Dennis Craig, Campus Historic Preservation Officer
Did you know Altgeld Hall, where nearly every student on campus has been or will be in a math class, is one of five in Illinois? And that it was due to former Illinois Governor John Peter Altgeld’s fondness for Tudor-Gothic architecture that led to these “Altgeld castles’ at state schools during the 1890’s (though ours is more Romanesque than castle-like)? Or that the exterior features the only gargoyle on campus, and that it is on the National Register of Historic Places? Come tour this building prior to major renovations that will begin in the next couple years, and learn about the amazing history just behind our Alma Mater.
Dennis Craig, three-degree Illinois alumnus who is also a Bronze Tablet honoree, left the private sector as an architect to become the UI’s Campus Historic Preservation Officer. When he’s not managing projects to ensure the UI is compliant with the National Historic Preservation Act, he’s responding to inquiries like the one from a granddaughter of a contractor on the Mumford House or a woman whose great uncle carved one of the statues at Memorial Stadium. And of course, he’s the go-to person whenever a newly unearthed time capsule is discovered. (He thinks there are at least twenty or thirty still buried around campus.)
*If registration is full, email chp@illinois.edu to be added to the waitlist.
**NOTE: For logistical reasons, this SAS will be limited to the first 25 confirmed registrants.**
