University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Division of Architecture | University of Illinois Archives

The position of Supervising Architect was created on June 4, 1907.¹ The Department of Buildings and Grounds was placed under the direction of the Supervising Architect in July 1912.² On May 22, 1934 the Supervising Architect's Office became the Physical Plant Department.³ In the University statutes adopted by the Board of Trustees on March 10, 1936, the duties of the Department comprised seven functions of which the two major ones were operation and maintenance and architecture.⁴ By 1948 the Department had two division, Architecture and Buildings and Grounds.⁵

The Architectural Division was responsible for the supervision of all new construction on the Champaign-Urbana campus, from the time of the development of preliminary drawings and specifications until the time of construction and occupancy. It served as a liaison with the Board of Trustees in hiring architects. The Division worked with operational systems to see that they were compatible with other University functions, worked with the contractor, checked out buildings and, in some instances, acted as its own architect in doing small designing and remodeling.

In 1967 there was a complete reorganization and the Architectural Division disappeared. Alterations to existing buildings became the responsibility of Campus Directors of Physical Plant while planning and construction of new buildings, additions to existing buildings, landscape and site development related to these projects, and land acquisition (excluding the Airport, Allerton Park, experimental farms and areas, and properties maintained by the Athletic Association) became the responsibility of the University Director of Physical Plant, Planning and Construction.⁶

1. Board of Trustees Transactions, 24th Report, June 4, 1907, pp. 107-08.

2. Board of Trustees Transactions, 27th Report, July 5, 1912, p. 67.

3. Board of Trustees Transactions, 37th Report, May 22, 1934, p. 568.

4. Board of Trustees Transactions, 38th Report, March 10, 1936, p. 595.

5. Faculty Directory 1948-49, p. 38.

6. Board of Trustees Transactions, 54th Report, Oct. 16, 1967, pp. 771-72.