{"nrhp_refnum":"89001110","name":"Alpha Xi Delta Sorority Chapter House","other_names":["Matthew W. Busey Mansion"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"715 W. Michigan Ave.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Urbana","county":"Champaign County","state":"IL","lat":40.10149669100008,"lon":-88.21842179699996,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1989-08-28","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Education","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A two and one-half story Tudor Revival building of brick, stucco and half-timber at 715 West Michigan Avenue in Urbana, Illinois. Built in 1915 as the Matthew W. Busey family residence, it has served as the Alpha Xi Delta sorority chapter house since 1928.","why_significant":"It represents the Greek letter society movement that shaped higher education at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign campus (Criterion A). It is also an excellent example of Tudor Revival architecture designed by prominent local architect Joseph W. Royer (Criterion C). Its integrity has been retained despite sympathetic additions and code-related changes.","narrative":"Set on West Michigan Avenue in Urbana, this Tudor Revival house was designed in 1914 by local architect Joseph William Royer and completed in 1915 as a residence for banker Matthew W. Busey. Its first story is patterned brick, while the upper story is stucco and half-timbering beneath steep slate roofs, twin front gables and tall patterned chimneys. Inside, dark mahogany wainscoting, staircase and built-in wardrobes survive. The Alpha Xi Delta chapter bought the property in 1928 after earlier rented quarters proved too small, and it has remained a sorority house since. Additions at the rear and east side, plus code-driven interior changes, have been made with care for the original appearance. The property is recognized for its role in the Greek system at the University of Illinois and as a fine example of Royer's Tudor Revival work. Busey was long-time president of Busey State Bank.","period_of_significance":"1928-1939","architect_builder":"Royer, Joseph W.","architectural_style":"Late 19th and Early 20th Century Revivals/Tudor Revival","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Still in use as a sorority chapter house, with sympathetic rear and east additions and interior changes made to meet building codes.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:55:35.856217-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/75/8907/28890775/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_IL/89001110.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/89001110/2ab30acefb-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/89001110/2ab30acefb-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0 us","author":"Dori","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:AlphaXiDeltaSororityChapterHouse_Urbana_Illinois_4414.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:AlphaXiDeltaSororityChapterHouse_Urbana_Illinois_4414.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/28890775","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alpha_Xi_Delta_Sorority_Chapter_House_(Champaign,_Illinois)","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q20710415"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/illinois/champaign-county/alpha-xi-delta-sorority-chapter-house-89001110/"}