The City of Champaign does not currently have a designation for historical sites, but they are looking into the possibility of creating one to honor the legacy of Chester Street Bar (C-Street). The bar, well known as an LGBTQ+ inclusive space, closed its doors in 2017, and the building collapsed in 2021. Since then, a former C-Street DJ, Leslie Krause, has been working to solidify its legacy. Krause launched a website to archive history and memorabilia, and was the first to submit a request for the historical designation.
According to WCIA, the city council discussed creating a process similar to the honorary street designation process.
The loss of C-Street left a large hole in terms of designated queer spaces in C-U. Read offerings from Jacqueline and Claire about what this means for our community.