Rumor had it that Abraham Lincoln once slept there.
But while some people believe it, Fernando Barrera admitted he has been unable to prove that the man who would become the 16th president of the United States ever stayed at the site of the Galena Hotel building, 116 W. Galena Blvd., in Aurora’s downtown, which he now owns.
But that doesn’t make the building any less historic. Built in 1862, it was the second building on the site along Galena Boulevard, between River and Lake streets.
The property was owned by E.D. Huntoon, a one-time board member of the town of Aurora. He built the Fox River House on the property in 1837 – before Aurora was even a city – but it burned down and was replaced by the current building in 1862. By 1870, Huntoon House was considered the finest hotel in Aurora.
“It’s part of the history of our city,” Mayor Richard Irvin said this week. “Whether Abe Lincoln stayed there or not.”
“The reality is, if we want to save any of the historic buildings, it’s going to take some doing,” Irvin continued.
That doing, for the Galena Hotel, would be a $6.65 million project, to which city economic development officials have recommended the city provide $1.3 million.
The rest of the $5.35 million cost would be provided by Barrera, which he is raising privately from the sale of historic tax credits. The building is eligible for both federal and state tax credits because it’s on the National Register of Historic Places, and because it’s in Aurora’s Riveredge Redevelopment Zone.
Being in the Riveredge Redevelopment Zone also provides a tax break on materials, something that has helped fuel the historic renovations the city has seen in buildings such as the Hobbs Building, the Terminal Building and others downtown.
Barrera wants to turn the building into 21 micro-apartments of between 250 and 650 square feet. Rents would run from $1,050 to $1,100 a month, the developer said.
Barrera, an East Side Aurora native who admits he was unsure what he wanted to do with the building when he bought it, settled on the micro-units because of the size of the building, and because his experience is in rehabbing apartment buildings.
The micro-units would be new for Aurora.
“The proposal would ideally be a game-changer for Aurora,” Barrera said.
Ald. Carl Franco, 5th Ward, who is chair of the Finance Committee which recommended the project and the city’s participation in it, said downtown is better “the more diverse we get in the type of apartments” it has.
“This is a new type, it gives people a choice,” he said.
“This is a charming building,” said Ald. William Donnell, 4th Ward. “It would be a big draw for our downtown.”
Ald. Michael Saville, 6th Ward, pointed out that at one time, the parking lot next to the building, which is the lot for the Old Second Bank building on the other end of the block, was filled with buildings.
They were torn down to create the bank’s parking lot, but the Galena Hotel building was spared.
“The City Council never approved this building to be part of that, because they wanted it to be special,” Saville said. “There was a goal in mind, for it to be saved. Well, the time has come.”
The Galena Hotel building has been closed and vacant since 2020, and Barrera bought it in 2023.
Under the agreement before the council, the city would contribute $1.3 million in gaming funds toward the overall $6.65 million project cost.
The project is small – about 10,000 square feet with only about 6,500 square feet that are usable for redevelopment. One reason is Barrera must add an elevator to the building.
The floor plans of the apartments include things such as Murphy beds – which fold up into the wall – and fold-down desks, to make the small size work. Barrera described the units as “market rate, but affordable.”
Barrera’s schedule shows the building being ready in early 2026.
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