Help Save the Mumford House
Background Information
The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign plans to move the 1870 Mumford House from its original site at the south end of campus to a location two miles away, where it would face a busy highway and redevelopment site. This action will seriously compromise the historic integrity of the building and its association with the founding of the University of Illinois. The house, which was named for an early dean of the College of Agriculture, was built by the college as a "Model Farmhouse" to inspire quality and efficient housing for Illinois farmers. It is a rare survivor from the College of Agriculture's original "Experimental" South Farms and has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places. After being used for more than a century – first as the residence of agriculture deans, then as faculty offices – Mumford House was vacated in the mid-1990s.
University officials claim that the structure must be moved because it is in the way of a landscaped plaza for a newly-constructed donor bell tower. But moving the Mumford House would eliminate a significant piece of campus history, as well as its direct connection to the nation's first experimental farm (Morrow Plots), which is across the Quad. The relocation also would invalidate the property's listing on the National Register of Historic Places, eliminating an important level of protection for the house and potential funding sources for its future rehabilitation and reuse.
A recent inspection confirmed that the building is structurally sound and could easily be adapted for a new use that would make it a visible and vital part of the Quad. If the Mumford House is moved, its isolated new site far from campus would greatly limit its visibility and use by visitors, making it even more vulnerable to the threats of vandalism and neglect.
Take Action
University Officials and the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency need to hear from the public in advance of the January 22 meeting that will decide the fate of this important part of the University's history. You can help preserve the Mumford House in the following two ways:
- Send a letter or e-mail of opposition to University President B. Joseph White and Chancellor Richard Herman.
- Attend the public meeting and make your opposition heard. The meeting will be held on Thursday, January 22, 2009, beginning at 7:00 p.m. in the Heritage Room of the College of ACES Library, 1101 South Goodwin Avenue, Urbana (south of Turner Hall). Public testimony will be limited to three minutes per speaker.
