303 West University Avenue, Urbana

The Greek Revival Cottage was built around 1852 and is the oldest documented residence in Champaign-Urbana. When the house was threatened by University of Illinois expansion, the university gave the Champaign County Historical Museum $5,000 for moving expenses. The house was moved to 303 West University Avenue, Urbana (Leal Park) in 1977 and underwent partial renovation. After renovation efforts stalled, PACA took over the project in the spring of 1986. An estimated $87,000 in volunteer time and donated material was spent on the restoration, which was completed in early 1987. The building was then given to the Urbana Park District, on whose land it sits. Initially leased to the International Society of Arboriculture, rent was split between the Park District and PACA, providing much-needed revenue in PACA’s early years. Ten years later, the house became the Urbana Park District’s administrative offices and remains so today.