Illinois Traction Station Champaign Illinois 4162

Joseph William Royer (1873–1954) was a prolific

architect An architect is a person who plans, designs and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...

from

Urbana, Illinois Urbana ( ) 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. As of the 2010 United States Census, Urbana is the List of municipalities in Illinois, 38th-most pop ...

who designed many prominent buildings in Urbana,

Champaign Champaign ( ) is a city in Champaign County, Illinois, United States. The population was 88,302 at the 2020 census. It is the tenth-most populous municipality in Illinois and the fourth most populous city in Illinois outside the Chicago metropo ...

, and beyond. His work included civic, educational, commercial, and residential buildings, many of which are listed in the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

and feature a wide variety of architectural styles.

Early life and education

Joseph Royer was born in Urbana on August 2, 1873. He attended Urbana High School and then attended the

University of Illinois The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (U of I, Illinois, University of Illinois, or UIUC) is a public land-grant research university in Illinois in the twin cities of Champaign and Urbana. It is the flagship institution of the University ...

, graduating with a degree in

civil engineering Civil engineering is a professional engineering discipline that deals with the design, construction, and maintenance of the physical and naturally built environment, including public works such as roads, bridges, canals, dams, airports, sewage ...

in 1895.

Professional career

From 1898 to 1906, Royer worked as Urbana's city engineer. As the city engineer, he designed the Champaign County Courthouse, which brought him local recognition for the first time. In 1905, Royer formed an architecture firm named Royer and Brown, that was later named Royer and Smith; Royer, Danely, and Smith; and Royer and Davis. The firm continued successful until Royer's death in 1954, with approximately 100 projects attributed to it.

Personal residence

In 1905, Royer designed his own house, located in Urbana at 801 W. Oregon Street, that he would live in for the rest of his life. It is an eight-bedroom mission style house, thought to be inspired by the "California Building" at the St. Louis World's Fair in 1904. Next to this house, Royer designed a house to be built in 1923 for his mother-in-law, in English cottage revival style. Both of these houses are protected by the city of Urbana as part of the Royer Historic District. Several of his works are listed, for their architecture, on the U.S.

(NRHP).

Work

2013 Urbana Landmark Hotel Lincoln Square Urbana Illinois north wing

Works include (with attribution): * Alpha Rho Chi Fraternity House, Champaign * Alpha Xi Delta Sorority Chapter House, Champaign *

Bloom High School Bloom High School is a public school in Chicago Heights, Illinois. It is part of Bloom Township High School District 206. The school was founded in 1900. A second Chicago Heights high school, Bloom Trail, was established in 1976 to offset overc ...

, Chicago Heights * Clay County Courthouse * Dixon High School * Franklin County Jail * Grundy County Courthouse,

Morris Morris may refer to: Places Australia *St Morris, South Australia, place in South Australia Canada * Morris Township, Ontario, now part of the municipality of Morris-Turnberry * Rural Municipality of Morris, Manitoba ** Morris, Manitob ...

* Jay Helms House,

Rockingham, North Carolina Rockingham is a city in Richmond County, North Carolina, United States, named after the Marquess of Rockingham. The population was 9,558 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Richmond County. The city is the home of Rockingham Speedway, fo ...

* Illinois Traction Building, Champaign *

Linn County Courthouse (Iowa) The Linn County Courthouse is located on May's Island in the middle of the Cedar River (Iowa River), Cedar River in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, United States. It, along with the Veterans Memorial Building (Cedar Rapids, Iowa), Veterans Memorial Building ...

* Linn County Jail (Iowa) *

Marion County Courthouse (Illinois) The Marion County Courthouse is a government building in Salem, the county seat of Marion County, Illinois, United States. Built in 1910, it is the fourth courthouse in the county's history. Former courthouses Marion County was formed in 1823 ...

Piatt County Courthouse The Monticello Courthouse Square Historic District is a Historic districts in the United States, historic district in downtown Monticello, Illinois, Monticello, Illinois. The district includes the historic commercial center of the city, the coun ...

, Monticello * Urbana Free Library * Urbana High School * Urbana Lincoln Hotel *

Warren County Courthouse (Indiana) The Warren County Courthouse is a stone building constructed in 1908 in Williamsport, Indiana. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places on March 19, 2008. History At the first Warren County seat of Warrenton, a log house owned ...

Early life and education

Professional career

Personal residence

Work

References

Further reading