Flick Fact: A motel room rate here? Back in 1948? - The Pantagraph
Question: Motel rooms in the Twin Cities these days are reasonable, but used to be better. For example, if visiting here 75 years ago, what was the common rate to have a hotel room for a night in Bloomington-Normal?
Answer: From a 1948 edition of Duncan Hines' "Lodging for the Night," a book that listed room rates around the United States, one room, with a bath, at the Illinois Hotel (today's Illinois House) in downtown Bloomington was $3.50 a night. Didn't need a bath? Only $2.75 a night then.
26 Bloomington-Normal restaurants from years past
Arthur Treacher's Fish & Chips
Arthur Treacher's Fish & Chips, seen in this February 1979 Pantagraph ad, operated at Landmark Mall in Normal. 
White Horse Inn
The White Horse Inn, seen in this October 1978 Pantagraph ad, was at 709 S. Main St. in Normal. 
Grammercy Park
Grammercy Park was at 608 N. Main St. in Bloomington. It operated from October 1989 to January 1992. 
Shakey's Pizza
Shakey's Pizza Restaurant operated at 704 Eldorado Road in Bloomington from 1986 to 1992. The building also housed Sirloin Stockade, Butterfield's, Redmondo's and Eldorado Dining Co. 
Mountain Jack's
Mountain Jack's operated at 706 Eldorado Road from 1993 to 1996. It previously was a Carvers and Bonanza. 
Smiling Moose
Smiling Moose operated at 706 S. Eldorado Road from 1999 to 2002. 
Piccolo Piccolo
The popular Italian restaurant in The Parkway shopping center in Bloomington opened in 1991 and closed four years later when owner Richard Kurtz opened Richard's in downtown Bloomington.  
Ground Round
The Ground Round, at 502 IAA Drive, closed in 1996 after 17 years in Bloomington. 
Bennigan's
Bennigan's, which billed itself as an "Irish American Grill & Tavern," closed its Normal location in July 2008 after the chain filed for bankruptcy. The eatery, 115 S. Veterans Parkway, was replaced by Wild Berries, which was later closed and razed. 
Arnie's
Arnie's was a popular Twin City eatery for 25 years. Located at the Bloomington airport terminal, it closed in 2003, shortly after the Central Illinois Regional Airport moved to its current location about a mile east. A subsequent restaurant, Arnie's Etc., was open for about a year in the former terminal building, until it closed in 2005. 
Jerry's Grille
Jerry's Grille opened in 1999 in Bloomington's Brandtville shopping center, taking over the spot used by another eatery, Henry Wellington. It closed it 2005 and then became Goodfellas, which also closed. 
Golden West
After 33 years in the heart of Normal, Golden West closed in 2002, after the owners received a surprise offer for the site and decided it was time to sell.  The building, 712 S, Kingsley St., was later resold to Tartan Realty and demolished in 2003. 
Delgado's
Delgado's, a popular Mexican restaurant at 201 Landmark Drive, Normal, closed in May 2005 after after 24 years in business. It is now the location of Los Portrillos.