UIUC Main Campus
Encyclopedia
The Main Quadrangle at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
comprises the main campus of the university. It is a major quadrangle
surrounded by buildings of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences (LAS)
and is the center of campus activities.
Several architects had been instrumental in the building of the campus. These include Ernest L Stouffer, Nathan Clifford Ricker
, Charles A. Platt
, James White, Clarence Howard Blackall, Holabird & Roche
, and W.C. Zimmerman. Various campus building has been placed on the National Register of Historic Places
; these include the Mumford House, Freer Hall, Evans Hall, Busey Hall, Main Library, Altgeld Hall, Round Barns, Kenney Gymnasium, Natural History Building, and Harker Hall. In addition, the Morrow Plots
and the University Observatory are designated as the National Historic Landmark
.
The Illini Union is the student union
at the northernmost point of the Main Quad and lies on Green Street. Its Georgian Revival style was conceived by Ernest L. Stouffer, University architect, and Howard Cheney, consulting architect. The cupola, clock, and bell from University Hall (demolished) are retained in the Union. Much of the original woodwork was carved by John C. Freiburg. The building was constructed in 1939-40; a $6.9 million addition in 1960 dramatically increased its size and usefulness. The Union replaced the University Hall, one of the first buildings on the campus.
It is the center of student activities and hundreds of registered student organizations. Numerous expos, conferences, and events are held in the Union's ballrooms and facilities. There is a full-service underground food court and bowling alley as well as a university operated hotel in the upper floors.
Harker Hall underwent extensive restoration in 1992 and is home to the University of Illinois Foundation, a non-profit organization that is responsible for the fund raising effort for the University of Illinois system.
The Natural History Building marks the northeast corner of the LAS buildings and is home to several departments. The building was originally designed by Nathan Clifford Ricker
and was placed on the National Register of Historic Places
.
Additionally, the building housed the university's natural history museum with exhibits on geology
and paleontology
. The majority of these exhibits have been relocated to storage facilities or become part of the Spurlock Museum
.
Noyes Lab
is home to the chemistry
department and lies directly south of the Natural History Building. The building is in the Richardsonian Romanesque
style.
Built in 1902, the Noyes Laboratory was the largest chemistry building in the nation upon its completion. The building was designated a National Historic Chemical Landmark by the American Chemical Society
in 2002.
and professors. While Chemistry Annex is physically attached to the north side of Davenport Hall it is connected to Noyes Lab via an underground tunnel.
Completed in 1899, the Davenport Hall is one of the oldest academic buildings on campus. Davenport Hall is immediately south of Noyes Lab and the Chemistry Annex. It is still labeled with its original name, "College of Agriculture," but today is home to the departments of geography
and anthropology
. The building was named after Eugene Davenport, the former dean of the College of Agriculture.
A popular myth is that the building's distinctive architecture was a result of its being designed to house a supercomputer on campus called Plato. The building was supposedly designed so that if it was bombed, the building's shell would fall outwards, protecting the supercomputer on the inside. It is also rumored that the building's interior layout was a result of trying to confuse Soviet spies and prevent them from stealing secrets from the supercomputer.
In reality, the building's architecture is not actually all that unique and was a popular style of the day. In fact, just a few blocks to the west, one may find the Speech and Hearing Sciences Building, which a 2-story clone of the building. Plato itself was real, but referred not to a secret government program, but rather to the first "modern" electronic learning system, the forbearer of course software like WebCT and Mallard. The mainframe computer that ran the Plato system was located in north campus, in a building which used to reside on the west side of the Bardeen Quad.
Foellinger Aditorium marks the southern terminus of the Main Quad, directly facing the Illini Union. Originally known as the "University Auditorium", the structure was renovated in part of the donation from Helene Foellinger of Fort Wayne, Indiana
. The structure is designed by Charles Blackall, a prominent Boston-based architect specialized in theater design.
It is used for stage productions, speaker presentations, and large lecture classes.
, economics
, and history
. The building is named in honor of John Milton Gregory, the former University President.
Lincoln Hall
is northwest of Foellinger and is home to the College of Liberal Arts & Science, the largest college on campus. The building centers around a large auditorium.
A big bust of Abraham Lincoln
outside the entrance to the theater has its nose
polished and nearly worn away after decades of students' rubbing it for good luck prior to a test. Prior to the opening of the Spurlock Museum across the campus, Lincoln was the home of the World Heritage Museum.
In Spring 2007, Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich
's proposed capital budget for the Fiscal Year 2008 called for $55.1 million for the $66.4 million dollar renovation project. The building currently does not house any classes or events because the renovations are in progress.
Built in 1905, the English Building was design by McKim, Mead & White, a firm known for Beaux-Arts architecture. It was originally known as the "Women's Building". At that time, according to Senator Henry Dunlap, it was supposed to “provide for every aspect of a women’s education”. This included hosting the Home Management Department with its practice apartment, practice kitchens and dietetics classroom, the Child Development Study Program, and a women’s dormitory with a gymnasium and a pool. The plan of the earliest building only included the western most portion of the building, as well as parts of the southern and northern legs.
Influenced by a new campus plan, an addition, designed by William Carbys Zimmerman, was added in 1913 to the Quad side of the Women’s Building. This new addition of classrooms and meeting rooms formed the square shaped plan and called for the creation the East side, two-story, white portico. Another addition was completed in 1923 by James M. White.
In 1947, the Women’s Building was renamed Bevier Hall in honor of Isabel Bevier, the founder of the Home Economics Department in 1900. This name lasted until the new Bevier Hall on Goodwin Avenue was dedicated in 1956. At that time it was renamed the English Building as the English Department took over.
Among students on campus, the legend
has it that a student drowned in a swimming pool and continues to haunt
the building today.
Today, the English Building is home to the English department and lies north of Lincoln Hall.
, as well as several classrooms. The building is named after David Henry, the university president from 1955 - 1971.
Named after former Illinois governor John Altgeld, Altgeld Hall marks the northwest corner of the Quad between the Henry Administration Building and the Illini Union on the corner of Wright and Green Streets. Opened as the Library Hall, the building also served as the Law Building and now the home of the Department of Mathematics.
Designed by Nathan Clifford Ricker
, the Romanesque
building was the compromise between John Altgeld preference of Gothic revival style and the Classical architecture desired by the board of trustees. The tower was modeled after the Allegheny County Courthouse
in Pittsburgh and the entryway after the Ames Free Library
in Easton, Massachusetts
. The building is one of Altgeld's castles inspired by Governor Altgeld's interest in Germanic architecture; Southern Illinois University Carbondale
, Illinois State University
, Eastern Illinois University
and Northern Illinois University
have similar structures.
Altgeld Hall is notorious for its unusual architecture, occasionally requiring students to use multiple staircases to reach the desired floor. There is a myth that the original architect, upon learning that he would be removed from the project, switched the plans prior to its construction with a design that includes 33 different levels (or floors) within the building. The chimes in the bell tower
of Altgeld rings every fifteen minutes and gives a short concert each weekday at 1PM, always including the Illinois Alma Mater song.
The Main Library is located south of Gregory Hall between Armory Drive and Gregory Drive. The UIUC libraries house the largest collection of books of any public university in the United States, reaching over ten million volumes. This number also makes it the third largest academic library overall, behind those of Harvard University
and Yale University
.
The Undergraduate Library (Undergrad Library) is located due east of the Main Library and west of the Morrow Plots
. The library consists of two underground levels with an open courtyard in the center. It is connected to the Main Libray by way of an underground tunnel.
, funds were provided by Thomas J. Smith, a lawyer and trustee of the University, as a memorial to his wife, Tina Weeden Smith. The designer was James M. White, the University Architect. The building was placed on the National Register of Historic Places
.
Smith Hall is located between the Foreign Language Building and Foellinger Auditorium, but is off the Main Quad. The professors of voice, piano, and percussion have their offices there. The Steinway
grand pianos
and percussion equipment are located in this building.
The Observatory is located south of Smith Hall and north of the Morrow Plots
. The building was designated as the National Historic Landmark
by the Department of Interior in 1989 as the birthplace in the early 1900s of photoelectric photometry
through the work of Dr. Joel Stebbins
. The Observatory is the site of frequent Astronomy Open House events and houses a 12-inch refractor telescope available for student and class use.
The Institute for Genomic Biology is one of the newest facilities on campus and lies just east of the Morrow Plots. Completed in November 2006, the 186000 square feet (17,280 m²) building houses researchers in Systems Biology, Cellular and Metabolic Engineering, and Genome Technology.
Formerly known as PostGenomic Institute, the institute was established in 2003 to advance life science research and stimulate bio-economic development in the state of Illinois.
and was completed in 1931. Freer Hall is east of and across Goodwin Avenue from Bevier Hall. It is also part of the Division of Campus Recreation and houses a full swimming pool, gym, and facilities.
The Freer Hall is placed on the National Register of Historic Places
as part of the schematic Platt nomination.
The Campus Recreation Center - East (CRCE) is east of Freer Hall on the Gregory Drive.
The facility was open in Spring 2005 and has 110000 square feet (10,219.3 m²) of activity space with an aquatic center, racquetball courts, gymnasium and a 3-lane indoor track.
is home to buildings of the College of Engineering
. Please see UIUC Engineering Campus
for more information.
The South Quad lies south across Gregory Drive from the Undergraduate Library and the Main Quad and is home to numerous buildings that are part of the College of ACES
and the College of Business
.
, the Architecture Building is part of the College of Fine and Applied Arts
' School of Architecture. The Architecture Building lies on Lorado Taft Drive and is between David Kinely Hall and Wohlers Hall.
Notable features within the building includes ornamental metal works by Louis Sullivan
and a cast of Gates to Paradise
of the Florence Baptistry. The Temple Buell Architecture Gallery (TBAG) once housed the university-owned Gregory Plaster Cast collection.
Today, the building houses college's Ricker Library of Architecture and Art, named after the first graduate Nathan C. Ricker
. Today the Ricker Library contains more than 120,000 volumes and 33,000 serials, 35,000 microforms, and a small but burgeoning collection of videos, making it one of the largest of its kind in the United States. The Architecture Building is also the Home of main administrative office for the College of Fine & Applied Arts.
Originally the Agriculture Building, the building was the first building on campus by Charles A. Platt
and the first planned project according to the campus mater plan.
Mumford is located north of the Temple Hoyne Buell Hall. Constructed in 1870 as a model farmhouse for the school's experimental farm, the Mumford House is the oldest structure on campus. The house was historically used as the official residence of the Dean of Agriculture, until the construction of the Davenport House on the site of today's Illini Union Bookstore. The farmhouse was named for former Dean of Agriculture Herbert W. Mumford and is currently listed on the National Register of Historic Places
.
The university has proposed moving the structure to the south farm, where it would house a welcome center for the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences. However, such action would disqualify the Mumford House's current historic status. The structure was on the 2006 Top 10 Statewide Endangered List, published by the Landmarks Preservation Council of Illinois, a preservation advocacy group based in Chicago.
Furthermore, the building has endured substantial damage as a result of poor upkeep and neglect. Mumford House remains locked and unoccupied almost all year. The only time people are allowed inside the building is when second year architecture students carry out an in-depth building study of the structure as part of an architectural technology course. The inside of the house is completely empty, and much of the interior finishes are deteriorating due to poor heating management. In the most recent building study, the architecture students discovered that nobody had been inside the building since the previous winter, and that the heaters had been left on throughout the entire summer.
On Wednesday, 11 March 2009, the University of Illinois Board of Trustees met and Mumford House was discussed. Chairman Shah stated that "Chancellor Herman has assured me that there is no intention of relocating Mumford House." Shah and at least 4 other Trustees made strong statements in support of the house remaining in its original location. Board Secretary Michelle Thompson was instructed to draft a resolution for their next meeting, stating that the Mumford House shall remain in its original location permanently. Shah requested that by the September meeting, which will be back in Urbana, that Mumford House be a board item and that Chancellor Herman have architectural plans for the house.
The Animal Sciences Lab is adjacent to Mumford Hall to the east on Gregory Drive and is connected to Madigan Lab.
The building, completed in 1997, is designed by Perkins+Will, in honor and made possible by the school alumni and donor Temple Hoyne Buell
.
, such as the home for the Ricker Library for Architecture and Arts.
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
The University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign is a large public research-intensive university in the state of Illinois, United States. It is the flagship campus of the University of Illinois system...
comprises the main campus of the university. It is a major quadrangle
Quadrangle (architecture)
In architecture, a quadrangle is a space or courtyard, usually rectangular in plan, the sides of which are entirely or mainly occupied by parts of a large building. The word is probably most closely associated with college or university campus architecture, but quadrangles may be found in other...
surrounded by buildings of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences (LAS)
UIUC College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences is the largest college in the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, created in 1913 through the merger of the College of Literature and Arts and the College of Science. It has nationally ranked programs in chemistry, psychology and speech communications...
and is the center of campus activities.
Several architects had been instrumental in the building of the campus. These include Ernest L Stouffer, Nathan Clifford Ricker
Nathan Clifford Ricker
Nathan Clifford Ricker, D.Arch was a professor and architect known for his work at the University of Illinois. He was born on a farm near Acton, Maine June 24, 1843. In 1875, he was married to Mary Carter Steele of Galesburg, Illinois. His only child, Ethel, was born in 1883...
, Charles A. Platt
Charles A. Platt
Charles Adams Platt was a prominent artist, landscape gardener, landscape designer, and architect of the "American Renaissance" movement. His garden designs complemented his domestic architecture.-Early career:...
, James White, Clarence Howard Blackall, Holabird & Roche
Holabird & Roche
The architectural firm of Holabird & Root was founded in Chicago in 1880. Over the years, the firm's designs have changed many times — from the Chicago School to Art Deco to Modern Architecture to Sustainable Architecture.-History:...
, and W.C. Zimmerman. Various campus building has been placed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
; these include the Mumford House, Freer Hall, Evans Hall, Busey Hall, Main Library, Altgeld Hall, Round Barns, Kenney Gymnasium, Natural History Building, and Harker Hall. In addition, the Morrow Plots
Morrow Plots
The Morrow Plots is an experimental corn field at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and is the oldest of its kind in the Western hemisphere and the second oldest in the world. It was established in 1876 as the first experimental corn field at an American college and continues to be...
and the University Observatory are designated as the National Historic Landmark
National Historic Landmark
A National Historic Landmark is a building, site, structure, object, or district, that is officially recognized by the United States government for its historical significance...
.
Main Quad
There are fifteen buildings on or very close to the Main Quad that comprise the main campus of the university.Illini Union
Students' union
A students' union, student government, student senate, students' association, guild of students or government of student body is a student organization present in many colleges and universities, and has started appearing in some high schools...
at the northernmost point of the Main Quad and lies on Green Street. Its Georgian Revival style was conceived by Ernest L. Stouffer, University architect, and Howard Cheney, consulting architect. The cupola, clock, and bell from University Hall (demolished) are retained in the Union. Much of the original woodwork was carved by John C. Freiburg. The building was constructed in 1939-40; a $6.9 million addition in 1960 dramatically increased its size and usefulness. The Union replaced the University Hall, one of the first buildings on the campus.
It is the center of student activities and hundreds of registered student organizations. Numerous expos, conferences, and events are held in the Union's ballrooms and facilities. There is a full-service underground food court and bowling alley as well as a university operated hotel in the upper floors.
Harker Hall
Harker Hall is immediately east of the Union and west of the Natural History Building. The building previously housed the Department of Chemistry and School of Law. The building was named after Judge Oliver Harker, who served as the Dean of the College of Law from 1903 to 1916.Harker Hall underwent extensive restoration in 1992 and is home to the University of Illinois Foundation, a non-profit organization that is responsible for the fund raising effort for the University of Illinois system.
Natural History Building
Nathan Clifford Ricker
Nathan Clifford Ricker, D.Arch was a professor and architect known for his work at the University of Illinois. He was born on a farm near Acton, Maine June 24, 1843. In 1875, he was married to Mary Carter Steele of Galesburg, Illinois. His only child, Ethel, was born in 1883...
and was placed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
.
Additionally, the building housed the university's natural history museum with exhibits on geology
Geology
Geology is the science comprising the study of solid Earth, the rocks of which it is composed, and the processes by which it evolves. Geology gives insight into the history of the Earth, as it provides the primary evidence for plate tectonics, the evolutionary history of life, and past climates...
and paleontology
Paleontology
Paleontology "old, ancient", ὄν, ὀντ- "being, creature", and λόγος "speech, thought") is the study of prehistoric life. It includes the study of fossils to determine organisms' evolution and interactions with each other and their environments...
. The majority of these exhibits have been relocated to storage facilities or become part of the Spurlock Museum
Spurlock Museum
The William R. and Clarice V. Spurlock Museum, better known as the Spurlock Museum, is an ethnographic museum at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign...
.
Noyes Laboratory
Noyes Laboratory
Noyes Laboratory is a chemistry laboratory at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign that was established in 1902. When it was expanded in 1916 it housed the largest chemistry department in the United States. In 1939 the building was dedicated in honor of the influential U of I chemist...
is home to the chemistry
Chemistry
Chemistry is the science of matter, especially its chemical reactions, but also its composition, structure and properties. Chemistry is concerned with atoms and their interactions with other atoms, and particularly with the properties of chemical bonds....
department and lies directly south of the Natural History Building. The building is in the Richardsonian Romanesque
Richardsonian Romanesque
Richardsonian Romanesque is a style of Romanesque Revival architecture named after architect Henry Hobson Richardson, whose masterpiece is Trinity Church, Boston , designated a National Historic Landmark...
style.
Built in 1902, the Noyes Laboratory was the largest chemistry building in the nation upon its completion. The building was designated a National Historic Chemical Landmark by the American Chemical Society
American Chemical Society
The American Chemical Society is a scientific society based in the United States that supports scientific inquiry in the field of chemistry. Founded in 1876 at New York University, the ACS currently has more than 161,000 members at all degree-levels and in all fields of chemistry, chemical...
in 2002.
Chemistry Annex
The Chemistry Annex provides additional facilities for the chemistry department; among them labs, classrooms, study halls and the Chemistry Learning Center, where students can receive additional assistance from TAsTeaching assistant
A teaching assistant is an individual who assists a professor or teacher with instructional responsibilities. TAs include graduate teaching assistants , who are graduate students; undergraduate teaching assistants , who are undergraduate students; secondary school TAs, who are either high school...
and professors. While Chemistry Annex is physically attached to the north side of Davenport Hall it is connected to Noyes Lab via an underground tunnel.
Davenport Hall
Geography
Geography is the science that studies the lands, features, inhabitants, and phenomena of Earth. A literal translation would be "to describe or write about the Earth". The first person to use the word "geography" was Eratosthenes...
and anthropology
Anthropology
Anthropology is the study of humanity. It has origins in the humanities, the natural sciences, and the social sciences. The term "anthropology" is from the Greek anthrōpos , "man", understood to mean mankind or humanity, and -logia , "discourse" or "study", and was first used in 1501 by German...
. The building was named after Eugene Davenport, the former dean of the College of Agriculture.
Foreign Language Building
The Foreign Language Building is south of Davenport Hall and houses all of the foreign language departments.A popular myth is that the building's distinctive architecture was a result of its being designed to house a supercomputer on campus called Plato. The building was supposedly designed so that if it was bombed, the building's shell would fall outwards, protecting the supercomputer on the inside. It is also rumored that the building's interior layout was a result of trying to confuse Soviet spies and prevent them from stealing secrets from the supercomputer.
In reality, the building's architecture is not actually all that unique and was a popular style of the day. In fact, just a few blocks to the west, one may find the Speech and Hearing Sciences Building, which a 2-story clone of the building. Plato itself was real, but referred not to a secret government program, but rather to the first "modern" electronic learning system, the forbearer of course software like WebCT and Mallard. The mainframe computer that ran the Plato system was located in north campus, in a building which used to reside on the west side of the Bardeen Quad.
Foellinger Auditorium
Fort Wayne, Indiana
Fort Wayne is a city in the US state of Indiana and the county seat of Allen County. The population was 253,691 at the 2010 Census making it the 74th largest city in the United States and the second largest in Indiana...
. The structure is designed by Charles Blackall, a prominent Boston-based architect specialized in theater design.
It is used for stage productions, speaker presentations, and large lecture classes.
Gregory Hall
Gregory Hall lies due west of Foellinger and houses numerous departments within the College of Media and LAS, including philosophyPhilosophy
Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...
, economics
Economics
Economics is the social science that analyzes the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. The term economics comes from the Ancient Greek from + , hence "rules of the house"...
, and history
History
History is the discovery, collection, organization, and presentation of information about past events. History can also mean the period of time after writing was invented. Scholars who write about history are called historians...
. The building is named in honor of John Milton Gregory, the former University President.
Lincoln Hall
Lincoln Hall (University of Illinois)
Lincoln Hall is one of the eleven buildings that make up the main Quad of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The building's exterior depicts scenes of the life of Abraham Lincoln...
is northwest of Foellinger and is home to the College of Liberal Arts & Science, the largest college on campus. The building centers around a large auditorium.
A big bust of Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He successfully led his country through a great constitutional, military and moral crisis – the American Civil War – preserving the Union, while ending slavery, and...
outside the entrance to the theater has its nose
Human nose
The visible part of the human nose is the protruding part of the face that bears the nostrils. The shape of the nose is determined by the ethmoid bone and the nasal septum, which consists mostly of cartilage and which separates the nostrils...
polished and nearly worn away after decades of students' rubbing it for good luck prior to a test. Prior to the opening of the Spurlock Museum across the campus, Lincoln was the home of the World Heritage Museum.
In Spring 2007, Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich
Rod Blagojevich
Rod R. Blagojevich is an American politician who served as the 40th Governor of Illinois from 2003 to 2009. A Democrat, Blagojevich was a State Representative before being elected to the United States House of Representatives representing parts of Chicago...
's proposed capital budget for the Fiscal Year 2008 called for $55.1 million for the $66.4 million dollar renovation project. The building currently does not house any classes or events because the renovations are in progress.
English Building
Influenced by a new campus plan, an addition, designed by William Carbys Zimmerman, was added in 1913 to the Quad side of the Women’s Building. This new addition of classrooms and meeting rooms formed the square shaped plan and called for the creation the East side, two-story, white portico. Another addition was completed in 1923 by James M. White.
In 1947, the Women’s Building was renamed Bevier Hall in honor of Isabel Bevier, the founder of the Home Economics Department in 1900. This name lasted until the new Bevier Hall on Goodwin Avenue was dedicated in 1956. At that time it was renamed the English Building as the English Department took over.
Among students on campus, the legend
Legend
A legend is a narrative of human actions that are perceived both by teller and listeners to take place within human history and to possess certain qualities that give the tale verisimilitude...
has it that a student drowned in a swimming pool and continues to haunt
HAUNT
HAUNT was a straightforward but engagingly irreverent text-based mainframe computer game. It was created in OPS4 language in 1979 by John E. Laird....
the building today.
Today, the English Building is home to the English department and lies north of Lincoln Hall.
Henry Administration Building
The David Dodds Henry Administration Building is north of the English Building and houses primarily administrative offices, including the office of the registrarRegistrar (academic)
In education outside the United Kingdom, a registrar or registrary is an official in an academic institution who handles student records. Typically, a registrar processes registration requests, schedules classes and maintains class lists, enforces the rules for entering or leaving classes, and...
, as well as several classrooms. The building is named after David Henry, the university president from 1955 - 1971.
Altgeld Hall
Designed by Nathan Clifford Ricker
Nathan Clifford Ricker
Nathan Clifford Ricker, D.Arch was a professor and architect known for his work at the University of Illinois. He was born on a farm near Acton, Maine June 24, 1843. In 1875, he was married to Mary Carter Steele of Galesburg, Illinois. His only child, Ethel, was born in 1883...
, the Romanesque
Romanesque Revival architecture
Romanesque Revival is a style of building employed beginning in the mid 19th century inspired by the 11th and 12th century Romanesque architecture...
building was the compromise between John Altgeld preference of Gothic revival style and the Classical architecture desired by the board of trustees. The tower was modeled after the Allegheny County Courthouse
Allegheny County Courthouse
Allegheny County Courthouse is a government building of Allegheny County located in the county seat, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.- Early structures:...
in Pittsburgh and the entryway after the Ames Free Library
Ames Free Library
The Ames Free Library is a public library designed by noted American architect H. H. Richardson. It is located at 53 Main Street, Easton, Massachusetts, immediately adjacent to another Richardson building, Oakes Ames Memorial Hall....
in Easton, Massachusetts
Easton, Massachusetts
Easton is a town in Bristol County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 23,112 at the 2010 census.Easton is governed by an elected committee of selectmen and a town administrator.- History :...
. The building is one of Altgeld's castles inspired by Governor Altgeld's interest in Germanic architecture; Southern Illinois University Carbondale
Southern Illinois University Carbondale
Southern Illinois University Carbondale is a public research university located in Carbondale, Illinois, United States. Founded in 1869, SIUC is the flagship campus of the Southern Illinois University system...
, Illinois State University
Illinois State University
Illinois State University , founded in 1857, is the oldest public university in Illinois; it is located in the town of Normal. ISU is considered a "national university" that grants a variety of doctoral degrees and strongly emphasizes research; it is also recognized as one of the top ten largest...
, Eastern Illinois University
Eastern Illinois University
Eastern Illinois University is a state university located in Charleston, Illinois, United States. Established in 1895 as the Eastern Illinois State Normal School, a teacher's college offering a two-year degree, Eastern Illinois University gradually expanded into a comprehensive university with a...
and Northern Illinois University
Northern Illinois University
Northern Illinois University is a state university and research institution located in DeKalb, Illinois, with satellite centers in Hoffman Estates, Naperville, Rockford, and Oregon. It was originally founded as Northern Illinois State Normal School on May 22, 1895 by Illinois Governor John P...
have similar structures.
Altgeld Hall is notorious for its unusual architecture, occasionally requiring students to use multiple staircases to reach the desired floor. There is a myth that the original architect, upon learning that he would be removed from the project, switched the plans prior to its construction with a design that includes 33 different levels (or floors) within the building. The chimes in the bell tower
Bell tower
A bell tower is a tower which contains one or more bells, or which is designed to hold bells, even if it has none. In the European tradition, such a tower most commonly serves as part of a church and contains church bells. When attached to a city hall or other civic building, especially in...
of Altgeld rings every fifteen minutes and gives a short concert each weekday at 1PM, always including the Illinois Alma Mater song.
Eternal Flame: Main Quad attraction
A main attraction and point of interest on the Main Quad is the Eternal Flame. It is a memorial from the class of 1912.Krannert Center for the Performing Arts
Built in 1969, the Krannert Center is a 5 Stage Theater Complex. It houses the Tryon Festival Theater, Follinger Great Hall, Colwell Playhouse, and Studio Theater. It also houses an outdoor amphitheater. The building is home to all the Performing arts at the University, and holds the offices for the Theater and Opera Departments. The second level of the building houses several rehearsal rooms as well as production shops and offices.Main Library
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
and Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
.
Undergraduate Library
Morrow Plots
The Morrow Plots is an experimental corn field at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and is the oldest of its kind in the Western hemisphere and the second oldest in the world. It was established in 1876 as the first experimental corn field at an American college and continues to be...
. The library consists of two underground levels with an open courtyard in the center. It is connected to the Main Libray by way of an underground tunnel.
Smith Memorial Hall
Completed in 1920, Smith Memorial Hall was the first University building constructed from funds which were not state-appropriated. Built to house the School of MusicUIUC College of Fine and Applied Arts
The College of Fine and Applied Arts is a multi-disciplinary art school at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.-Academic units:* School of Architecture* **Art Education**Art History**Ceramics**Graphic Design**Industrial Design...
, funds were provided by Thomas J. Smith, a lawyer and trustee of the University, as a memorial to his wife, Tina Weeden Smith. The designer was James M. White, the University Architect. The building was placed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
.
Smith Hall is located between the Foreign Language Building and Foellinger Auditorium, but is off the Main Quad. The professors of voice, piano, and percussion have their offices there. The Steinway
Steinway & Sons
Steinway & Sons, also known as Steinway , is an American and German manufacturer of handmade pianos, founded 1853 in Manhattan in New York City by German immigrant Heinrich Engelhard Steinweg...
grand pianos
Pianos
Pianos is a two-story bar/restaurant/live music venue in the Lower East Side section of Manhattan at 158 Ludlow Street.Its stage attracts local and national alternative rock groups as well as DJs, though a more typical performance consists of smaller name local and touring acts...
and percussion equipment are located in this building.
Observatory
Morrow Plots
The Morrow Plots is an experimental corn field at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and is the oldest of its kind in the Western hemisphere and the second oldest in the world. It was established in 1876 as the first experimental corn field at an American college and continues to be...
. The building was designated as the National Historic Landmark
National Historic Landmark
A National Historic Landmark is a building, site, structure, object, or district, that is officially recognized by the United States government for its historical significance...
by the Department of Interior in 1989 as the birthplace in the early 1900s of photoelectric photometry
Photometry (astronomy)
Photometry is a technique of astronomy concerned with measuring the flux, or intensity of an astronomical object's electromagnetic radiation...
through the work of Dr. Joel Stebbins
Joel Stebbins
Joel Stebbins was an American astronomer who pioneered photoelectric photometry in astronomy. He earned his Ph.D at the University of California. He was director of the University of Illinois Observatory from 1903 to 1922 where he performed innovative work with the selenium cell...
. The Observatory is the site of frequent Astronomy Open House events and houses a 12-inch refractor telescope available for student and class use.
Institute for Genomic Biology
Formerly known as PostGenomic Institute, the institute was established in 2003 to advance life science research and stimulate bio-economic development in the state of Illinois.
Bevier Hall
Bevier Hall is immediately east of the newly-built Institute for Genomic Biology.Freer Hall
Originally known as the Women's Gymnasium, the Freer Hall was designed by architect Charles A. PlattCharles A. Platt
Charles Adams Platt was a prominent artist, landscape gardener, landscape designer, and architect of the "American Renaissance" movement. His garden designs complemented his domestic architecture.-Early career:...
and was completed in 1931. Freer Hall is east of and across Goodwin Avenue from Bevier Hall. It is also part of the Division of Campus Recreation and houses a full swimming pool, gym, and facilities.
The Freer Hall is placed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
as part of the schematic Platt nomination.
CRCE
The facility was open in Spring 2005 and has 110000 square feet (10,219.3 m²) of activity space with an aquatic center, racquetball courts, gymnasium and a 3-lane indoor track.
Bardeen (North) Engineering Quad
Located north of Green Street, Bardeen Engineering QuadUIUC Engineering Campus
The Engineering Campus is the colloquial name for the Bardeen Quadrangle and the Beckman Quadrangle at the College of Engineering at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.-Bardeen Quadrangle:...
is home to buildings of the College of Engineering
UIUC College of Engineering
The College of Engineering at the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign was first established in 1868, and is considered one of the original units of the school. The presence of a steam engine on the University's seal is a good clue as to the importance of the engineering program to the...
. Please see UIUC Engineering Campus
UIUC Engineering Campus
The Engineering Campus is the colloquial name for the Bardeen Quadrangle and the Beckman Quadrangle at the College of Engineering at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.-Bardeen Quadrangle:...
for more information.
South Quad
UIUC College of Agriculture, Consumer, and Environmental Sciences
The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign's College of Agriculture, Consumer, and Environmental Sciences is part of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and is considered by some to be the top school of agriculture-related sciences in the world...
and the College of Business
UIUC College of Business
The College of Business is the business school at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. It offers programs in accountancy, business administration, and finance....
.
David Kinley Hall
David Kinley Hall (DKH) is home to the department of Economics, and is used for many classes in the College of LAS. David Kinley Hall is one of the northernmost buildings on the South Quad, lying directly across Gregory Drive from the Main Library. It is the last building by Charles Platt.Surveying Building
The Surveying Building is located behind David Kinley Hall. It is one of the only two Jacobian style structure on the Urbana-Champaign campus.Wohlers Hall
Wohlers Hall is primarily used for administrative offices within the College of Business and is located west of David Kinley Hall and the Architecture Building on Sixth Street.Architecture Building
Designed by Charles A. PlattCharles A. Platt
Charles Adams Platt was a prominent artist, landscape gardener, landscape designer, and architect of the "American Renaissance" movement. His garden designs complemented his domestic architecture.-Early career:...
, the Architecture Building is part of the College of Fine and Applied Arts
UIUC College of Fine and Applied Arts
The College of Fine and Applied Arts is a multi-disciplinary art school at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.-Academic units:* School of Architecture* **Art Education**Art History**Ceramics**Graphic Design**Industrial Design...
' School of Architecture. The Architecture Building lies on Lorado Taft Drive and is between David Kinely Hall and Wohlers Hall.
Notable features within the building includes ornamental metal works by Louis Sullivan
Louis Sullivan
Louis Henri Sullivan was an American architect, and has been called the "father of skyscrapers" and "father of modernism" He is considered by many as the creator of the modern skyscraper, was an influential architect and critic of the Chicago School, was a mentor to Frank Lloyd Wright, and an...
and a cast of Gates to Paradise
Gates to Paradise
Gates to Paradise is a 1968 film by Polish director Andrzej Wajda. The film is set in medieval France and is based on a story by Polish writer Jerzy Andrzejewski that seeks to expose the motives behind youthful religious zeal...
of the Florence Baptistry. The Temple Buell Architecture Gallery (TBAG) once housed the university-owned Gregory Plaster Cast collection.
Today, the building houses college's Ricker Library of Architecture and Art, named after the first graduate Nathan C. Ricker
Nathan Clifford Ricker
Nathan Clifford Ricker, D.Arch was a professor and architect known for his work at the University of Illinois. He was born on a farm near Acton, Maine June 24, 1843. In 1875, he was married to Mary Carter Steele of Galesburg, Illinois. His only child, Ethel, was born in 1883...
. Today the Ricker Library contains more than 120,000 volumes and 33,000 serials, 35,000 microforms, and a small but burgeoning collection of videos, making it one of the largest of its kind in the United States. The Architecture Building is also the Home of main administrative office for the College of Fine & Applied Arts.
Mumford Hall
Mumford Hall is also on Gregory Drive and directly across the South Quad from David Kinley Hall. Mumford Hall is primarily used for administrative offices as well as classrooms for the College of ACES.Originally the Agriculture Building, the building was the first building on campus by Charles A. Platt
Charles A. Platt
Charles Adams Platt was a prominent artist, landscape gardener, landscape designer, and architect of the "American Renaissance" movement. His garden designs complemented his domestic architecture.-Early career:...
and the first planned project according to the campus mater plan.
Mumford House
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
.
The university has proposed moving the structure to the south farm, where it would house a welcome center for the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences. However, such action would disqualify the Mumford House's current historic status. The structure was on the 2006 Top 10 Statewide Endangered List, published by the Landmarks Preservation Council of Illinois, a preservation advocacy group based in Chicago.
Furthermore, the building has endured substantial damage as a result of poor upkeep and neglect. Mumford House remains locked and unoccupied almost all year. The only time people are allowed inside the building is when second year architecture students carry out an in-depth building study of the structure as part of an architectural technology course. The inside of the house is completely empty, and much of the interior finishes are deteriorating due to poor heating management. In the most recent building study, the architecture students discovered that nobody had been inside the building since the previous winter, and that the heaters had been left on throughout the entire summer.
On Wednesday, 11 March 2009, the University of Illinois Board of Trustees met and Mumford House was discussed. Chairman Shah stated that "Chancellor Herman has assured me that there is no intention of relocating Mumford House." Shah and at least 4 other Trustees made strong statements in support of the house remaining in its original location. Board Secretary Michelle Thompson was instructed to draft a resolution for their next meeting, stating that the Mumford House shall remain in its original location permanently. Shah requested that by the September meeting, which will be back in Urbana, that Mumford House be a board item and that Chancellor Herman have architectural plans for the house.
ACES Library, Information and Alumni Center
The ACES Library dominates the northern end of the South Quad and can be seen from very far away, especially because of its unusual appearance and octagonal shape. The building officially terminates the "Military Axis".Animal Sciences Laboratory
Madigan Laboratory
Madigan Lab is also part of the College of ACES and is immediately east of the Animal Sciences Lab on Gregory Drive and faces Goodwin Avenue. It can be seen from as far away as the Siebel Center along Goodwin.Temple Hoyne Buell Hall
Buell Hall is due south of David Kinley Hall on the South Quad and is part of the College of Fine and Applied Arts. It houses the graduate division of the School of Architecture, as well as the Department of Landscape Architecture and the Department of Urban and Regional Planning.The building, completed in 1997, is designed by Perkins+Will, in honor and made possible by the school alumni and donor Temple Hoyne Buell
Temple Hoyne Buell
Temple Hoyne Buell was an American architect.Buell was born to a prominent Chicago family and the grandson of Thomas Hoyne. He studied architecture at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and completed graduate studies at Columbia University. He served in France during World War I, where he...
.
Agriculture Engineering Sciences Building
The Agriculture Engineering Sciences Building is directly east and across the South Quad from Buell Hall and is part of the College of ACES.Wood Engineering Lab
Wood Engineering Lab is tucked behind the Agriculture Engineering Sciences Building and is part of the College of ACES.Natural Resources Building
The Natural Resources Building is in the southwest corner of the South Quad. It houses the Illinois State Geological Survey and the Illinois Natural History Survey.Stock Pavilion
The Stock Pavilion is at the southern terminus of the South Quad and marks the southern boundary of the main campus. Designed for the stock judging purposes, the structure is currently vacant. Several proposals had been presented for its rehabilitation and adaptive reuseAdaptive reuse
Adaptive reuse refers to the process of reusing an old site or building for a purpose other than which it was built or designed for. Along with brownfield reclamation, adaptive reuse is seen by many as a key factor in land conservation and the reduction of urban sprawl...
, such as the home for the Ricker Library for Architecture and Arts.