40°6′34″N 88°13′42″W / 40.10944°N 88.22833°W / 40.10944; -88.22833
55-619: Altgeld Hall , located at 1409 West Green Street in Urbana, Illinois on the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) campus , was built in 1896–97 and was designed by Nathan Ricker and James M. White of the university's architecture department in the Richardsonian Romanesque style. Planning for the building began during the Illinois governorship of John Peter Altgeld . The building
110-479: A "Tree City" and to trees as landmarks or beacons. Mooney, an internationally acclaimed artist, is a native to Champaign-Urbana. The Urbana Indoor Aquatic Center is a public indoor pool operated by the Urbana Park District and Urbana School District. It is located between Urbana High School and Urbana Middle School. Crystal Lake Pool is a public outdoor pool. It is located on Broadway Street, across from
165-463: A clock-making partnership in Plymouth, Connecticut , with Eli Terry and Silas Hoadley as Terry, Thomas & Hoadley. In 1810, he bought Terry's clock business, making tall clocks with wooden movements, though he chose to sell his partnership in 1812, moving in 1813 to Plymouth Hollow, Connecticut , where he set up a factory to make metal-movement clocks. In 1817, he added shelf and mantel clocks. By
220-583: A different ward. The mayor is elected in a citywide vote. Urbana High School 's current building was built in 1914. It was designed by architect Joseph Royer who also designed many other area buildings such as the Urbana Free Library and the Champaign County Court House. The architecture is of the Tudor style defined primarily by the towers over the main entrance and flattened point arches over
275-465: A female householder with no husband present, and 61.38% were non-families. 44.42% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.10% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.70 and the average family size was 2.06. The city's age distribution consisted of 11.7% under the age of 18, 38.2% from 18 to 24, 26.1% from 25 to 44, 13.4% from 45 to 64, and 10.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age
330-596: A house-decorating contest sponsored by the Illinois Power Company. The neighborhood used its prize money to purchase electric candlesticks for each home. The City of Urbana installs special red and green street signs, reading "Candlestick Lane" and "Grant Place" during the Holiday season. The lights are turned on from around 5:00 to 10:00 p.m. from the third Saturday in December through New Years Day. The Market at
385-399: A month. Altgeld Hall was one of five Illinois university buildings, the so-called " Altgeld's castles ", in whose designs the governor took a personal interest. Construction started on June 10, 1896, only four months after the initial building design was submitted by Ricker and White. The cornerstone, which included a time capsule , was set on September 11, 1896. Ricker and White supervised
440-465: A much larger and fancier structure, to ensure that the county seat would remain in Urbana. Champaign-Urbana was selected as the site for a new state agricultural school, thanks to the efforts of Clark Griggs. Illinois Industrial University, which would evolve into the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign , opened in 1868 with 77 students. A number of efforts to merge Urbana and Champaign have failed at
495-537: A new name, Urbana Landmark Hotel, on December 1, 2012, but it closed in July 2015 and sold January 2020 for redevelopment as a Hilton Tapestry hotel. Carle Park, established in 1909, is located at Indiana and Garfield, just west of Urbana High School in central Urbana. Measuring 8.3 acres (34,000 m ), it contains a statue entitled Lincoln the Lawyer by Lorado Taft and more than 50 well-established trees that are part of
550-471: A research-level collection on the history and genealogy of Champaign County. In 1987 it was designated the official repository for non-current Champaign County records. Although it focuses on Champaign County, the Archives holds extensive collections of works dealing with the rest of Illinois and those states that document the significant migration routes of the communities that comprise Champaign County. The CCHA
605-547: A setback when the Chicago branch of the Illinois Central Railroad , which had been expected to pass through town, was instead laid down two miles west, where the land was flatter. The town of West Urbana grew up around the train depot built there in 1854, and in 1861 its name was changed to Champaign . The competition between the two cities provoked Urbana to tear down the ten-year-old County Courthouse and replace it with
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#1732859411179660-564: A shelter are located near the Race Street entrance. The park also contains many streams which are among the first tributaries of the Embarras River . The Urbana Dog Park, located on East Perkins Road, is a place to walk one's dog without a leash. The Anita Purves Nature Center, located on the north end of Crystal Lake Park, offers nature education programs. The "Art in the Park", just north of
715-570: Is "The Sacred Wood of the Muses" dedicated to the College of Literature and Arts. The north mural is "Arcadia" dedicated to the College of Agriculture. The west mural is "The Laboratory of Minerva" dedicated to the College of Science. The east mural is "The Forge of Vulcan" dedicated to the College of Engineering. At dedication on June 8, 1897, the building was designed as the University Library. In 1927,
770-486: Is a city in and the county seat of Champaign County, Illinois , United States. As of the 2020 census, Urbana had a population of 38,336. It is a principal city of the Champaign–Urbana metropolitan area , which had 236,000 residents in 2020. Urbana is notable for sharing the main campus of the University of Illinois with its twin city of Champaign . The Urbana area was first settled by Europeans in 1822, when it
825-541: Is also home to the Local History Online database. Local History Online gives access to holdings (books and journals, Champaign County records, City of Urbana municipal records, newspapers, directories, school yearbooks, images, maps, oral histories, local organization newsletters, and other special collections) of the Champaign County Historical Archives, including digital content. The catalog
880-600: Is an annual festival in Urbana. It was first held in August 1975 in the Busey Bank parking lot in downtown Urbana. It was a community event put on by employees of Busey Bank. Since then the Sweetcorn Festival has continued to grow. The Urbana Business Association is now responsible for the planning of the festival, over the years adding a local car show, an expanded family area, live music on multiple stages, food, vendors, beer, in
935-769: Is closest to the University of Illinois, while the Cunningham exit goes to downtown Urbana. The University exit goes to downtown Urbana as well as Illinois Route 130 to Philo . Local bus service is primarily provided by the Champaign–Urbana Mass Transit District , although limited service is available from Champaign County Area Rural Transit System and Danville Mass Transit , operators which primarily serve Rantoul and Danville respectively. The Norfolk Southern operates an east to west line through Urbana. The NS line connects industries in eastern Urbana to
990-643: Is frequently updated. The library is publicly funded and receives additional support from about 600 people who have joined the Friends of the Urbana Free Library. FM radio AM radio Analog television Digital television (DTV) Print Downtown Urbana is located southwest of the intersection of its two busiest streets: U.S. 150 (University Avenue) and U.S. 45 (Vine Street-Cunningham Avenue). Most of Urbana lies south of I-74 . There are three exits (from west to east): Lincoln (I-74 milepost 183), Cunningham (184) and University (185). The Lincoln exit
1045-413: Is inside the tower containing a wooden chimestand with fifteen pump handles that control the clappers inside the bells via steel wires. Each lever is marked with a musical note, which form an almost complete chromatic scale , ranging from low D to high G while missing low D-sharp and both F-naturals. This configuration of bells were cast such that it can play the university fight song “ Illinois Loyalty ” in
1100-403: Is land and 0.07 square miles (0.18 km ) (or 0.60%) is water. Urbana borders the city of Champaign . The main campus of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign is situated on this border. Together, these two cities are often referred to as Urbana-Champaign (the designation used by the university) or Champaign-Urbana (the more common usage, due to the larger size of Champaign). With
1155-475: The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign campus lies in this city. It is a public land-grant research university and the flagship institution of the University of Illinois system . It is one of the largest public universities by enrollment in the United States with over 50,000 students enrolled annually, giving Urbana a large student population throughout the year. The Urbana Free Library, one of
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#17328594111791210-436: The poverty line , including 19.1% of those under age 18 and 5.6% of those age 65 or over. Candlestick Lane is the name of a neighborhood in eastern Urbana. This neighborhood consists of Grant Place and adjacent properties on Fairlawn and Eastern Drives. It is called Candlestick Lane because every year the residents decorate their yards for Christmas with a lot of lights and figures. The tradition began in 1961 (maybe 1960) as
1265-583: The 132-foot tower are fifteen bells, weighing a total of seven and a half tons, cast by McShane Bell Foundry . The university's chime was a gift from the graduating classes of 1914—1921 and the United States School of Military Aeronautics . The senior class of 1922 purchased a Seth Thomas clock mechanism that allows the chime to play the Westminster chime to mark the hours and the quarters. The mechanism does not currently operate. A small playing chamber
1320-539: The 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago. Artistic conflicts between Burnham and the Governor soon became clear, and the relationship was severed. After two years of looking for an acceptable design, the building committee called upon the university's own architecture department. On February 4, 1896, Professors Nathan Ricker and James McLaren White completed the design plans that included construction costs in less than
1375-440: The 1950s, a fake office for the pseudonymous mathematical collective Nicolas Bourbaki was constructed in a third-floor room near the building's elevator shaft, complete with a quill pen, candle, and sign labeled "N. Bourbaki". Despite being removed by the university due to fire safety concerns, the office remained an urban legend over the next several decades, with students and professors replacing its sign and sharing rumors in what
1430-567: The Anita Purves Nature Center. It was closed after the summer 2008 season due to deteriorating conditions and concomitant safety issues, it was rebuilt and reopened in 2013. Campus Recreation Center East (CRCE) has an indoor leisure pool with a hot tub. CRCE is owned by the University of Illinois Urbana–Champaign . In Urbana, the pools in Freer Hall, formerly a 25-yard and 6-lane lap pool, and Kenney Gym have been closed and filled,
1485-662: The Danville, Urbana, Bloomington and Pekin Railroad. This short-lived entity became part of the Indianapolis, Bloomington and Western Railway before the railroad was completed. A branch line of the Norfolk and Western Railway (formerly the Wabash Railroad) used to connect Urbana with the main line from Danville to Decatur at Sidney, Illinois , but this was first rerouted and later closed in
1540-612: The Hickman Tree Walk. The Lincoln statue was previously sited in front of the Urbana Lincoln Hotel, but was moved after only a few months. Meadowbrook Park is located southeast of the Race Street and Windsor Road intersection. The park covers 130 acres (0.53 km ), including 80 of recreated Illinois tallgrass prairie . Around the prairie restoration center of the park loops three miles of wide concrete path suitable for walking, running, and bicycling. In addition, for an off
1595-518: The Norfolk Southern main line at Mansfield, Illinois , west of Champaign. The line now operated by Norfolk Southern is the former Peoria & Eastern Railway , later operated as part of the Big Four ( Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago and St. Louis Railway ), New York Central , Penn Central , and Conrail systems, being sold by Conrail to Norfolk Southern in 1996. Construction of the line was begun by
1650-683: The School of Law moved in and occupied the building until 1955; an inscription at the north entrance of the building still says Law Building . Since 1955 the Department of Mathematics and the Mathematics Library have occupied the building . In 1941, the building was officially named Altgeld Hall after Governor Altgeld. The building made a brief appearance in the 1945 film The House on 92nd Street , posing as Ohio State University . The Altgeld Chimes were installed and dedicated on October 30, 1920. Atop
1705-744: The Square , also known as the Farmers' Market , has been a community event in Urbana since 1979. Every Saturday morning from some time in May to some time in November, dozens of vendors set up shop in the Lincoln Square parking lot in downtown Urbana. They primarily sell local produce (including corn, tomatoes, lettuce and watermelons), but one can also find local crafts, music, kettle corn and booths for various community and political organizations. The Urbana Sweetcorn Festival
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1760-464: The Urbana City Hall (400 S. Vine St.) dedicated October 2012, took 22 years of struggle and efforts of three mayors. The environmental and sculptural artists/curator of the park, John David Mooney designed the plantings, walkways, a 12-foot high fountain sculpture (Falling Leaf), and a 33-foot high light sculpture (Spirit Tree). The Spirit Tree specifically gives new meaning to Urbana's designation as
1815-549: The beaten path experience, the park offers two miles of unpaved trails which wind through the prairie grass. Several small hills make the path unsuitable for inexperienced inline skaters. The path is adorned by about twenty large sculptures from local artists. A playground, shelter, and parking lot are located near the Windsor Road entrance. A community garden , an herbal garden, the Timpone Ornamental Tree Grove and
1870-473: The best design. The trustees awarded the prize to Edward G. Bolles, a young man with no experience in building design, but after the building committee met with the young man, they decided to reject the Bolles entry and all the other entries submitted. Based on a suggestion made by Governor Altgeld, the building committee offered the commission to Daniel Burnham , fresh from his success as the organizing architect of
1925-416: The construction of the building which was completed on December 1, 1897. The exterior features the only gargoyle on campus, while the interior features four murals painted around the domed ceiling of what is now the Mathematics Library. Newton Alonzo Wells painted the murals at the recommendation of the architects. The four murals were dedicated to the four colleges at the university in 1897. The south mural
1980-454: The day during the last ten minutes of the hour. It is tradition to play the university's alma mater , " Hail to the Orange ," during every concert. The concerts have been a tradition since 1920 when the university chime was installed. Throughout the history of Altgeld Hall, students have circulated various urban legends about the building's contents, due in part to its labyrinthine floor plan. In
2035-473: The doors. Not part of the Urbana School District, University Laboratory High School , locally known as Uni High, is a publicly funded laboratory school located on the campus of the University of Illinois in Urbana. It was founded in 1921. It is a research project of the University of Illinois College of Education. Urbana Middle School was first known as Urbana Junior High School in 1953. In 2003
2090-518: The early 1990s. University of Illinois Willard Airport serves the city. Seth Thomas (clockmaker) Seth Thomas (1785 — 1859) was an American clockmaker and a pioneer of mass production at his Seth Thomas Clock Company . Thomas was born in Wolcott, Connecticut , in 1785. He was apprenticed as a carpenter and joiner, and worked building houses and barns. He started in the clock business in 1807, working for clockmaker Eli Terry . Thomas formed
2145-432: The first public libraries in Illinois, was founded in 1874 and is located in the downtown area. The historic building which houses the library was built in 1918. A major new addition was opened in 2005. The library houses historical archives of Champaign County, which can be used for genealogical research. Established in 1956, the Champaign County Historical Archives is a department of the Urbana Free Library that maintains
2200-481: The former redeveloped as research and teaching spaces. The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign fields ten men and eleven women varsity sports. Urbana has been home to several separate minor league baseball clubs in conjunction with Champagin. The Champaign-Urbana Velvets played in the Illinois–Missouri League from 1911 until the league disbanded after 1914. The city's most recent minor league team
2255-425: The heart of downtown Urbana. In addition to corn and beverages, the festival has offered a range of activities and events, including a display of antique and other collectors' cars and volksmarches , arts events, a dog show, and a book sale organized by the Friends of the Urbana Free Library. The Urbana Lincoln Hotel is connected to Lincoln Square Mall, an indoor walking mall, in the center of Urbana. The hotel
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2310-407: The key of D-major. For this reason, songs must often be transposed to keys where F-naturals are not present. Official concerts are performed every weekday classes are in session from 12:50 to 1:00 PM. Concerts are performed during special occasions, such as Homecoming Weekend, the University of Illinois Founders Day, and Commencement evening. In addition, informal concerts are held randomly throughout
2365-582: The mid-1840s, he changed over to brass from wooden movements. He made the clock that is used in Fireman's Hall . He died in 1859, whereupon the company was taken over by his son, Aaron, who added many styles and improvements after his father's death. The company went out of business in 2009. Thomas died on January 29, 1859, in Plymouth Hollow, Connecticut, and was interred at the Hillside Cemetery. In 1875,
2420-423: The nearby village of Savoy they form the Champaign–Urbana metropolitan area . As of the 2020 census there were 38,336 people, 17,295 households, and 6,680 families residing in the city. The population density was 3,220.97 inhabitants per square mile (1,243.62/km ). There were 18,321 housing units at an average density of 1,539.32 per square mile (594.33/km ). The racial makeup of the city including Hispanics in
2475-594: The new town was celebrated for the first time on July 4, 1833. Stores began opening in 1834. The first mills were founded in c. 1838 -50. The town's first church, the Methodist Episcopal Church, and the parsonage, was built in 1840 by the Rev. A. Bradshaw, with the Baptist Church following in 1855. The Presbyterian Church was founded in 1856. The city's first school was built in 1854. Urbana suffered
2530-506: The polls. On October 9, 1871, a fire burned much of downtown Urbana. Children playing with matches started the fire. (It is unrelated to the Great Chicago Fire that started the day before, though both fires occurred during severe drought and were spread by high winds.) According to the 2021 census gazetteer files, Urbana has a total area of 11.90 square miles (30.82 km ), of which 11.83 square miles (30.64 km ) (or 99.40%)
2585-425: The racial counts was 51.61% White , 18.86% African American , 0.30% Native American , 18.26% Asian , 0.03% Pacific Islander , 3.57% from other races , and 7.37% from two or more races. Separately, Hispanic or Latino of any race were 8.52% of the population. There were 17,295 households, out of which 17.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 25.57% were married couples living together, 8.99% had
2640-514: The school was renovated for space. The school currently serves 954 students from grades 6 to 8. The Elementary schools in Urbana are Leal, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Dr. Preston L. Williams Jr., Thomas Paine, and Yankee Ridge. Urbana Early Childhood School is the former Washington Early Childhood Center and is located on the Prairie Campus next to Dr. Preston L. Williams Elementary. Most of
2695-488: Was "perhaps the longest-lasting prank in the building’s history." Beginning in the 2010s, students have circulated widespread rumors and falsified photographs on social media, particularly Reddit , about the existence of a Dairy Queen ice cream shop inside the building. This has led some students, especially freshmen, on a wild goose chase to find the nonexistent ice cream shop. Notes Urbana, Illinois Urbana ( / ɜːr ˈ b æ n ə / ur- BAN -ə )
2750-410: Was 25.0 years. For every 100 females, there were 97.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.2 males. The median income for a household in the city was $ 35,984, and the median income for a family was $ 66,955. Males had a median income of $ 27,150 versus $ 25,511 for females. The per capita income for the city was $ 25,365. About 11.4% of families and 29.1% of the population were below
2805-467: Was called "Big Grove". When the county of Champaign was organized in 1833, the county seat was located on 40 acres of land, 20 acres donated by William T. Webber and 20 acres by M. W. Busey, considered to be the city's founder, and the name "Urbana" was adopted after Urbana, Ohio , the hometown of State Senator John W. Vance, who authored the Enabling Act creating Champaign County. The creation of
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#17328594111792860-595: Was designed by famed Urbana architect Joseph Royer in 1923 and opened several rooms on November 1, 1923, to accommodate guests for the university's Homecoming game. The original building was built in the Tudor Revival style. A convention center was added in the 1970s in the Bavarian style. While being forced to close twice between 1990 and 2009, the hotel was purchased by a private developer in 2010 and underwent major rehabilitation. The hotel opened under new management and with
2915-471: Was installed in 1920. The building was officially named "Altgeld Hall" in 1941. Altgeld Hall was added to the National Register of Historic Places on April 17, 1970. Planning for the building started in 1892, with Governor John Peter Altgeld and University President Andrew Sloan Draper involved in the design of the building. Initially, the trustees announced a design contest that would award $ 1200 to
2970-400: Was originally the University Library, and received major additions in 1914, 1919, 1926, and 1956. From 1927 to 1955 it was used by the College of Law, and from 1955 on by the Department of Mathematics and the Mathematics Library. The University Chime in the bell tower – which marks the hours, half hours, and quarter hours and plays a ten-minute concert every school day from 12:50–1:00 p.m. –
3025-645: Was the Champaign-Urbana Bandits who played during the single 1994 season of the Great Central League . The Bandits played at Illinois Field . Prior to holding postseason play, the league folded. The Champaign-Urbana Colts played in the Central Illinois Collegiate League from 1990 until the team folded in 1996. Urbana has Mayor–council government , of the strong-mayor form. The city council has seven members, each elected from
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