Print ArticleShahid Khan, the most prominent figure that links Champaign/Urbana, Illinois to Jacksonville, proudly flies a Jacksonville Jaguars flag outside of his Flex-N-Gate corporate headquarters in Urbana. The twin cities lie less than five miles from one another, creating a close-knit community the locals refer to as “Chambana”. Both cities have maintained several of the older buildings in their downtown sectors, remodeling them into modern office buildings, condos, bars, and restaurants, which has preserved the history of the cities and helped to sustain the close feeling the communities share. They also display art statues throughout downtown. Today, Metro Jacksonville's Kelsi Hasden provides us with a brief tour of downtown Champaign and Urbana.
Downtown Urbana
U1: The Champaign County Courthouse in downtown Urbana dates back to 1901. That was the same year the City of Jacksonville was destroyed by the Great Fire. While the downtown Urbana courthouse has been modernized, the original Smithsonian architecture has been maintained. Furthermore, recent additions have been designed to fit within the scale of the old structure while differentiating the new from old.
U2: Urbana's www.cinemagallery.cc">Cinema Gallery, is a former theatre that has been converted into an art gallery.
U3: Crane Alley, alley next to the bar Crane Alley.
U4: Freestanding art in Urbana.
U5: Freestanding art in Urbana.
U6: Freestanding art in Champaign
“Chambana” is located 137 miles south of Chicago, where Interstates 74, 72, and 57 converge. The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is located midway between downtown Champaign and downtown Urbana.
Article by Kelsi Hasden
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