someone to save it. It needs to be brought back to life.”
Iris & Ivy closed last year after 25 years at 926 S. Seventh St. and the property was sold to Lisa Plumb. She plans to relocate her insurance agency and have space for her brother’s bookstore. PHOTO BY ZACH ADAMS
Former Iris and Ivy, 926 S. Seventh St.
The building at 926 S. Seventh St. that housed Iris and Ivy boutique for many years was sold by owner Betty Sullivan during the summer of 2025. Sullivan had bought the house in 2000 and says, “I miss running Iris and Ivy. I loved it so much. The name Iris and Ivy is just what I made up; I liked how it sounded.”
This property has also been listed as an historic site. Built in 1877, it became the home of John Cranmer Cook, a prominent citizen who raised cattle and thoroughbred horses. His father was John Cook, mayor of Springfield and a Civil War general. Cook Street is named after him. John Cranmer, on his mother’s side, was the grandson of Governor Ninian Edwards. (General Cook’s mother was the governor’s daughter.) Cranmer’s grandfather, on his father’s side, was Daniel Pope Cook, an Illinois congressman from Edwardsville; Cook County is named after him.
Over the years the property changed hands; at one time it was the office of Dr. Henry Berchtold and was purchased in 1996 by Gene and Betty Gerber, who also owned other historic properties such as the Bunn House (1001 S. Sixth St.) and Weber House (925 S. Seventh St. – now home of Incredibly Delicious).
Lisa Plumb has purchased the property to relocate her office, Plumb Family Allstate Insurance, from Sangamon Avenue to the house. The insurance company has been in existence for 40 years. In addition to the office, the first floor will become Elderberry and Plumb Bookstore, operated by her brother. The bookstore is planning a soft opening over Memorial Day and an official opening in mid-June.
Cinda Ackerman Klickna loves to find out about the historic sites in Springfield. She has written about the Hickox family and Dr. Wohlgemuth in addition to a recent article on the Condell family.
This article appears in April 2-8, 2026.
