Williston Hall

Named for John Williston Cook, first president of the school from 1899 to 1919, tradition holds that the building does not bear the name Cook because Williston had a more dignified ring. Williston Hall's distinctive tannish-orange bricks were selected by President Cook himself after testing several makes and colors of brick for moisture resistance by placing a sample of each in separate pails of water on a long conference table and weighing each brick after three hours. Originally built and used as a women's dormitory, "Willy" provided such "luxuries" for women students as formal table cloths and fresh cut flowers on cafeteria tables and oriental rugs in the common rooms, and highlighted the social scene on campus with its annual Christmas Ball--a formal dance in which men wore tuxedos and women wore evening dresses. Built and dedicated in 1915 as the first dormitory on campus, the building converted to administrative office space in 1969.

Altgeld Castle

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Altgeld Castle

Built from 1895 to 1899, the "Administration Building" was renamed in 1963 for Illinois Governor John P. Altgeld who backed and signed the necessary legislation for the creation of the institution. Architects designed the building according to the wishes of the governor who had a fondness for the Tudor Gothic, or the English-castle style of architecture. The only building of the institution until the construction of McMurry Hall in 1911, Altgeld originally held eleven "grotesques" placed along the "battlements" and atop the central tower. Nine of the original eleven still maintain their places, and one now occupies a place in the east garden--a victim of lightening in 1973.

Davis Hall

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Davis Hall

Davis Hall, originally named the Science Building, was built in 1943. This is quite odd for the construction of a building in the United States because it was during this time World War II took place. More material and manpower was being directed towards the war effort rather than for educational buildings. It was originally built to house the classrooms for all the natural sciences. It currently holds many of those departments such as geology, geography, meteorology and astronomy. The observatory telescope atop Davis Hall was not added until a few years after the construction of Davis Hall due to a shortage of funds. The Observatory was added to Davis Hall in 1965 and renovated in 2000 through grants received from the NIU and DeKalb Foundations by Laura Layton (the observatory manager at that time), Ralph Benbow and Dave Hedin. The Observatory dome was constructed in the early 1960s by a local Plainfield company, Ash Dome. The Observatory rests upon a pair of hydraulic cylinders which allow the floor to be raised and lowered for better use of the telescopes. The clock drive also makes possible reliable 10- and 20-minute astrophotography. Viewing from the Observatory is adequate, although the proximity of downtown DeKalb, Huskie Stadium and the parking garage produce a significant amount of light pollution. Best viewing is to the Northwest, Southwest, South, North, and dead overhead. Western viewing becomes better when Huskie Stadium turns off its lights. The Observatory is equipped with white lights and red lights. Red lights are used in order to preserve night vision while observing

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Altgeld Hall Backside

Rapunzel,Rapunzel let down your hair, so that I might climb ...

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Davis Hall

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