Sunnyland Plaza is now called Washington Plaza. Back in the 1960s, however, there were grand plans for another Washington Plaza, which, while not necessarily coming to fruition the way it was originally envisioned, has proven to be an important commercial area of town.

The Washington Estates subdivision first became a reality around 1954 when Howard Spurgeon purchased the former Emma Greiner farm, then owned by Ralph Bolliger. Spurgeon wasted no time getting started, and his original plat can be seen below. The large open area in the middle is the area Spurgeon was saving for his Washington Plaza.

Chronology of commercial development in the Washington Plaza area:

In July 1962, it was announced that Spurgeon was breaking ground on a $3,000,000 shopping center called Washington Plaza, which would include 16 storefronts and compete with Sheridan Village in Peoria.  He would not list any specifics on stores except to say that the first building to be constructed was going to be a bowling alley serving as an expansion of the East Side Lanes business, which was at that time on the east end of town.  East Side Lanes started as a 4-lane bowling alley and had recently expanded to eight, but this new building promised a 16-lane bowling experience.  Below is a sketch Spurgeon released to the media highlighting his plans for Washington Plaza.

After the predictable neighbor complaints and liquor license snafus, the bowling alley, named Plaza Lanes after the shopping center, opened on September 16, 1963. The new building spurred interest in bowling in Washington, and it became very popular.

Also, in 1963, a new blueprint was released for the plaza with far fewer stores. Spurgeon obtained a $1,000,000 building permit for the plaza's construction.

Progress could have been faster.  It was not until 1966 that the wheels started turning on constructing a second building in the area, a grocery store on the east side of the property.  Construction began at the end of that year and into 1967, and the Ben Schwartz Food Mart opened at the end of August 1967.

1969

A two-unit commercial building was constructed immediately east of Plaza Lanes.  The first tenant in the new building was Dr. Gregorio Mori, who would retain his practice here through 1976.  He relocated his family to Deland, Florida, and became that city's first Hispanic doctor, retiring in 1994.  Dr. Mori passed away in 2021.

1970

In 1970, Trader's Realty, a branch of their Peoria office, filled the second unit of the new building. This branch remained open until early 1974, when a temporary office of Peoria's Child and Family Service opened.

1976

After only a year, the Child and Family Service office was replaced by Dr. Lee Moore, a dentist. In 1986, Moore moved to a new office on Cummings Lane and remained there until 2011.

1977

1977 saw a flurry of change.  Dr. Mori left, and the space was leased to Lewis TV, Inc.  Lewis TV was the brainchild of Steve Lewis of Congerville, who learned the electronics trade while in the Army.  Highly skilled at repair, Lewis specialized in TVs and CB radios, very popular at the time.  He opened a store in February 1976 in Lakeview Shopping Center in Eureka and relocated to Washington in mid-1977.  It looks like Lewis TV only lasted a few months in Washington and was replaced by a Century 21 Real Estate branch, which remained until 1984.

The big change in the area was the construction and opening of McDonald's on March 19, 1977. The Washington McDonald's was the first in the Tri-County area with a drive-thru window and was also billed as the fifth business in Howard Spurgeon's Washington Plaza. Even as late as 1977, the area was still going by that moniker.

Another memorable 1977 addition to the area was Picture Island, a drop-off film-developing company located at the far south end of the Ben Schwartz IGA parking lot near Washington Road.  These islands, looking very similar to what The Blend Express looks like today, would be places where you could drop off your film canisters for development and pick up your finished photos later.  Picture Island would be in business from 1977-1979 and be replaced by Fox Photo from 1980-1983.

1980

In 1980, Richard Howard had four railroad cabooses for sale on the Wood Street railroad tracks. Bob and Jeanette Hexamer purchased one for $2400 and placed it just west of Plaza Lanes. Jeanette opened her Body Expressions swimwear and sportswear boutique, which she had run out of her home for several years prior. That shop survived about a year.

1981

Body Expressions closed in the late summer of 1981, and on November 18, 1981, the End of the Line Sandwich Shop opened. Original proprietors Tom and Sue Nauman promised a variety of original sandwiches to the Washington landscape, including Italian Sausage, Italian Beef, Bratwurst, Strudel, Hot Ham and cheese, and the "Engineer's Favorite," a super sub-sandwich. The business was purchased by the Ahlgren family in 1983 and held strong until 1988.

1982

1983

In 1983, a boxcar was placed next to the caboose, inviting another business to the plaza.  Through the 1990s, many businesses came and went in the railroad cars:

The Donut Depot: 1984 - Mary Tracy
Mainline Cheese & Sausage: 1984 - Bill and Kathy Rickard
Mainline Deli: 1984 - Gary Ahlgren
Hair Express: 1985-1987 - Mae Brecklin, Sonja Norman, Debbie Tribbett
On The Line Nail Design: 1985 - Linda Mason, Helen Spitnagle, Marcy Teague
Nail Express: 1986 - Marcia West, June Wood
Pegasus Pizza: 1986-1987 - Richard Pope
Toys N More: 1987-1996 - Lynn Ahlgren-Powell
The Total Look: 1987-1988 - Debbie Tribbett, June Wood
Hair Styles By Dee: 1989
Allstate Insurance: 1990-1992 - Tom Bernitt
Nails By Patricia: 1990
Bar-B-Que Caboose: 1992-1993
All Nails: 1996-1998 - Deb Baker, Robin Friederich
Diet-Carry Out: 1996-1997 - Margaret Small, Peggy Long
The Pastry Shop: 1999 - Mike and Kathy Paluska
House of Sweets: 2000-2001
P&S Cochran Printers: 2001

In 1983, PIP Printing built a small structure that looked more like "Picture Island" than a visit-able business, but PIP was successful for an impressive eleven years closing around 1994.

Mid 1980s

Back at the building next to Plaza Lanes, Century 21 and Dr. Moore were leaving Washington Plaza.  In 1984, Daylight Donuts opened at the site.  The donut shop had actually started in the railroad cars earlier in the year.  Run by the Tracy family, who also had donut shops in East Peoria, Daylight Donuts would be a mainstay for fourteen years, closing in 1998.

Late 1980s

With the closing of the Discount Food Mart in 1987, a large void in Washington Plaza needed to be filled.  It was not found in another supermarket but with Tractor Supply Company (TSC), which opened on September 24, 1988, after extensive renovations.  TSC enjoyed a long run here until 2006 when it moved to the old Walmart site (current Connect Church) for another nine years.

With video rental sites popping up all over the city, Washington Plaza was not to be outdone, and in 1988, Corner Store Video opened next to Daylight Donuts.  Corner Store would move in the early 1990s, just up the road to the old Kroger building in Essig Plaza.

1990s

With the exit of Corner Store Video came Chop Sticks Restaurant, managed by Howard Wei.

In 1997, McDonald's completely tore down its old building and built a new restaurant, which opened in May of that year. 

In the late 1990s, Daylight Donuts was replaced by Ron's Bakery.  Around 1999, the railroad car area was consolidated into Chef's Catering. Chef's has remained at the location, transforming the railroad cars to fit their needs. It is hard to spot them now, but they are still there.

2000s

On April 26, 2000, a storm irreparably damaged the building housing Ron's Bakery and Chop Sticks, causing it to be razed.

In 2002, the property west of Plaza Lanes was zoned commercial, a formality after the recent annexation of the Washington Estates area into the city.  As of 2023, businesses in that shopping area include:

Second Cinema Video: 2006-2011
CUTS For Hair: 2006-2017
Cellular Connection: 2006-2008
Bastien Wireless: 2008-2013
Jimmy Johns: 2010-2024
Radio Shack: 2012-2015
New 4 You Consignment: 2013-2015
Midwest Cellular: 2015
AT&T Mobile Wireless: 2015-2024
Country Companies: 2016-2023
Liquor Oasis: 2016-2023
Once Upon A Hair: 2018-2022
The Hair Lab: 2022-2024
Cosmo-Paw-Litan-2022-2024

Dollar General replaced TSC in 2007 and remains in 2023. The west side of their building was occupied by Firehouse Pizza from 2009 to 2017, and Prep Freeze Cook moved there from the Square in 2023 to 2024.  In 2024, Mac Daddy Spuds replaced Prep Freeze Cook.

In 2007, a new building was constructed where the Chop Sticks building was destroyed in 2000.  It became Tenderheart Childcare from 2007-2018 and Pat-A-Cake Learning Academy from 2018-2024.

In 2017 Plaza Lanes added Area 51, a laser tag/arcade area to their business.

It is clear that Howard Spurgeon's original playbook has not been followed in the commercial development of Washington Plaza. Nevertheless, many memorable businesses existed and continue to thrive at the prime location once on the western outskirts of Washington but now in the heart of the city.