{"nrhp_refnum":"70000229","name":"Altgeld Hall, University of Illinois","other_names":["Library Building,University of Illinois"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"University of Illinois campus, corner of Wright and John Sts.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Urbana","county":"Champaign County","state":"IL","lat":40.10947287100004,"lon":-88.22838532599997,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1970-04-17","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Art","Education","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["national"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"Altgeld Hall, originally the University of Illinois library building, is a three-story Richardsonian Romanesque building of Minnesota sandstone on the Urbana campus, at the east side of Wright Street at John Street. Construction began in 1896 and it was dedicated June 8, 1897.","why_significant":"The nomination calls it one of the oldest buildings on the Urbana campus and the one most worthy of preservation, representing an early stage of what became a very large university library. It is described as the best, and one of the few remaining, examples of Richardsonian Romanesque architecture in the region. Its mural and decorative paintings by Newton A. Wells are described as a unique example of period art in public buildings.","narrative":"Altgeld Hall is a three-story sandstone building on the University of Illinois campus in Urbana, built as the university library. Designed by Nathan C. Ricker and James M. White, it measures 118 by 167 feet and faces north. A 132-foot tower rises beside the main entrance, balanced by a smaller tower on the other side. The walls are quarry-faced Minnesota sandstone, and the roof was originally red tile. Construction started in the summer of 1896, and the building was dedicated on June 8, 1897. Newton A. Wells completed interior decoration and mural paintings by 1900. The building was listed for its architecture, its art and its place in campus history. It is described as the best remaining local example of Richardsonian Romanesque design and as one of the oldest buildings on the campus. It also reflects the working relationship among Governor John Peter Altgeld, university president Andrew Sloane Draper, Ricker and White.","period_of_significance":null,"architect_builder":"Nathan C. Ricker and James M. White (designers); murals by Newton A. Wells","architectural_style":"Richardsonian Romanesque","criteria":[],"status_note":"Condition listed as good and altered; the form checks educational use and occupied status. Promotional campus material says it now houses the Mathematics Department.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:55:35.244908-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/47/8907/28890747/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_IL/70000229.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/70000229/50e426dfbc-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/70000229/50e426dfbc-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Daderot","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Altgeld_Hall_-_UIUC_-_DSC09097.JPG\" rel=\"noopener\">Daderot</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Altgeld_Hall_-_UIUC_-_DSC09097.JPG"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/28890747","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Altgeld_Hall","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q4736646"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/illinois/champaign-county/altgeld-hall-university-of-illinois-70000229/"}