Ribbon Cutting Ceremony for Joseph W. Royer Arts & Architecture District

Two new plaques will be dedicated Saturday, April 12, at 5 p.m. and 5:20 p.m. during the Boneyard Arts Festival program as part of the Joseph W. Royer Arts and Architecture District in downtown Urbana. The Royer Arts & Architecture District was created in 2007 to celebrate the work of local architect Joseph W. Royer while providing a focus for a new Arts District in downtown Urbana.

Urbana Lincoln Hotel (Urbana Landmark Hotel) dedication at 5 p.m. 210 S. Race Street, Urbana
The Urbana Lincoln Hotel, designed by Joseph W. Royer, opened in 1924. This year marks the 90th anniversary of the hotel. Recently renovated, the hotel was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2006 and declared a local landmark in 2010.

Samuel T. Busey Memorial Library (Urbana Free Library) at 5:20 p.m. 201 S. Race Street (east entrance), Urbana
The Urbana Free Library found a permanent home in downtown Urbana in 1918, thanks to a $35,000 endowment by Mary E. Busey in memory of her husband, Samuel T. Busey, Civil War veteran, banker, and five-time Urbana Mayor (1880-1889). Recent additions and renovations have been made greatly increasing the library but retaining Royer’s elegant Beaux-Arts inspired design.