History of Historic Preservation in Urbana
Located in the heart of the prairie in central Illinois, the City of Urbana enjoys a wonderful stock of historic commercial and residential buildings whose history and architecture help illustrate the evolution of the community.
In 1833, Legislators approved the charter for Champaign County and named Urbana as its county seat. By 1850, a land grant to the Illinois Central Railroad guaranteed rail service to the area. The new route was eventually chosen to be located two miles west of the city in an area that began to informally be referred to as “West Urbana” and eventually Champaign. The construction of the railroad along with the establishment of Illinois Industrial University, later the University of Illinois, in 1867 set the tone for the growth of the Urbana-Champaign area. A boom of construction from the late 19th century is quite evident on campus, in downtown Urbana, and in the established neighborhoods adjacent to downtown.
The postwar years brought another growth spurt to the community as the University increased enrollment. In an effort to accommodate the increasing number of students, many large turn-of-the-century homes were being converted to multi-family housing. By the 1960’s and 1970’s, the pressures of “progress” threatened many historic properties as large scale apartment buildings were proposed to replace single-family homes and parking lots were proposed to replace historic commercial structures in the downtown area. These times brought an awareness of the historical and architectural significance of the area and sparked interest in neighborhood preservation and the restoration of historic buildings.
Like many other communities, historic preservation in Urbana began as a grass roots effort of its citizens who were dedicated to the cause, and by the 1990s many structures in Urbana had received recognition at the National level. The community lacked a local preservation ordinance for the designation of landmarks and districts, however. It was realized that without a local ordinance, the community would have little control over the redevelopment of the most historic properties and that opportunities to offer incentives to preserve historic structures were also limited.
In 1994, the City of Urbana undertook the task of developing a Historic Preservation Plan and Ordinance. The drafting of the plan and ordinance was a monumental job and generated significant interest from both preservationists as well as property owners concerned that the new ordinance would place an additional layer of restrictions on their property. Consistent with most communities, Urbana’s ordinance allows individuals to nominate structures for historic landmark status that they do not own. If the owner of the property does not consent to the nomination, a super majority vote is needed but nevertheless is still attainable. This method differs from most conventional types of zoning requests where the proposal must be either submitted by the property owner or with the consent of the owner. Nevertheless, it was felt that the overall need for the preservation of the community resources represented a significant public benefit.
After the adoption of the Historic Preservation Plan and Ordinance, the City of Urbana created the Historic Preservation Commission. The first members to serve on the Commission were appointed by the Urbana City Council on January 11, 1999. Shortly, thereafter, the Commission began approving local historic landmark status of five significant properties known as Tiernan's Block/Masonic Temple, the Lindley House, the Gothic Revival Cottage, Busey's Hall/Princess Theater, and the Ricker House. As of March 2024, there are now 20 historic landmarks and 3 historic districts in the City. In addition, there are 28 properties listed individually or as part of a historic district on the National Register of Historic Places.
Below are links to additional information on the Historic Preservation Commission:
Historic Preservation Commission
Assistance
If you have Planning and/or Zoning related questions or require assistance, please contact the Planning Division staff by email at Planning [at] urbanaillinois.us (Planning[at]urbanaillinois[dot]us).