Altgeld's castles facts for kids
The buildings known as "Altgeld's castles" are special castle-like buildings found at five different universities in Illinois. They are built in a style called Gothic Revival, which looks like old European castles. These buildings were inspired by John Peter Altgeld, who was the Governor of Illinois a long time ago.
Governor Altgeld believed that state buildings should not just be useful, but also beautiful. He thought they should look nice from the outside too. He suggested a style called "Tudor-Gothic" because he thought it was a good way to make buildings look grand without spending too much money. Because of his ideas, several universities in Illinois built these impressive, castle-like structures. There's a fun rumor that the buildings were designed so they could all be connected to form one giant building, but that's just a story!
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Altgeld Hall at Southern Illinois University Carbondale
Altgeld Hall at Southern Illinois University Carbondale (SIUC) is a very old building. It was built in 1896 and cost about $40,000. It's the oldest building still standing on the SIUC campus.
When it was first built, Altgeld Hall had the university's library. It also had labs for science classes like physics, chemistry, and biology. There was even a gym inside! In 1958, the building was updated and became the home for the School of Music. Later, from 2002 to 2004, it got a big makeover to fix damage from the weather and keep it strong.
Altgeld Hall at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign also has its own Altgeld Hall. This castle-style building was finished in 1897. It was designed by architects Nathan Clifford Ricker and James White.
Governor Altgeld wanted this building to be in the Tudor-Gothic style, just like his other ideas. However, there was some disagreement. The university leaders first chose a different design by a famous architect named Daniel Burnham. But Governor Altgeld didn't like that plan, so Burnham left the project. In the end, the building got a style that looked more like Romanesque castles.
Altgeld Hall has had many different names and uses over the years. Governor Altgeld cared a lot about education. He wanted the campus to have a good library, so the building was first used for that. It was simply called the University Library. In 1927, the Law Department moved in and renamed it the "Law Building." Then, in 1940, it was finally named Altgeld Hall to honor Governor Altgeld.
Later, the Law Department moved to a new building. Altgeld Hall then became home to the Mathematics Department and the Mathematics Library. Even today, if you look closely at the North entrance, you can still see "Law Building" carved into the stone!
Cook Hall at Illinois State University
At Illinois State University (ISU), Governor John Peter Altgeld also wanted a castle-like building. This building is now called John W. Cook Hall. It was once nicknamed "Altgeld’s Folly." This was because Governor Altgeld rejected the first plans for the building. He wanted it to look even more like the grand German castles along the Rhine river.
The building was finished in 1898 by local architects Miller & Fisher. They added their own touches to the design. While it has the towers and castle-like walls Governor Altgeld wanted, they also used special Bedford limestone.
Cook Hall was designed to be fireproof. Because of this, the university decided to put its library there. The building was also originally used as a gymnasium. It had all the latest exercise equipment like rope ladders, rings, and weights. There were even plans for a bowling alley and a swimming pool, but those were never built.
After being a gym for many years, Cook Hall later housed the university's radio station, WGLT. More recently, it has been remodeled to become the School of Music building. It now has practice rooms, rehearsal halls, and many classrooms. Cook Hall is the only building on the Illinois State University campus that is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. This means it's a very important historical site.
Altgeld Hall at Northern Illinois University
Altgeld Hall at Northern Illinois University (NIU) was built between 1895 and 1899. It was first called the "Castle on the Hill." NIU started as a college to train teachers. The building's architect was Charles E. Brush, and the main builder was William J. McAlpine. Construction began in 1895 and finished in 1899, costing $230,000.
On October 21, 1963, the building, which was known as the Administrative Building, was renamed Altgeld Hall. This was to honor Governor John Peter Altgeld, who supported and signed the law that created NIU. It was built in a Tudor Gothic, or English-castle, style. Governor Altgeld loved architecture and wanted a grand building to connect the state's teacher colleges. This building is one of the most famous on the NIU campus. It was designed to stand out, which was different from most college buildings at that time.
When Altgeld Hall first opened, it held almost everything for the entire university. It had classrooms, meeting rooms, the library, a gym, offices, and a lecture hall. It also had science labs, a large auditorium that could seat 1,200 people, a museum, and even its own water system and power generator for lights.
The building also housed NIU's first library. In 1952, when NIU's second library in Swen Parson Hall was almost ready, there wasn't enough money to pay people to move all the books. So, the university president, Leslie A. Holmes, came up with a fun idea: "Library Move Day." Students and faculty helped move the books! President Holmes asked teachers to take attendance and then lead their classes to the old library in Altgeld Hall. They spent the whole class period moving books to the new library. The Dames’ Club (now the University Women's Club) even served snacks to the book movers.
Altgeld Hall had a huge renovation project that cost $24 million. It started in 1999 and finished in 2004. The building was in bad shape with water leaks, cracked walls, and old electrical and plumbing systems. The restoration saved this important landmark.
Today, the restored Altgeld Hall is a source of pride for NIU. It houses many important offices, including the Office of the President. It also has the NIU Art Museum, classrooms, and an auditorium that can seat 500 people. NIU President John Peters said that Altgeld Hall is not just a museum, but a "living, working public space" where the history of American higher education is still very clear.
A time capsule was buried under the front arches of Altgeld Hall in 1974, for NIU's 75th Anniversary. It will be opened in 2049, on the university's 150th anniversary.
Old Main at Eastern Illinois University
Old Main, officially called the Livingston C. Lord Administration Building, was finished in 1899. It was the very first building built for Eastern Illinois University (EIU), which was founded in 1895. Old Main was constructed with Indiana limestone in a Gothic Revival style, complete with turrets, towers, and castle-like walls.
EIU and Illinois State University are the only schools where the "castle" building is not named after Governor Altgeld.
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Altgeld Hall at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
