Champaign has long history of being reshaped by fire

Almost from its beginnings, downtown Champaign has been regularly remade by fire.

The Nov. 7 blaze that destroyed the 1870s-vintage Metropolitan Building was the latest in a series of fires that was at once a loss and an opportunity. There is hardly a block of the city's downtown district that hasn't been touched by flames, and its appearance has evolved as a result.

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