{"nrhp_refnum":"74000769","name":"Beecher Hall, Illinois College","other_names":["See Also:Jacksonville Historic District"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"Illinois College campus","address_restricted":false,"city":"Jacksonville","county":"Morgan County","state":"IL","lat":39.731427222000036,"lon":-90.24706825799996,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1974-04-08","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Education","Politics/Government","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["national","state"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A two-story brick building on the Illinois College campus in Jacksonville, Morgan County, Illinois, begun in 1829 and completed in early 1830, with a second half added in 1830.","why_significant":"It is the original building of Illinois College and the oldest college building in Illinois. The first classes were held there on January 4, 1830, and the first medical courses in Illinois were given on its second floor starting in 1843. It has been in continuous use since it was built and is linked to many notable alumni and educators.","narrative":"Beecher Hall is a two-story brick building on the Illinois College campus in Jacksonville. The south half was begun in the summer of 1829 and finished in early 1830, measuring 33 by 36 feet, and a matching north half followed in 1830. Its design recalls the late Georgian style of New England, with semicircular windows, Adam-like interior details, Flemish bond brickwork and, formerly, dormer windows. A local carpenter and joiner, James Kerr, drew the plans. The present portico dates from 1928. The building is the original structure of Illinois College and the oldest college building in Illinois. It is named for Edward Beecher, the college's first president. Classes began here on January 4, 1830, with nine students. The first medical courses in Illinois were held on its second floor from 1843 to 1848. Over the years it served as a dormitory, classroom building, home to literary societies and fraternities, and a library, and it has been used continuously since it was built.","period_of_significance":"1829-30","architect_builder":"Plans drawn by James Kerr, a local carpenter and joiner","architectural_style":"Late Georgian style of New England (rather than classical revival)","criteria":[],"status_note":"Listed in good condition and altered; in continuous use since it was erected, used over time as a dormitory, classroom building, literary society and fraternity home, and library.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:55:35.321745-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/71/8937/28893771/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_IL/74000769.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/74000769/8f491ad988-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/74000769/8f491ad988-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Related names: Kerr, James Ellis, John M Beecher, Edward Stowe, Harriet Beecher Twain, Mark Lincoln, Abraham","credit_html":"Related names: Kerr, James Ellis, John M Beecher, Edward Stowe, Harriet Beecher Twain, Mark Lincoln, Abraham, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Illinois_College,_Beecher_Hall,_Jacksonville,_Morgan_County,_IL_HABS_ILL,69-JACVI,2A-_(sheet_0_of_11).tif"},"district":{"nrhp_refnum":"14000509","name":"Jacksonville Historic District (Additional Documentation, Boundary Increase)","url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/districts/illinois/jacksonville-historic-district-additional-documentation-boundary-increase-14000509/"},"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/28893771","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beecher_Hall","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q4879640"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/illinois/morgan-county/beecher-hall-illinois-college-74000769/"}