The Natural History Building is a historic building on the campus of the

University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign 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 Univer ...

in Urbana,

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolitan areas include, Peoria and Rockf ...

. Built in 1892, the building originally housed the university's departments of

botany Botany, also called , plant biology or phytology, is the science of plant life and a branch of biology. A botanist, plant scientist or phytologist is a scientist who specialises in this field. The term "botany" comes from the Ancient Greek w ...

zoology Zoology ()The pronunciation of zoology as is usually regarded as nonstandard, though it is not uncommon. is the branch of biology that studies the animal kingdom, including the structure, embryology, evolution, classification, habits, and ...

, and

geology Geology () is a branch of natural science concerned with Earth and other astronomical objects, the features or rocks of which it is composed, and the processes by which they change over time. Modern geology significantly overlaps all other Ea ...

. In addition to classroom space, the building also included a natural history museum. Architect Nathan Clifford Ricker designed the

High Victorian Gothic High Victorian Gothic was an eclectic architectural style and movement during the mid-late 19th century. It is seen by architectural historians as either a sub-style of the broader Gothic Revival style, or a separate style in its own right. Promo ...

building. The red brick building has a rough stone foundation and is decorated with colored brick and stone. The steep roof is supported by a timber truss system; the exposed trusses create a

coffered ceiling A coffer (or coffering) in architecture is a series of sunken panels in the shape of a square, rectangle, or octagon in a ceiling, soffit or vault. A series of these sunken panels was often used as decoration for a ceiling or a vault, als ...

on the interior. The building was added to 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 ...

on November 9, 1986. In 2010, it was evacuated due to structural deficiencies. After an extensive, $79 million renovation, it reopened in August 2017 and now houses the School of Earth, Society, and Environment (SESE) including the Departments of Atmospheric Sciences, Geology and Geography and Geographic Information systems, as well as teaching space for the School of Integrative Biology (SIB). In 2019, the building received Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Gold status for its renovation being conducted in an environmentally efficient manner, which included using renewable materials, utilizing energy-efficient technology, and focusing on natural lighting.

References

University and college buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in Illinois Gothic Revival architecture in Illinois Buildings and structures completed in 1892 National Register of Historic Places in Champaign County, Illinois Buildings and structures of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign {{ChampaignCountyIL-NRHP-stub