Urbana College Historic Buildings
Also known as: Bailey, Barclay and Oak Halls, Urbana College
Why it's listed
Bailey, Barclay and Oak Halls are the surviving historic core of Urbana College, set in a park-like campus with large trees at the end of College Way in Urbana, Ohio. Bailey Hall is a two-story Italian Villa building with a tower, and Oak Hall is a three-story Greek Revival building. Barclay Hall, added in 1883, is joined to Bailey Hall by a brick arcade. Colonel John H. James donated land in 1849 for a Swedenborgian college, and he hired W. Russel West, architect of Ohio's statehouse, to design Bailey Hall, completed in 1853. West also designed Oak Hall, finished in 1856 with funding largely from Jonathan Young Scammon. The buildings are valued as well-preserved examples of mid-nineteenth-century Ohio academy architecture, a type few institutions retain. The college was an early coeducational school and remains linked to the Swedenborgian Church. Oak Hall was restored in 1978, and plans for Bailey and Barclay followed.
Significance in brief: The buildings represent the architecture of the many academies and universities that appeared in Ohio in the mid-nineteenth century, few of which survive. They are well-preserved examples at a church-related college tied to the Swedenborgian Church. The college was also one of Ohio's earliest coeducational institutions.
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 80002952, listed October 3, 1980. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | College Way, Urbana |
|---|---|
| County | Champaign County |
| Listed | October 3, 1980 |
| Reference number | 80002952 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1856 and 1883 |
| Architect / builder | W. Russel West |
| Architectural style | Italian Villa (Bailey Hall); Greek Revival (Oak Hall) |
| Areas of significance | Education, Religion |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Owned by Urbana College and in educational use; Oak Hall was restored in 1978, and restoration of Bailey and Barclay Halls was planned. |
| Acreage | 11 |
| Coordinates | 40.10267, -83.76211 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
For a publicly owned building or structure, listing mainly matters when federal funds, permits or licences are involved: projects then go through Section 106 review so effects on the property are considered. Listing also strengthens applications for preservation grants and, for leased income-producing uses, can enable the federal rehabilitation tax credit.
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 80002952.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q7900201
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.