Welcome to Calftown...
CALFTOWN CORNERS is investing in the south side of Quincy, Illinois, by creating residential space that is affordable but high quality, and commercial space that is comfortable, accessible and innovative.
What is Calftown?
In 1819, John Wood and Willard Keyes purchased and began to develop the land that would become Quincy. In the following years, thousands of immigrants were drawn to the burgeoning town, by the riverfront and its prospects.
By 1870, more than ten thousand German immigrants had moved to Quincy, mostly settling with their extended families in the southwest section of the city. This bustling, vibrant neighborhood, made up of brewery workers, shopkeepers, and craftsmen, came to be called “Calftown.” Whether derived from its agrarian past, or from the residents’ practice of keeping livestock in their yards, what may have initially been a dismissive nickname was reclaimed as a symbol of the American embrace of immigrant cultures.
In the subsequent years, Calftown, and especially the corner of 8th and State, became a center for Quincy commerce. The neighborhood has been home to a number of Quincy institutions, including the State Theater, Sturhan Jewlers, the State Street Store, Templeman’s Saloon, and State Street Bank. To this day, the area houses dozens of successful businesses, along with the Early Childhood Education Center, but is no longer the center of Quincy life in the way it once was.
Our Mission
Inspired by Calftown’s history of being built by immigrants and celebrating their contributions, our goal is to develop an area that is vibrant, welcoming, and inclusive of all people. Our priority is working with the community to recapture the spirit of Calftown.
