Springfield Avenue

405 E. John Street, Champaign

Lyvia Ball Memorial Presbyterian House

The Champaign County Farm Round Barn was one of only a few brick round barns left in the state.

503 East John Street, Champaign

The original building for the Hillel Foundation for Jewish Campus Life was designed by Max Abramovitz, UIUC alumnus, also known for his work on the Assembly Hall, Krannert Center for the Performing Arts, parts of the Lincoln Center for Performing Arts, and other buildings in New York.  The building was demolished to make way for a replacement structure which opened in December 2007.  The Hillel Foundation was nominated for listing as a Local Landmark in 1998.  Listing was recommended by the Champaign Historic Preservation Commission and subsequently not approved by the Champaign City Council due to owner objection.  The following information is excerpted from the nomination prepared by Allison Laff, a graduate student in Urban Planning.

The Hillel Foundation building was designed by Max Abramovitz in 1947 and published in Architectural Record in 1948.  However, it was not constructed until 1951.  Although it is not specifically listed as such, the Hillel building appears to resemble the Neo-Expressionism (circa 1950-1970) architectural style.  This style, which emphasizes “structure and function in abstract designs,” was often used by architects to convey a message through the form of the building.  Since most radical architects, Abramovitz included, saw religion as a significant message, the Neo-Expressionism style was often selected for churches and chapels.

Common elements of this architectural style are found throughout the Hillel building.  These include “generally sculptured effects, daring structural techniques, the use of arches and vaults (found in the chapel’s domed ceiling), and structural columns (seen in the loggia or colonnaded porch).”  The building is one-story, constructed of red brick, concrete, and a steel frame that stretches 200 feet horizontally and supports a low, flat roof.  The rounded chapel dome extends above the roof and is highlighted by the structure of the building.  The Hillel building is not heavily adorned with windows; a few are included near the front entranceway and light the library area, but none are highly decorative.  The building does feature an open court, named the “Courtyard of the Lord,” in the middle of the structure, which is a grassy garden of traditional origin used for religious ceremonies.

The University of Illinois Hillel building is a duplicate to that of the Jewish center designed and built by Abramovitz for Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois.  While the two buildings were designed and created almost simultaneously, the University of Illinois Hillel was the first completed.  In addition, this building closely resembles the cylindrical chapel designed for the MIT campus (but not yet built in 1948) by architect Eero Saarinen.

Important to the significance of the Hillel building is the history of the foundation at the University of Illinois.  While the current building for the Hillel Foundation was constructed in 1951 on East John Street, Hillel was founded at the University of Illinois in 1923.  The foundation’s original quarters, located on the second floor of a building at 605 East Green Street, was the first established Hillel Foundation worldwide.

When Hillel acquired its attractive corner location at Fifth and John, the chairman of the Hillel Foundation Building Fund, Sam Shmikler, moved the foundation to a house on the site.  Building at the new location commenced shortly thereafter.  Isaac Kuhn, of Joseph Kuhn and Co., was a primary financial contributor.  The new building, when completed and ready for use, represented an outlay of approximately $400,000.  Kuhne-Simmons of Champaign received the construction contract with supervision of construction led by a sub-committee composed of Rabbi Samuel Berkowitz (then the director of Hillel) and Professor Granville S. Keith of the University of Illinois School of Architecture.  Prof. Keith had been assigned the position of supervisor by Max Abramovitz (of Harrison and Abramovitz), the designer of the new building.

After construction, the building was named the Benjamin Frankel Memorial in honor of the late Rabbi Frankel, who was the first director of the local Hillel Foundation.  Among those attending the building’s dedication included the first lady, Eleanor Roosevelt.

From the creation of Hillel Foundation at the University of Illinois in 1923, it has grown to become the largest Jewish campus organization in the world.  Foundations and affiliates are on 400 campuses in 47 countries including the United States, Canada, Israel, Australia, Europe, and South America.

In addition to the University of Illinois Hillel Foundation’s importance as the first established student Jewish cultural center, the building also gains recognition as being the work of the notable architect, Max Abramovitz.  Abramovitz was born on May 23, 1908 in Chicago, Illinois.  He received his bachelor’s degree from the University of Illinois in 1929.  Two years later, he attained his master’s degree from Columbia University after briefly teaching in their school of architecture.  In 1934, Abramovitz joined the architecture firm of Corbett, Harrison, and William McMurray, as a designer and later, partner.  After the previous partners died, the firm became known simply as Harrison and Abramovitz (1943).  Hillel Foundation hired the firm in 1948 to design their new building.  Abramovitz designed buildings at other university campuses with similar stylistic features.  At Brandeis University, these include the Inter-Faith Chapel (1955), Springold Theatre, Schwartz Art Studios (1963), and the Rose Art Museum (1961).  Abramovitz also designed the Columbia University Law School (1961), the Wahovia National Bank Building (1958), and the Radcliffe College Library Project.

Perhaps more notably, Max Abramovitz collaborated on a number of projects such as the United Nations Headquarters Building, Avery Fisher Hall at Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts (1962), and the American Telephone & Telegraph Company Exhibit for the New York World’s Fair (1964).  However, Abramovitz is “chiefly known for his designs of the University of Illinois buildings such as the Assembly Hall (1963) and Krannert Center for the Performing Arts (1969).  Such buildings have led Max Abramovitz to be nationally recognized for his structural, cultural, and stylistic architecture, and to become largely known as one of the University of Illinois’ most distinguished graduates.”

The influence and significance of architect Max Abramovitz and his buildings are summarized by Henry Dreyfuss.  As written by Dreyfuss, when one enters a building designed by Abramovitz, “one feels the calm, the warmth, the understanding of this very human being; he has the ability to leave part of himself in his work . . . the rare ability of getting inside of others, to become one with them and understand their needs and desires, and in the case of this architect, translate them into satisfying, finely proportioned, livable structures . . . Over the years, Max Abramovitz has been an urgent force in today’s architecture . . . how grateful we must be for this one, who considers our needs and surrounds them with beauty.”

[The complete article, derived from Ms. Laff's nomination, is available in Preservation Matters, V. 26, No. 2, March-April 2006]

Photo courtesy News Gazette

505 East Chalmers Street, Champaign

1402 St. Mary’s Road, University of Illinois South Farms, Champaign

Kerr Township

Middlefork Forest Preserve (c. 1873-1998)

One of the most elaborate brick buildings in the County, this house was built around 1873 as the residence of Levi Wood, who farmed 1000 acres in northern Champaign County. It was one of the finest farm residences in the County and an excellent example of Italianate architecture.  The structure was acquired by the Champaign County Forest Preserve District in 1973 and for a time was used to house employees at the Middlefork Forest Preserve. By 1990, the house was abandoned and had begun to deteriorate, prompting PACA to raise concerns about the condition of the structure. The Forest Preserve “mothballed” the house, but by 1995 was considering demolishing the structure.

From 1995 to 1997, PACA member Jeff Gordon worked with Forest Preserve officials to develop alternate uses for the house. PACA also provided $7,000 to stabilize the structure, board up the windows, remove the summer kitchen, install an alarm system, and paint the house. During this period, PACA members frequently attended Forest Preserve Board meetings to advocate saving the structure. Despite its stable condition, the Forest Preserve Board, led by President Lloyd Esry, voted to demolish the house in 1997 on the grounds that it was not “economically feasible” to retain it. After numerous eleventh-hour efforts, including a plan to move the building, the house was demolished in 1998. Elements of the house, including the marble fireplace, walnut staircase, and plaster ceiling medallions were salvaged by the Forest Preserve and donated to PACA.  The site remains undeveloped today.

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.