As I walk into the Great Harvest Bread Co. located in the building annexed to the OSF HealthCare headquarters downtown Peoria, I cannot help but marvel at this beautiful, white building. Known as “The Big White Store,” this iconic building was built in 1904 and recently restored to its original structural and architectural details. The building’s floor-to-ceiling gleaming glass panes brighten the exterior on the ground floor, letting in the natural light and allowing people inside to see the beauty of the historic Downtown Peoria. At 9:40 am, when I arrive for my interview, Great Harvest Bread is empty except for two employees who are hustling around the counter to prepare for the day. I take a seat at a booth next to an enormous window with a view of a block of buildings. Admiring the deep contrast between the rich tan color of the buildings across the street and the blue cloudless sky, I am in profound enjoyment of passing my time in this historic building. At 10 am, I hear brisk, quick footsteps on the floor that echo around the coffee shop. Soon, the owner of the footsteps comes into sight, and seeing that there is no one else in the coffee shop, he walks towards me. Recognizing that the smartly dressed man is Mr. Ryan Spain, Illinois State Representative, I rise to greet him, and we sit down for the interview. 
An alumni of Richwoods High School, Mr. Spain was a member of the Peoria City Council before being elected to the Illinois House of Representatives to represent the 73rd district since 2017. Mr. Spain works closely with OSF Healthcare System and is the Vice President of the OSF Economic Development. In addition, Mr. Spain is passionate about reinvigorating and preserving downtown Peoria, a task that is not easy to undertake.
As a student of the class of 2001 at Richwoods, Mr. Spain looks back at his time in high school fondly. “I had a wonderful time at Richwoods. You look back at your high school years and in hindsight, it goes by really quick, but you think about all the memories and experiences you had at the time, and it was a great part of growing up in Peoria to go to Richwoods.” Along with taking numerous AP classes, Mr. Spain enjoyed being in band. He played drums and composed drum cadences for the drumline to be played during Richwoods’ pep assemblies. When asked about one of his favorite memories at Richwoods, he recalls that it was from one of Richwoods’ assemblies. “The principal of Richwoods at the time came up to me and told me we were having an all-school assembly. He asked if we could put on some music, and me and two other students in the drumline came up with a stomp show, with trash cans and oil drums. We choreographed this entire assembly in which we performed and at one point, we figured out how to cut the power in the auditorium to turn off all the lights and we had black lights on and glow in the dark drumsticks. That was during my senior year, and I enjoyed that moment a lot.” In addition to participating in concert band, Mr. Spain was also in marching band and joined the Peoria Jazz All-Stars, which was, as he recalls, “a super group of all the high school bands. We played in Europe and that was a lot of fun.”
In addition to his passion for music, Mr. Spain’s love for politics was cultivated at an early age. Mr. Spain recalls listening to city council meetings when he was younger and participated in the speech club at Richwoods. “All those classes, you know, American History, Economics, Politics were essential in cultivating an interest in public service. Those classes were a foundation in getting interested in the challenges facing our country and individual communities and that all began at Richwoods. I think the high expectations that we have can set you on a strong path to tackle your career.” In high school, Mr. Spain recalls being interested in government, but never knew where this interest would take him. “I remember that I said in my high school yearbook that I wanted to be President of the United States and was definitely interested in government; I wanted to be president and play the drums,” he jovially says. Later, when Mr. Spain attended college, he also worked as a congressional intern for several years. His intern opportunity helped deepen his interest in politics.
When Mr. Spain returned to Peoria, he ran for the Peoria City Council and was elected, becoming one of the youngest members at 23. “Before running, I thought to myself, ‘I am going to be living in this community for a long time. I should help chart the direction of Peoria’s development.” In fact, since serving for our city, one of Mr. Spain’s proudest achievements has been his work to revitalize downtown Peoria. “I think that a strong and thriving downtown is a key to attract and retain talent in a community and to have a strong visitor economy. If you close your eyes and imagine a city, you immediately think of that city’s downtown. I still get a special feeling every time I’m driving down the interstate and I can the see the Peoria skyline. We have an incredible community here that is really worth investing in, to live in, to make one of the greatest American cities.” Mr. Spain’s vision of downtown Peoria inspires him to keep working to make Peoria a thriving city that would attract more people. With this mission in mind, Mr. Spain spearheaded the campaign to create the Riverfront Museum while he was in the City Council. His development pursuit continues until now as he tries to create new businesses in downtown Peoria including coffee shops and restaurants for Peorians to enjoy. “We have come a long way, working hard to make downtown Peoria more vibrant. We still have a long way to go.”
As one of the founders of Downtown Development Corporation, Mr. Spain’s current project for downtown Peoria revolves around the warehouse district. He is working on taking down old, dilapidated brick buildings and converting them into new buildings. Mr. Spain says that the project has been put in motion and that the process of rebuilding will take around two years to be complete. Mr. Spain’s current work also focuses on what is called the Central Business District, which includes the Great Harvest Bread Coffee shop we are sitting in. His plan is to renovate old buildings and make them habitable for people who want to live in downtown. Mr. Spain says that there are many Peorians who wish to live downtown, but a shortage of housing prevents them from doing so. Turning to the window to point out a tall building down the block, he explains, “This building right there on the corner would be an example of a building that was mostly used for office space and now would have a better economic purpose for residential use. We have people who want to live down here, so I believe we should take advantage of accommodating them.”
In addition to working to make room for future inhabitants of downtown Peoria, Mr. Spain also works closely with OSF HealthCare to provide healthcare that future residents may need. “For hospitals to continue to be large employers, we need to have communities that are growing and thriving. We are actually sitting in a building that was a huge project for Peoria, this building, which was built in 1904 was actually scheduled for demolition, and we were able to save it and turn it into the ministry headquarters of OSF.” The $135 million project was launched in 2018 and finished in 2021.
Looking back at all his achievements, Mr. Spain’s advice to high school students would be “keep putting in the hard work now, especially in high school, it can pay off in the rest of your life. There is a benefit for doing this hard work now. If you can invest in your future now in high school, it is a critical moment that can affect the rest of your life. Your performance in high school dictates what happens next in your life. It is a busy and chaotic time in a young person’s life, but it is really worth doing the hard work. You’ll be glad you did it.”
An hour later, at 11 am, I see more people coming in the coffee shop. Our interview is coming to a close, and I thank Mr. Spain for his time. He smiles, shakes my hand, and rushes out, maybe to another meeting or appointment. I can hear his quick footsteps receding down the hall. He must be very busy, and I appreciate his effort to make time for this interview. As I step out of the OSF Healthcare building, I realize that I have a newfound appreciation for downtown Peoria after learning about the hard work of our Richwoods alumnus that was put into its preservation and revitalization. Our downtown is not dilapidated and deserted like many downtowns across America partly because of his effort and dedication. With this newfound appreciation, I walk slowly and take time to admire the beautiful murals and artwork on old buildings, the gleaming dome of the Riverfront Museum, and the picturesqueness of the grey metal bridge over the tranquil Illinois River. The serenity of the scene in front of me contrasts sharply with the loud buzz of a Caterpillar bulldozer from one of the construction sites. Strangely, I do not mind the noise knowing that it is part of creating more business to bring more people into downtown as well as preserving Peoria’s past glory. Envisioning the hustle and bustle of future Peoria, with the charm of a river town, I hope Mr. Spain will be successful in his endeavor to make downtown Peoria more vibrant. Mr. Spain clearly leads by example when he propounds that “we can benefit from young people taking an interest in their own community. The future of our community and this country rests on their shoulders.”
