The First Plans

The placement of University Hall, the most important building on the campus, would have a significant impact on the location of future University buildings. Regent Gregory suggested that University Hall (demolished in 1938) be situated away from what had been the campus center, on a rise just south of Green Street near the present location of the Illini Union. Designed in the Second Empire style by Chicago architect John Mills Van Osdel, the new University Hall served a wide variety of purposes, much like its predecessor, the "Elephant."
In 1871, soon after the location of the new main hall had been decided, Harold Hansen, an architecture instructor, designed the first plan (see appendix 3) of the Illinois Industrial University grounds. Hansen's plan included only those land holdings directly north and south of Green Street and featured winding walks and drives, Green Street (see appendix 4) as a wide boulevard, and a central site designated for a new campus structure.	The entry portal of University Hall was demolished in 1938.
The Chemistry Laboratory, a state-of-the-art facility in 1878, was the next building, located south of Green Street (see appendix 5) and to the east of University Hall. Like the main building, the laboratory is in the Second Empire style with a raised main floor and a mansard roof. Nathan Clifford Ricker, who became one of the most influential architects in campus history, designed the Chemistry Laboratory (now known as Harker Hall). Ricker was the first person to receive a degree in architecture in the nation (from the Illinois Industrial University in 1873), and he remained on the campus of his alma mater as a professor of architecture, head of the Department of Architecture, dean of the College of Engineering, and University architect. The Chemistry Laboratory, along with his later works—the Drill Hall, the Natural History Building, the Metal Shop, and Library Hall—were placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1986.