The Wheatley Building
108, 110, 112 North Main Street - est. 1845
A Remarkable Past
Three addresses and three entrances tell a story of many faces at 108, 110, and 112 North Main Street (The Wheatley). From various banks and a hardware store, to offices, civic clubs, and a drug store, The Wheatley has a remarkable past.
Perhaps least known, but very notable, The Wheatley was home to the Phyllis Wheatley Court No. 6 of Urbana in the early twentieth century – an organization devoted to community and personal improvement, as well as advocating for desegregation and voting rights efforts.
The Wheatley was at least two different buildings at one point, but by 1858, the earliest known image shows the building as being unified in its upper floors, with two distinct storefronts. Based on the age of 40 Monument Square next door, the most reasonable assumption is the bones of this building were in place by 1845.
Wheatley Court’s wallpaper on the third floor - 2023
The Phyllis Wheatley Court
While records are sparse, we believe the Phyllis Wheatley Court No. 6 of Urbana was started between 1909 and 1911 and continued through at least the 1930s. Although she was an enslaved person, Phillis (also spelled Phyllis) Wheatley Peters was one of the best-known poets in pre-19th century America. Educated and enslaved in the household of prominent Boston commercialist John Wheatley during the 1760s, lionized in New England and England, with presses in both places publishing her poems, and paraded before the new republic’s political leadership and the old empire’s aristocracy, Wheatley was the abolitionists’ illustrative testimony that blacks could be both artistic and intellectual.
Her name became a household word among literate colonists and her achievements were a catalyst for the fledgling antislavery movement. Phyllis Wheatley Clubs and Courts were started in her memory and honor in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Some still operate today.
In 2023, Urbana Tomorrow uncovered on the top floor of The Wheatley at 110 North Main Street, historic and irrefutable evidence that Urbana had a Phyllis Court. After more research, several newspaper announcements from the Urbana Daily Democrat confirm the courts existence and operation in Urbana.
1855 - 1962
1855 - 1962
The Banks
In Urbana, several banks opened, renamed, moved, and closed throughout the nineteenth century and The Wheatley is woven into the tapestry of their history.
The official records and documentary proof of most of the banks’ existence prior to 1851 have largely disappeared. At least in part, the scattered records are because the banks were not under government supervision and were not obligated to make public their records.
An ad in the Urbana Democrat 1921
It seems plausible that between 1855 and 1890, some combination of The Farmers Bank of Urbana and the Citizens National Bank of Urbana may have occupied parts of The Wheatley. Citizens National was the first national bank established in Urbana, the 13th in Ohio, and 333rd in the United States. The bank moved to 1 Monument Square in 1890.
In 1921, The Peoples Savings and Loan Co., known today as The Peoples Savings Bank, made their official home in the south half of The Wheatley at 108 North Main Street. An advertisement from the bank placed in the Urbana Daily Citizen announced the new location and offered “earnings on all deposits made.” Peoples remained at The Wheatley until moving to 10 Monument Square in 1962.
An ad in the Urbana Daily Democrat 1927
An ad in the Urbana Daily Citizen 1924
1900 - 1962
Fire & Retailers
The fire of 1901 was one of the largest in Urbana. It occurred in the early morning of February 24th and was believed to have started at 118 N. Main Street. The fire consumed most of that block from 112 N. Main to the corner of Main and West Court streets.
Firefighters used ladders, horse-drawn wagons, and water from Holly fire hydrants, installed as part of a system of in 1872, to fight the fire. Without these hydrants, it is very likely much more of Urbana would have been consumed in the blaze.
In the early part of the twentieth century, various businesses occupied space at The Wheatley, including Mammoth Furnishing Company, Humes & Osborn Hardware, a few churches, and a typewriter seller, among others. Records on many of these operations are fragmented, but we know McCracken & Son’s Gift Shop opened at 112 N. Main and stayed there for around 30 years. They sold various items including Chinese silverware, jewelry and more.
1897 - 1997
Hatton & Enright
In 1897, Charles B. Hatton opened his pharmacy at 34 Monument Square. He relocated several times, and in 1928, they moved to 205 North Main St. The 35 years at this location brought about many changes under the guiding influence of John Enright.
In 1951, Thomas Crowley joined his stepfather, John Enright, at Hatton & Enright Pharmacy after earning a pharmacy degree from the University of Cincinnati.
Finally, in 1963, Hatton & Enright moved to The Wheately, occupying both the 108 and 112 storefronts because they needed to increase their facilities. Here, they were able to better serve the communities’ needs and desires as a full-service pharmacy.
Crowley became Enright’s partner in 1977 and sole owner in 1985. The snack bar and soda fountain at Hatton & Enright was a sought-after hangout spot among youth at the time, according to firsthand sources.
Radio Shack & The Merchant Shops
By 1998, 108 N. Main had become home to Radio Shack. While inside, the walk-in bank vault could still be seen from behind the counter.
Through the 2000s and 2010s, proprietors started and operated a store featuring booth and vendor style businesses. Changing hands a few times and being renamed The Merchant Shops, eventually the business and building were sold to Urbana Tomorrow in 2023.
The Wheatley’s Future
Sustainable - Transformational - Outstanding
After taking ownership, the Urbana Tomorrow team went to work bringing various improvements to the business and building. The second and third floors had been vacant for many years and are now under redevelopment.
Restoration of the façade started in 2024, removing the metal siding covering the stone that was most likely added in the 1940-50s. The stone has also been removed, relieving the extra weight added to the front wall. All ten window openings have been uncovered and new windows installed.
Committed to quality, Timber & Steel Building Co. removed several bricks and mortar samples, sent them to a testing facility, and is using the reported information to create new mortar mixes, select appropriate bricks, and acquire paint with an appropriate vapor permeability rating to deter water while allowing the masonry to breathe.
Today, work continues on the restoration of the façade and the redevelopment of the upper floors. The Merchant Shops continue to operate on the ground floor.
In honor of Phyllis Wheatley and the Urbana Court No. 6, Urbana Tomorrow has rechristened the structure at 108, 110, and 112 North Main Street, “The Wheatley Building.”
Acknowledgements
This narrative history and some of the images were made possible and/or were provided by the Champaign County Historical Society and the Champaign County Library, to whom we are grateful for their contribution to this initiative.