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News Release

Contact: Joseph King, Office of Public Affairs
(815) 753-4299

October 7, 2004

NIU’s Altgeld Hall reopens for second century of service

DeKalb, IL — After five years of restoration and renovation work, Northern Illinois University’s flagship building, Altgeld Hall, has reopened for business.

The lovingly restored building has regained much of the grandeur that greeted the university’s first students upon their arrival at Northern Illinois State Normal School in 1899. At the same time, all of its mechanical systems have been brought up to the latest standards, and the building now has all of the conveniences and capabilities of a 21st century office building.

“Altgeld Hall is a wonderful combination of old world charm and a fully-functional 21st century administrative building,” said NIU President John Peters who is one of the building’s new residents.

When the building first opened it housed the entire normal school—including classrooms, laboratories, library, gymnasium, offices and more. It was considered an architectural showpiece, not only because of its distinctive castle-like exterior, but also because of the layout of the interior, which was considered ideally suited for the training of teachers.

Altgeld Hall

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The exterior, modeled after an English castle, quickly earned the building the nickname the “Castle on the Hill.” As the university grew and added more facilities, the flagship structure became officially known as the Administration Building. It was not until October 1963 that it was re-named Altgeld Hall, in honor of John Peter Altgeld, the Illinois governor who championed the creation of a normal school in DeKalb to increase the number of qualified teachers in the state.

During the building’s first century the interior was altered and remodeled numerous times to keep pace with the growth of the school and the changing demands of its evolving mission. Over time, classrooms gave way to administrative spaces, the rich architectural details deteriorated or were painted over, and time took its toll on the roof, mechanical systems and all other aspects of the building.

After years of study and funding requests, the state’s Capital Development Board in 1999 approved the historical rehabilitation of the building, releasing $19.1 million for the project. Ultimately, the total cost of the work—including furniture, fixtures and equipment—rose to $25 million, due primarily to expensive asbestos abatement and unanticipated structural problems, both of which added substantially to the time required to complete the work.

Throughout the five-year renovation process, the design team worked to restore the building to its original grandeur while accommodating the modern demands for things such as technology, handicapped access, and heating and cooling systems. Often they found ways to combine the new with the old. For instance, where drop ceilings had to be employed to make way for air ducts in hallways, the work was disguised by old-world style plasterwork.

In some instances, architects made what they deemed improvements upon the original. One example is in the building’s new grand entryway – a soaring two-story space with curving twin staircases, which replaces the cramped, single-story passageway that originally existed. Similarly, the glass solariums provided an innovative and attractive solution to one of the building’s original shortcomings – the inability to traverse the east-west length of the building without making a detour through the second floor.

One area where few compromises were made was the building’s auditorium. Of all the spaces in Altgeld, it most closely resembles what students would have seen in 1899. Restoring it to its former glory required painstakingly scraping away years of paint and grime to discover the original colors of the room and extensive renovation of the ceiling plaster work. The hundreds of light bulbs that originally lit the room were not reintroduced, but new light fixtures appropriate to the historical aura of the room tl highlight the craftsmen’s efforts. The room, which will be used for events ranging from lectures to receptions, can accommodate up to 500 people.

“We felt it was important to include some wonderful public spaces in this building,” said President Peters. “While the work of administering the university takes place here, this is much more than an office building. Altgeld Hall is a direct link to our roots as an institution, and we wanted it to be welcoming to our faculty, students, staff and alumni.

Other public spaces in the building include a new permanent home for the NIU Art Museum, which occupies the west wing of the first floor, and a new Instructional Technology Teaching Laboratory (located in the old gymnasium), where faculty and staff will master the latest in teaching technologies. There also is a new Board of Trustees Room, located on the west end of the third floor, where the board will conduct its public business.

Re-opened in early September, the building today is home to the offices of the president, Academic and Student Affairs (including the Provost’s office), Finance and Facilities, University Advancement and NIU Foundation, the offices of the University Council, and the university’s legal and external affairs functions.

A full press kit, including downloadable high resolution photos, can be found online at: http://www.niu.edu/PubAffairs/RELEASES/2004/oct/altgeld.shtml.

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