University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Starts Renovations on Two Buildings

• By Matt Jones
• 02/02/23

On the campus of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, construction will begin soon on a $100-million replacement and renovation project for two campus buildings, according to a news release. Funding for the Illini Hall Replacement and Altgeld Hall Renovation Project is coming from the bipartisan Rebuild Illinois Capital program, $40 million from the University of Illinois System’s Illinois Innovation Network, and $52 million from institutional contributions, the release reports.

The project entails the restoration of Altgeld Hall and the construction of a new, 140,000-square-foot replacement facility for Illini Hall, which is scheduled for demolition. Both spaces will see new classrooms, lecture spaces, and collaboration areas. The university will also get a new data science center under the umbrella of the Illinois Innovation Network.

“Our historic, bipartisan Rebuild Illinois Capital plan leaves no aspect of infrastructure untouched—roads, bridges, transit systems, and educational facilities included,” said Illinois Governor JB Pritzker. “I couldn’t be happier to announce a joint investment from the state and our institutional partners to completely restore Altgeld Hall and construct a new facility to replace Illini Hall at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign campus. From a state-of-the-art data science center to new lecture halls and classrooms, this project will provide UIUC students with the first-rate facilities they deserve as they embark on their educational journeys.”

The new Illini Hall will include a 4,614-square-foot auditorium and 12 new classrooms, and it will play home to the Department of Mathematics and Statistics. It will also be designed and built to meet LEED Platinum Certification standards. Altgeld Hall will see repairs to its exterior stone veneer and bell tower. It will also get new accessibility features and new research space for the Illinois Geometry Lab and Illinois Risk Lab. All of the facility’s original murals will also be restored, according to the news release.

“The start of construction on this transformative facility is a historic movement for the entire university,” said Urbana Chancellor Robert J. Jones. “These new, innovative, tech-enabled spaces will rejuvenate the core of campus and become home to current and future generations of students and faculty pursuing excellence in data sciences and advanced analytics. These bold investments in our people and our programs will provide unparalleled educational experiences and deliver innovative research that improves lives and changes the world for the better.”