Farm House
Also known as: Mumford House
Why it's listed
Built in 1870 for $2,500, this two-story frame farmhouse in Urbana, Illinois, was designed as a model farmhouse for the Experimental Farm of the Illinois Industrial University, now the University of Illinois. It is the oldest surviving building on university property. Its Victorian Gothic design, with a front-gabled center section and flanking wings, reflects the pattern-book tradition influenced by Andrew Jackson Downing and by farmhouse advice from writers such as Samuel Backus. The original compact plan placed an office, parlor and kitchen around a central hall. The house is tied to university president John Milton Gregory, who promoted scientific agriculture, and to Thomas Jonathan Burrill, a plant pathology researcher who lived there from 1870 to 1877. It was shown at the 1876 Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia. Later rear and side additions, a reduced porch and interior changes have not altered the original north and east facades, and the building keeps a high level of integrity.
Significance in brief: The house is the oldest extant building on University of Illinois property and is tied to the founding of the university as an early land-grant college. It is linked to administrators John Milton Gregory and Thomas Jonathan Burrill, Burrill being its first occupant. It is also significant as an example of nineteenth-century pattern-book architecture influenced by Andrew Jackson Downing.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 89001728, listed October 31, 1989. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 1403 E. Lorado Taft Dr., Urbana |
|---|---|
| County | Champaign County |
| Listed | October 31, 1989 |
| Reference number | 89001728 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1870-1880 |
| Architect / builder | Unknown/J.S. Searfoss |
| Architectural style | Late Victorian/Gothic |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Education, Architecture |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Currently used for education (college); retains a high degree of integrity despite several additions, and sits on its original site on a reduced lot. |
| Acreage | 0.3 |
| Coordinates | 40.10275, -88.22806 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
National Register listing is honorary for a privately owned home: it does not by itself restrict what an owner may do with their own money, and it does not require public access. Restrictions come from local landmark or historic-district ordinances, which are separate (how they differ).
Owner-occupied houses are not eligible for the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit, which applies to income-producing buildings, but many states offer credits for homeowners. Listing also opens the door to preservation easements and to buying a plaque. Start with what listing means for homeowners, renovating a listed house and selling one.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 89001728.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikidata Q134577446
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.