201 East Main Street, Urbana (1905-2000)

The Champaign County Courthouse (1901), Sheriff’s Residence (1905), and Jail were one of the few remaining courthouse/sheriff’s house/jail combinations left in the state. Crowds toured the new complex when it opened in 1905. The residential portion fronted Main Street and the jail’s west entrance faced the courthouse. The Sheriff’s Residence and Jail was designed by local architect, Joseph W. Royer in the Romanesque Revival style.  At the time it was considered one of the most humane facilities for the treatment of criminals. It had separate quarters for women, boys, and more “desperate types” of prisoners, a padded cell for the insane, and a debtors cell with homelike furnishing. Following the construction of the new County Correctional Center in 1980, it contained offices and storage. The structure was threatened with demolition several times.

In June of 1999, PACA members became aware of “Plan Z” which called for the demolition of the sheriff’s residence as part of a new courthouse renovation plan, despite previous promises to integrate the residence into the courthouse plan. In an attempt to save the structure, a PACA member applied for local historical landmark status for the Sheriff’s Residence, but City employees refused to forward the nomination to the Urbana Historic Preservation Commission based on a technicality.

Despite the numerous protests from local citizens, plans for demolition moved ahead. In January 2000, PACA was granted permission to spend one day salvaging materials from the structure. Fourteen volunteers saved eight truckloads of materials from the landfill, but the Residence and Jail were completely demolished. Despite disappointment over the fate of the Sheriff’s Residence, PACA remained dedicated to preserving the historic courthouse. PACA members served on a committee to repair the 1883 clock and restore the clock tower.  PACA also donated $3,000 in matching funds to the Clock Tower project.