As Year of the Park continues, we will be documenting every park in Champaign, Urbana, and Savoy, Champaign County Forest Preserves, along with other odds and ends between July 2020 and more like August or September 2021. You can see what has been covered thus far by clicking here. If you have suggestions or ideas or feedback, feel free to contact us at info@smilepolitely.com.
NAME
Hosier Memorial Garden
LOCATION
1 Stadium Dr., Champaign
Photo by Maddie Rice.
HISTORY AND FEATURES
This isn’t so much a park, but rather, a small lot that simply honors a person from Champaign’s history. In this case, it is in honor of Robert Hosier.
It’s just a nice patch of land with a lot of flowers planted in it. Hard to say anything bad about that. But you know, it’s not a park really, and hey now, it doesn’t make that claim at all, so I think we are free and clear here today, y’all.
Photo by Maddie Rice.
ASSESSMENT
Hey now! I know Mike Hosier! That is one good dude, and a rare type of “curative” landlord who doesn’t rent to just anyone at anytime. He genuinely cares about what he’s putting into the buildings he rents. That’s solid work.
Robert Hosier is his father, so I asked him how it came to pass, and he told me: “We [including his brother, Daniel] bought the building [Champaign Telephone Company] in 1991 and planned to move in late 1992; my dad died in March 1992 so it was a bit of a tribute to him.”
Anyhow, you or I wouldn’t wander over to the Hosier Memorial Garden for any sort of time together, but we might say “Hey, look at those lovely flowers on that corner of highway.” And we also might say “Yes, flowers are good, very very good. We like flowers.”