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.
There are fifteen buildings on or very close to the Main Quad that comprise the main campus of the university.
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 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.
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.[1]
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 TAs 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.
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 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.
Gregory Hall lies due west of Foellinger and houses numerous departments within the College of Media and LAS, including philosophy, 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.[2] 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.[3] 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. [4]
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.[5] Another addition was completed in 1923 by James M. White.[6]
In 1947, the Women’s Building was renamed Bevier Hall in honor of Isabel Bevier, the founder of the Home Economics Department in 1900.[7] 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.[8]
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.
The David Dodds Henry Administration Building is north of the English Building and houses primarily administrative offices, including the office of the registrar, 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.
A main attraction and point of interest on the Main Quad is the Eternal Flame. It is a memorial from the class of 1912.
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.
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.[9] 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 Library by way of an underground tunnel.
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 Music, 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 186,000-square-foot (17,300 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.
Bevier Hall is immediately east of the newly-built Institute for Genomic Biology.
Originally known as the Women's Gymnasium, the Freer Hall was designed by architect Charles A. Platt 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 110,000 square feet (10,000 m2) of activity space with an aquatic center, racquetball courts, gymnasium and a 3-lane indoor track.
Located north of Green Street, Bardeen Engineering Quad 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.
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.
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 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.
Designed by Charles A. Platt, 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.[10] The Architecture Building is also the Home of main administrative office for the College of Fine & Applied Arts.
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 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.[11]
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 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".
Turner Hall is east of the ACES Library and is part of the College of ACES.
The Animal Sciences Lab is adjacent to Mumford Hall to the east on Gregory Drive and is connected to Madigan Lab.
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.
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.
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 is tucked behind the Agriculture Engineering Sciences Building and is part of the College of ACES.
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.
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 reuse, such as the home for the Ricker Library for Architecture and Arts.
Located directly east of the Agriculture Engineering Sciences Building and directly south of the ACES library, Art East Annex Studio 1 houses the work studios for all second year and some third year students in the school of architecture. Previously the space was used for painting and sculpting students in Art+Design, after being converted from its original use as a maintenance garage for University vehicles. The original building was called the Farm Mechanics Building (later renamed the Agricultural Engineering Building), and was built in 1907 at a cost of $41,500, including an $8,500 addition in 1911. The "Tractor Laboratory and Garage" (present day architectural studio space) was added in 1924 and 1928.[12] Presently, the upper levels of the original building contain studios for metals students in Art+Design. The studios have been undergoing long overdue renovations since 2007. 2008 changes include networking upgrades, a wood shop, a spray painting room, and a printing studio with plotters, laser cutters, and a CNC Machine. Future plans include the installation of furniture and basic appliances for student lounge spaces throughout the building (announced at the Fall 2007 studio open house). The building and its additions were designed by architect James White.
Next door to the east of Art East Annex Studio 1, Studio 2 was constructed in 1905 at a cost of $18,000. The building was originally known as the Agronomy Building, and contained a field laboratory. The building now serves the school of Art+Design, and is undergoing upgrades similarly to Studio 1.[13]