Facilities

Alumni House

The Alumni House contains the Office of Development and Alumni Relations.

Barnes House (1901)

Barnes House, home of the College president, was a gift of Clifford W. Barnes, fifth president of the College, and Mrs. Barnes. Receptions and informal gatherings of students, faculty, and trustees are held in the house.

Baxter Hall (1929; remodeled 2005)

Baxter Hall contains the Office of Student Financial Services, classrooms, a computer lab, the mailroom, College Avenue sub shop, and a faculty lounge. The lower level contains classrooms and serves as a meeting place for one of the men's literary societies. The upper level contains guest apartments. The building was given to the College by Dr. George E. Baxter, class of 1896, and Mrs. Baxter.

Becker Center for Teacher Education (2022)

The Becker Center for Teacher Education allows houses the Department of Education and Teacher Preparation. The Center provides a collaborative space in which future educators will be able to gain valuable theoretical and hands-on experience. The newly renovated space includes a classroom, faculty offices and indoor and outdoor spaces for student engagement. The Office of Institutional Research is also located in the Becker Center.

Beecher Hall (1829; renovated 1991)

Beecher Hall serves as a meeting place for two of the men’s literary societies. Named for Edward Beecher, founding president of the College, it was the first college building erected in the state of Illinois. At various times in the College’s history, it has housed classrooms, a dormitory, the chapel, the library, a chemistry laboratory and the first medical school in Illinois (1843-1848).

Bruner Fitness and Recreation Center (2003)

The Bruner Fitness and Recreation Center is a comprehensive 150,000 square foot sports complex with a performance arena, natatorium and field house, with areas devoted to wellness, fitness and recreation. The building has direct access to England Field. Offices for the Athletic Department are located here.

Caine Student Center (1967)

Named in honor of Dr. L. Vernon Caine, tenth president of the College, Caine Student Center includes a fireplace lounge, the Center for Student Engagement, Inclusion, and Belonging, the Office of Residential Life, the IC Store, eSports Meraki Gaming Center, and several student organization offices.

Center for Global Studies (2018)

Illinois College’s Center for Global Studies serves as the campus hub for international and intercultural learning. The newly renovated space opened in August 2018 and is home to faculty teaching world languages, cultures and international studies.

Crispin Science Hall (1963; renovated 2023)

Crispin houses IC's new hub of science and technology featuring eight state-of-the-art labs, six modern classrooms, and space to hours five academic programs— computer science, engineering, mathematics, physics, and psychology and neuroscience.

Cummings Dining Hall (1986)

This wing of the Caine Student Center is named in honor of Lew and Mary Cummings, members of the class of 1924. It provides seating for more than 400 persons and hosts many special functions.

The Dr. Friedrich and Alice Engelbach Biology Station (1983)

Seven and one-half wooded acres about seven miles northwest of Jacksonville were presented to the College by Mrs. Engelbach and her family and are used by faculty and students to study plant and animal life in their natural habitat.

Kirby Learning Center (1992)

The Kirby Learning Center contains classrooms, seminar rooms and faculty offices for accounting, agribusiness management, business administration, economics, finance, history, political science, philosophy, and religion. Special facilities include a 100- seat lecture hall. The building’s name commemorates Harry N. Kirby, class of 1897 and a former member of the Board of Trustees.

Abraham Lincoln Hall (2006)

In addition to being a residence hall, Lincoln Hall serves as a hub of offices that provide services for students. The Office of Career Readiness & Experiential Learning, Center for Academic Excellence, Chesley Health & Wellness Center, Office of Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging, and the Campus Writing Center are located on the main floor.

McGaw Fine Arts Center (1980)

A generous gift from Mary and Foster McGaw made possible McGaw Fine Arts Center which houses the Departments of Art, Music, and Theatre. Arranged around the Sibert Theatre are the Woodcock Art Gallery, studios, music practice rooms, a rehearsal room, and classrooms.

C. Reed Parker Science Building (2002)

A 44,000 square foot science center, Parker Science Building is named for Mr. C. Reed Parker, long- time chair of the Illinois College Board of Trustees and generous benefactor of the College. The facility provides laboratories, seminar rooms, classrooms, offices and study lounges for biology, chemistry, and nursing as well as a Learning Center serving the entire campus.

Rammelkamp Chapel (1962)

The chapel, named for the sixth president of the College, Dr. Charles Henry Rammelkamp, is a multipurpose building with a seating capacity of about 800. It houses the Hart Sesquicentennial Organ, a 3-manual mechanical action Holtkamp organ of thirty-nine ranks. There are classrooms on the lower level.

David A. Smith House (1854)

The David A. Smith House, built by an early trustee, is home of the three women’s literary societies. The parlors of Smith House are available to college women and the faculty for social activities.

Schewe Library (1976)

The library, named in honor of Karl and Louise Schewe, contains 125,000+ books and subscribes to 25,000+ online journals. Schewe Library is a member of CARLI, the statewide circulation system for 132 libraries, which provides borrowing privileges to over 100 million books, music scores, audio-visual material and many other formats. The Khalaf Al Habtoor Archives is housed in the library and contains material on Abraham Lincoln, American Civil War, Findley papers, and the history of Illinois College.

Sturtevant Hall (1857; remodeled 1993)

Sturtevant Hall is named for Julian Sturtevant, second president of the College. It contains offices for the English and sociology departments.

Tanner Memorial Hall (1929; remodeled 1977)

Tanner Hall houses the Office of the President, the Offices of Academic Affairs, Admission, Business Affairs, Campus Events, Marketing and Communication, and the Registrar. The building was named for Edward Allen Tanner, a graduate in the class of 1857 and third president of the College.

Whipple Hall (1882; renovated 2010)

Whipple Hall, originally the preparatory department for Illinois College, began in a building on the Jacksonville town square named for Dr. Samuel Whipple, a leading abolitionist who had provided the original funding. Among the more distinguished alumni of Whipple Academy was William Jennings Bryan, who took his first course in oratory there before enrolling in the College. The current building was built in 1882 and housed the Academy until 1920. Since that time, it has provided space for classrooms, the bookstore, and literary societies. Whipple Hall now serves as the home for the Khalaf Al Habtoor Leadership Library, the Paul Findley Congressional Office Museum, the Illinois College Congressional Hall of Fame, and the Department of Communication and Rhetorical Studies.

Khalaf Al Habtoor Leadership Library supports the programming of the Khalaf Al Habtoor Leadership Center. The Center was established in 2011 by Dr. Khalaf Al Habtoor, a native of Dubai, UAE, and the Chairman of the Al Habtoor Group of Companies, an international business conglomerate. The Library also features artifacts from Abraham Lincoln and Edward Beecher.

Paul Findley Congressional Office Museum examines the career of Paul Findley, a 1943 Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Illinois College, who represented the 20th Illinois Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1961 to 1983. Reflecting Findley’s political career, his interest in Abraham Lincoln, and in his involvement in the quest for universal human rights, the museum includes artifacts such as Lincoln’s 1837 law office sofa, campaign memorabilia, and items from seven U.S. presidents and several international leaders.

Illinois College Congressional Hall of Fame honors the twenty-one alumni who have served in the U.S. House and Senate from 1851 to the present. The most prominent honoree is William Jennings Bryan, class of 1881, who was a Representative, Secretary of State, and a three-time candidate for the presidency.