The Illinois Governor's Mansion (formerly, Illinois Executive Mansion) is the

official residence An official residence is the House, residence of a head of state, head of government, governor, Clergy, religious leader, leaders of international organizations, or other senior figure. It may be the same place where they conduct their work-relate ...

of the

governor of Illinois The governor of Illinois is the head of government of Illinois, and the various agencies and departments over which the officer has jurisdiction, as prescribed in the state constitution. It is a directly elected position, votes being cast by p ...

. It is located in the state capital,

Springfield, Illinois Springfield is the capital of the U.S. state of Illinois and the county seat and largest city of Sangamon County. The city's population was 114,394 at the 2020 census, which makes it the state's seventh most-populous city, the second largest ...

. The Italianate-style Mansion was designed by

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = List of sovereign states, Count ...

architect John M. Van Osdel with a modified 'H' shaped configuration with a long central section, and the front and back on the sides of the 'H'. The 16-room manor was completed in 1855 and was first occupied by governor Joel Matteson, who held the official grand opening on January 10, 1856. It is one of the oldest historic residences in the state of Illinois and one of the three oldest continuously occupied governor's mansions in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

. In 1898 alterations to the exterior added neoclassical elements. In 1972, the Illinois Governor's Mansion Association was founded as a charitable corporation to assist in the maintenance and programming at the mansion. The Mansion was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1976. During the

Christmas Christmas is an annual festival commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people around the world. A feast central to the Christian liturgical year ...

season the mansion is decorated lavishly with Christmas decorations, including over a dozen

Christmas tree A Christmas tree is a decorated tree, usually an evergreen conifer, such as a spruce, pine or fir, or an artificial tree of similar appearance, associated with the celebration of Christmas. The custom was further developed in early modern ...

s. Although sometimes used for state functions such as state dinners and meetings, the mansion also functions as a house museum. The libraries, bedrooms, parlors, sitting rooms, etc. are maintained as they may have looked in the 19th century. The governor and his family are not required to reside in the mansion. Rather, a 7-room private apartment on the second floor of the mansion is provided for the governor and his family. Governor George Ryan and

First Lady First lady is an unofficial title usually used for the wife, and occasionally used for the daughter or other female relative, of a non- monarchical head of state or chief executive. The term is also used to describe a woman seen to be at the ...

Lura Lynn Ryan refurbished much of the mansion's furniture during their 1999 - 2003 tenure using private donations. In 2011, a multimillion-dollar renovation was planned because the last repairs to the mansion were in 1971. The 2014 polar vortex led to significant water damage to the mansion, and Governor Pat Quinn, who chose to live in the mansion part-time, allocated about $40,000 in emergency repairs.Wilson, Caitlin (November 28, 2014)
"Rauner Says He Will Contribute Some of His Own Money to Repair Illinois Governor’s Mansion at Thanksgiving Dinner with Veterans"
. ''Reboot Illinois''. Retrieved November 30, 2014. Shortly after his election as governor,

Bruce Rauner Bruce Vincent Rauner (; born February 18, 1956) is an American businessman, philanthropist, and politician who served as the 42nd governor of Illinois from 2015 to 2019. Prior to his election, he was the chairman of R8 Capital Partners and chai ...

announced that he and his wife would invest some of their money into repairing the mansion so they could live in it during his term. On July 18, 2016, Illinois First Lady

Diana Rauner Diana Mendley Rauner (Born 1961) is an American businesswoman and president of the Ounce of Prevention Fund, a non-profit in Chicago. She is the wife of former Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner. She served as First Lady of Illinois from 2015 to ...

announced a $15 million renovation project for the mansion, with the funding being raised privately. The work was completed for the Illinois bicentennial in 2018. Governor Rauner signed an executive order renaming the Executive Mansion, the Illinois Governor's Mansion, which became effective July 1, 2018. The renovated mansion includes a new visitor's center, and made the mansion compliant with the

Americans with Disabilities Act The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 or ADA () is a civil rights law that prohibits discrimination based on disability. It affords similar protections against discrimination to Americans with disabilities as the Civil Rights Act of 1964 ...

. Current Governor J.B. Pritzker currently resides in the governor's mansion full-time while his family commutes between Chicago and Springfield. Again using private funds, additional renovations to guest rooms, fixtures, and plumbing were done in fall 2019.

References

External links

Official websiteIllinois Governor's Mansion Association
{{Authority control Governors' mansions in the United States Houses completed in 1855 Historic house museums in Illinois Museums in Springfield, Illinois National Register of Historic Places in Springfield, Illinois Government buildings in Illinois Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in Illinois Houses in Springfield, Illinois

Mansion A mansion is a large dwelling house. The word itself derives through Old French from the Latin word ''mansio'' "dwelling", an abstract noun derived from the verb ''manere'' "to dwell". The English word '' manse'' originally defined a property l ...