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 (UIUC, U of I, Illinois, or University of Illinois) is a public land-grant research university in the Champaign–Urbana metropolitan area, Illinois, United States. Established in 1867, it is the f ...

in Urbana,

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...

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

botany Botany, also called plant science, is the branch of natural science and biology studying plants, especially Plant anatomy, their anatomy, Plant taxonomy, taxonomy, and Plant ecology, ecology. A botanist or plant scientist is a scientist who s ...

zoology Zoology ( , ) is the scientific study of animals. Its studies include the anatomy, structure, embryology, Biological classification, classification, Ethology, habits, and distribution of all animals, both living and extinction, extinct, and ...

, and

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

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

Nathan Clifford Ricker Nathan Clifford Ricker, D.Arch (June 24, 1843 – March 19, 1924) was a professor and architect known for his work at the University of Illinois. He was born on a farm near Acton, Maine June 24, 1843. In 1875, he was married to Mary Carter ...

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. Prom ...

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, also ...

on the interior. The building was added to the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

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 Climate, Meteorology, and Atmospheric Sciences (CliMAS), Earth Science and Environmental Change (ESEC), and Geography and Geographic Information Systems (GGIS), as well as teaching space for the School of Integrative Biology (SIB). In 2019, the building received

Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) is a Green building certification systems, green building certification program used worldwide. Developed by the non-profit U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), it includes a set of rating ...

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