October is a little more than a week away, so it’s only right that this week’s Now & Then feature looks at the history of the building that houses this
October is a little more than a week away, so it’s only right that this week’s Now & Then feature looks at the history of the building that houses this
URBANA â The Alice Campbell Alumni Center may just be âthe most beautiful building on (the University of Illinois) campus,â as Bob Campbell would tell UI Alumni Association President Jennifer Dillavou, but architectural beauty wasnât the only goal when the building was constructed in 2011.
It was meant to be a home for alumni, Dillavou said.
For all of its opulence, the facility was meant to feel like just that: a home. And Campbell, who donated $5 million to name the building after his wife, made sure of it.
âHe wielded a very heavy hand, but a very loving hand, in shaping the look and the feel of the building,â Dillavou said of Campbell, who died earlier this month. âHe wanted it to be a home for the alumni of the University of Illinois. He very much wanted it to be elegant but have a homey feeling. I think that is part of the reason for the fireplaces in the building.â