Campana

The Campana Building-Batavia, IL, a photo by William 74 on Flickr.

The Campana Building is a landmark in the town of Batavia, Illinois. This Streamline Moderne building received landmark status in the late 70's, and still retains much of it's period style and detail, such as the glass block windows and teal green tile.

It also still has it's neon sign, the logo for Campana Balm, the company's signature product. Sadly it no longer works, and you can see some busted glass in this shot. I don't remember the last time I saw it illuminated, although I know I have. When it was foggy, all you could see was the sign at the top.

The Majestic

The Majestic, a photo by William 74 on Flickr.

Streator's fine Art Deco style Majestic Theater. Opened as a vaudeville house in 1907, the Majestic has undergone numerous changes, as well as openings and closings, in it's history. Most recently restored and re-opened in 2002, the Majestic currently shows first run films as well as musical shows.

Moose Lodge 799

Moose Lodge-Elgin, IL, a photo by William 74 on Flickr.

An oldie but a goodie! This vintage sign was on the Moose Lodge 799's building in downtown Elgin, Illinois. The sign was in pretty bad shape by the time I shot it in 2009, and the lodge had moved to a new location by then as well. But it still looked pretty cool, very Streamline Moderne. It disappeared sometime in 2010, reputedly stolen off the building.

Thinking about it, I've noticed that Moose lodges tend to have neon signs out front-I'll have to take a closer look as I drive around exploring.

Nebraska Zephyr

Nebraska Zephyr, a photo by William 74 on Flickr.

The illuminated signboard on the back of the Nebraska Zephyr, a restored train set currently running at the Illinois Railway Museum.

The Campana Building

Storm, a photo by William 74 on Flickr.

Second week in a row we've had heavy weather!

This is the Campana building in Batavia, Illinois. Built in 1936, this building features styling cues from both the Streamline Moderne and Bauhaus schools of architecture. It was designed to be the main factory for the Campana Company, which made the popular Italian Balm hand lotion.

Considered very modern when it was built, the Campana building featured full air conditioning (there are no opening windows), fluorescent lighting, desks arranged in rows, and an automated manufacturing system.

Today the factory is closed, but the building is still in use for other businesses. The Campana building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1979, and remains fundamentally in the same condition as when it was operating, and retains most of it's period detailing.

And, it was raining that day.