{"nrhp_refnum":"86003147","name":"Natural History Building","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"1301 W. Green St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Urbana","county":"Champaign County","state":"IL","lat":40.109345501000064,"lon":-88.22595414599994,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1986-11-09","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Education","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["state"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A 2 1/2-story red brick High Victorian Gothic building at 1301 West Green Street on the University of Illinois campus in Urbana, begun in 1892 and designed by Nathan Clifford Ricker, with additions made through 1923.","why_significant":"The building introduced the American High Victorian Gothic style to a campus previously dominated by French Second Empire buildings. It also shows Ricker's work on natural lighting and ventilation, and his craftsmanship in timber construction and millwork. Its later additions by William Carbys Zimmerman and James M. White match the original style and reflect changing campus planning.","narrative":"Built in 1892 on the University of Illinois campus in Urbana, this red brick building at 1301 West Green Street housed the natural history department. Architect Nathan Clifford Ricker gave it a rusticated stone base, a slate-clad mansard roof, steep gables and polychromatic stone and brick trim, bringing the American High Victorian Gothic style to a campus that had mostly used French Second Empire designs. Inside, two lightwells, ventilating flues in each room and steam heat provided natural light and fresh air, while exposed timber beams were turned into a coffered ceiling. The building grew from 50 by 90 feet to 90 by 180 feet through additions: a north section in 1893, an L-shaped wing and a lecture hall and museum in 1909 and 1910 by State Architect William Carbys Zimmerman, and a 1923 infill by University Architect James M. White. The entrances record shifting campus plans, from Green Street to the Quadrangle introduced in 1905. The additions keep a consistent look.","period_of_significance":null,"architect_builder":"Nathan Clifford Ricker","architectural_style":"American High Victorian Gothic","criteria":[],"status_note":null,"vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:55:35.108972-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/37/8907/28890737/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_IL/86003147.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/86003147/48c1ed6693-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/86003147/48c1ed6693-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0 us","author":"Dori","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:NaturalHistoryBuilding_Urbana_Illinois_4555.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Dori</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/us/deed.en\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 3.0 us</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:NaturalHistoryBuilding_Urbana_Illinois_4555.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/28890737","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Natural_History_Building","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q18154896"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/illinois/champaign-county/natural-history-building-86003147/"}