Letters of support are needed to preserve the historic Mumford House in its present location on the campus of the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign.  Please write or e-mail UIUC administrators to save this National Register listed property.  For more information and addresses, see the detailed article.

 MUMFORD HOUSE, University of Illinois

URGENT HELP NEEDED NOW!

OLDEST BUILDING ON CAMPUS PROPOSED FOR RELOCATION 

·         On the numerous plans for the University campus beginning in the late 19^th century, neither Mumford House nor Morrow Plots nor the National Historic Landmark Observatory next to the Morrow Plots, were rarely, if ever, shown to remain.  Even through the active construction campaign in the 1920s that set the Georgian Revival style for our campus, through the building of the Agriculture Building/Mumford Hall, the Library, the Commerce Building/David Kinley Hall, and the Architecture Building, Mumford House has remained.  Temple Hoyne Buell Hall was constructed to avoid the house.  And even with the McFarland Memorial Bell Tower nearby, Mumford House continues to retain its distinctive site on a slight rise, surrounded with mature trees.

·         If Mumford House is moved, it will be removed from listing in the National Register of Historic Places.  Original sites are always preferred for significant historic buildings.  In addition to site issues, the move itself can cause harm to the house, possibly increasing the already substantial relocation fees.

**************IMMEDIATE ACTION NEEDED*****************

·         The University of Illinois needs to withdraw the relocation of Mumford House from consideration.  A clear directive from University and campus administrations needs to be announced campus-wide and the possible move needs to be removed from Mediation Committee review.

·         Simple security efforts for the house need to be made immediately.  These low-cost efforts should include proper locking of all doors, securing the rear screen door, and reattaching loose clapboards.

·         The University needs to enthusiastically promote a campus-wide Request for Proposals for rehabilitation and adaptive use of Mumford House in its current, original location.

·         The process of promoting the re-use of the house needs to be an open one, encouraging community and alumni interest.  With alumni from agriculture, architecture, landscape architecture, and other colleges, schools, and departments, the re-use of Mumford House on its original location should be a win/win project.

Send letters to:

Web Information for Mumford House/Contacts

Preservation and Conservation Association of Champaign County

http://pacacc.org/2009/02/01/2871/

Karen L. Kummer, Executive Director  ·   217.359.3848   ·   pacaexdir@comcast.net

Landmarks Illinois

http://landmarks.org/

http://landmarks.org/preservation_news.htm then scroll down to “UI’s Oldest Building Threatened.” 

Jim Peters, President and CEO   ·   312.922.1742, ext. 224   ·   jpeters@lpci.org

National Trust for Historic Preservation

http://www.preservationnation.org/take‑action/advocacy‑center/action‑alerts/mumford‑house.html

Help us save Mumford House, the oldest building on the UIUC campus, on its original site. At the January 22, 2009 Public Meeting, convened by the University of Illinois according to state statute, over 75 people were in attendance and about 20 people spoke. No high-ranking administrator from the University was in attendance. Not one speaker from the audience, was in favor of moving the house to the proposed location and many had ideas for its reuse on site.

The Public Meeting is only the first step. The campaign to keep Mumford House in place must continue. We are now focusing our attention on the UI Board of Trustees and state representatives, who are not aware of the relocation plan nor of the wide-spread public opposition to the move. Not only is the plan to move the oldest building on campus unnecessary but, in these dire economic times, it makes no economic sense. The following web sites have Mumford House information.

http://featuresblogs.chicagotribune.com/theskyline/

http://landmarks.org

http://vincemichael.wordpress.com/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UIUC_Main_Campus/

The National Trust for Historic Preservation has included the Mumford House issue in one of its weekly e-letters and on its website, through Take-Action. They have tracked over 200 hits and will provide this information to Landmarks Illinois and the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency. The site includes a very easy way to contribute a response either through e-mail or a letter.

http://www.preservationnation.org/take-action/advocacy-center/action-alerts/mumford-house.html/

Please take a few minutes of your valuable time to write or e-mail the Board of Trustees. Copies should be sent to President White, Chancellor Herman, and Anne Haaker, IHPA. A copy to your state representative and senator would also be appreciated.

Thank you very much for taking the time to do this. Grassroots campaigns can succeed, but they take the efforts of everyone.

Preservation Alert!

Historic Mumford House Threatened

The oldest building on campus, the historic Mumford House, is threatened. The University of Illinois is seriously considering moving this historic building from its original site on the South Quad off campus to the corner of South Race and West Windsor streets in Urbana. This action will seriously impact the historic integrity of the building and its association with the founding of the University of Illinois. Continue reading »

Preservation Alert!

Historic Mumford House Threatened

The oldest building on campus, the historic Mumford House, is threatened.  The University of Illinois is seriously considering moving this historic building from its original site on the South Quad off campus to the corner of South Race and West Windsor streets in Urbana.   This action will seriously impact the historic integrity of the building and its association with the founding of the University of Illinois.

Mumford House was built in 1870, just three years after the Illinois Industrial University was founded.  It is the oldest building on campus and a rare survivor from the College of Agriculture’s original “Experimental” South Farms, which were located on the South Quad.  The National Historic Landmark Morrow Plots are just a small vestige of the former research fields located here.  The house, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, was constructed under the direction of Regent Milton Gregory as a “Model Farmhouse” to inspire quality and efficient housing for Illinois farmers.  The house was first occupied by Professor Jonathan Burrill (nationally famous plant pathologist, state horticulturalist, and Acting Regent) and later by three College of Agriculture deans:  George Morrow, Eugene Davenport, and Herbert Mumford.  In the 1940s, the house was converted to office use and used by the Small Homes Council, the School of Architecture, and by Art History faculty.  Since the mid-1990s, the house has been vacant, with little maintenance, although it is still structurally sound.

This historic house has been threatened with demolition before.  In the 1990s, there was a plan to raze the building as part of the construction of the Temple Buell Architecture Building.  After preservationists protested, that proposal was dropped, and instead, the Buell building was sited further west.

This time the University proposes to move the house to an, as yet, non-existent Agricultural Interpretative Center, which will be located off of the main campus at the far east edge of the current South Farms.  With this move, the historic integrity of the house and its site’s close association with the founding of the University and the original College of Agriculture will be lost forever.  Instead, the house will be located on busy Windsor Road (scheduled for widening in the near future) and sited toward the proposed commercial redevelopment of Orchard Downs. 

A Public Meeting on this proposed moved will be held Thursday, January 22, 2009 beginning at 7:00 p.m. in the Heritage Room of the College of ACES Library, 1101 South Goodwin Avenue, Urbana (south of Turner Hall) for the purpose of receiving testimony on the proposed relocation.  This meeting is being held pursuant to Public Law 86-707, Illinois Historic Resources Preservation Act, that requires consultation between state agencies and the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency (IHPA) when state-funded projects affect historic resources.  Representatives from IHPA will be in attendance at the meeting to take public comment about the proposed move.

PACA is urging its members to attend the meeting and give testimony (limited to three minutes) and/or send a written statement to: Pres. B. Joseph White, University of Illinois, 506 S. Wright St., Urbana, IL, 61801 with copies to Melvin Skvarla, 1501 S. Oak Street, Champaign, IL 61820 and Anne Haaker, Illinois Historic Preservation Agency, 1 Old State Capitol Plaza, Springfield, IL 62701.  (bjwhite@uillinois.edu; mskvarla@uillinois.edu; Anne.Haaker@Illinois.gov.)

This building is our oldest connection to why the University is here.  It is a tangible part of the University’s history.  We need to be keepers of this history, to show that we value the connection, and to make the effort to preserve Mumford House in its historic place.