{"nrhp_refnum":"73000711","name":"University Hall","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"300 Keokuk St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Lincoln","county":"Logan County","state":"IL","lat":40.15670916500005,"lon":-89.35926537799998,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1973-04-24","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["state"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"University Hall is a three-story brick college building (four stories counting the basement) at 300 Keokuk Street, Lincoln, Logan County, Illinois, built 1865-1866 as the first building on the Lincoln College campus.","why_significant":"It was the first building on the campus of Lincoln College, chartered in 1865 as Lincoln University by the Cumberland Presbyterian Church. The school was the first named for Abraham Lincoln during his lifetime. The building has also changed very little since 1865, apart from its front steps. The form lists significance in education, architecture and its Lincoln association.","narrative":"University Hall is a brick building at 300 Keokuk Street in Lincoln, Illinois, and it was the first structure on the campus of Lincoln College. Plans were drafted by George M. Gayle, who also served as building superintendent and kept a diary of the work. The cornerstone was laid on September 14, 1865, with Governor Richard J. Oglesby present, and construction was essentially finished by the end of 1866. The building measures 70 by 88 feet and rises 60 feet, with a Joliet stone foundation and locally burned cherry-colored brick. Its style is described as Italian inspired, modified Tuscan, with a dentiled cornice and a four-sided cupola housing an astronomical telescope. The college was founded by the Cumberland branch of the Presbyterian Church and chartered in 1865 as Lincoln University. It was the first school named for Abraham Lincoln during his lifetime. Little has changed since construction except the front steps.","period_of_significance":"1865","architect_builder":"George M. Gayle (drafted the plans and served as building superintendent)","architectural_style":"Italian inspired, modified Tuscan","criteria":[],"status_note":"Listed in excellent condition and unaltered, on its original site; occupied and in educational use.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:55:35.940744-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/93/8934/28893493/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_IL/73000711.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/73000711/28ad4604af-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/73000711/28ad4604af-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Nyttend","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:University_Hall,_Lincoln_College.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Nyttend</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:University_Hall,_Lincoln_College.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/28893493","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_Hall_(Lincoln,_Illinois)","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q14688148"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/illinois/logan-county/university-hall-73000711/"}