Restoration, Construction Work Getting Underway at U of I

Construction is getting underway on the $100 million investment for the Illini Hall Replacement and Altgeld Hall Renovation Project at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) campus. The funding is made possible by the Rebuild Illinois Capital program, in conjunction with $40 million from University of Illinois System’s Illinois Innovation Network (IIN) and $52 million in institutional contributions.

Construction is getting underway on the $100 million investment for the Illini Hall Replacement and Altgeld Hall Renovation Project at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) campus. The funding is made possible by the Rebuild Illinois Capital program, in conjunction with $40 million from University of Illinois System’s Illinois Innovation Network (IIN) and $52 million in institutional contributions.

Governor J.B. Pritzker said, “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 project includes a complete restoration of Altgeld Hall, the demolition of Illini Hall, and the construction of a new 140,000-square-foot facility to replace Illini Hall.

Additionally, the scope of work includes providing a new data science center as part of the Champaign-Urbana hub of the U of I System-led Illinois Innovation Network. New classrooms, lecture spaces, and collaboration areas will be added to both buildings. The Illinois Capital Development Board (CDB) will oversee the project in accordance with the protocol for state-appropriated construction projects.CDB has prepped the construction site for the demolition of Illini Hall, occurring at the end of January, with asbestos abatement already underway. A new 4,614 square-foot auditorium will be constructed for Illini Hall, along with almost a dozen new classrooms.

A portion of the new building will host the Department of Mathematics and Statistics. The new Illini Hall will be designed and constructed to meet LEED Platinum Certification; the highest level of certification possible from the U.S. Green Building Council. The demolition of Illini Hall marks the first phase of the multi-phase project slated to conclude in 2026.The exterior of Altgeld Hall will receive extensive repairs to the stone veneer and bell tower, which will continue to serve as a historical campus landmark, prior to beginning the interior renovations. Altgeld Hall will receive new accessibility features and a complete restoration of the building’s original murals. A new research space for the Illinois Geometry Lab and the Illinois Risk Lab will be added to the building, as well as new tutoring rooms and classrooms.