{"nrhp_refnum":"86000268","name":"Cook, John W., Hall","other_names":["Gymnasium Building","Old Castle"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"Illinois State University, US 51","address_restricted":false,"city":"Normal","county":"McLean County","state":"IL","lat":40.50913096900007,"lon":-88.99234818799994,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1986-02-20","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Education","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["state"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"John W. Cook Hall, known as the \"Old Castle,\" is a limestone gymnasium, classroom and office building on the main quad of Illinois State University in Normal, McLean County, Illinois, built in 1896 and designed by architects Miller & Fisher.","why_significant":"The nomination argues it is the surviving 19th century university building symbolic of Illinois State's leadership in teacher education, especially during the 1890s when the school led the nation in the Herbartian method of instruction (Criterion A). It is also significant as a well-preserved crenelated, castle-like building typical of public architecture built under Governor John Peter Altgeld (Criterion C).","narrative":"Cook Hall, nicknamed the \"Old Castle,\" is a gymnasium, classroom and office building on the Illinois State University campus in Normal. Completed in 1896, it is sheathed in rusticated Bedford blue limestone and features towers, battlements and a gatehouse-style entrance that give it the look of a medieval fortress. Bloomington architects George H. Miller and James E. Fisher designed it after Governor John Peter Altgeld rejected their first plan and asked for a castle-like design. The building matters for two reasons. It is the surviving nineteenth-century structure that recalls the university's national leadership in teacher education, when the school helped introduce the Herbartian teaching method in the 1890s. It is also a well-preserved example of the crenelated public architecture favored during Altgeld's administration. Renamed for university president John W. Cook in 1936, it housed physical education, science, a library and later other campus offices. Its only notable exterior change is a modern entrance replacing the original wooden doors.","period_of_significance":"1800-1899","architect_builder":"George H. Miller & James E. Fisher","architectural_style":"Crenelated, medieval castle-like (castellated) style","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Described as in excellent condition and largely unaltered; the interior was vacated in spring 1985 for remodeling.","vacant_flag":true,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:55:35.696655-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/81/8936/28893681/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_IL/86000268.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/86000268/34fb46fc8d-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/86000268/34fb46fc8d-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"William Wesen Appraiser","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Cookhall.JPG\" rel=\"noopener\">William Wesen Appraiser</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 3.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Cookhall.JPG"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/28893681","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_W._Cook_Hall","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q6262199"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/illinois/mclean-county/cook-john-w-hall-86000268/"}