It was his long cherished plan to add something to the cultural elements in his community that led him to give to the city of Champaign a magnificent lot in the heart of the business district, accompanied by the gift of fifty thousand dollars to be expended for the erection and maintenance of a library building. This gift has taken practical form in the Burnham Athenaeum. It is a library, and one of the real civic centers of the town. It is a monument to the memory of this sturdy banker and noble citizen, and thousands have benefited from the service it affords.
-Stewart, J. R. A Standard History of Champaign County Illinois. The Lewis Publishing Company, Chicago and New York. 1918.
1883
The Burnham House was designed in 1883 by world famous architectural firm Burnham & Root for Champaign residents A.C. and Julia Burnham. The Champaign Burnhams were major benefactors for the citizens of Champaign, gifting the city with the first permanent home for the public library and the first public hospital, the Burnham Hospital. The Burnham house remained in the Burnham (and Burnham/Harris) family until the mid 1930's.
1943
The Hurst family purchased and converted the Burnham into apartment units in the 1940s. The interior was carefully divided by walls but retained much of the interior intact, including the grand staircase, periodic details, hardwood floors, original built-ins, and all of the many fireplaces (see Interior Details). The Hursts took very good care of the Burnham (as you can see from the photos), and rented it at a profit until it was sold to the School Board in 2017.
1974
The Heitzman Historic Inventory (1974) indicates that the Burnham House meets requirements for being historic. http://www.heitzman.org/Champaign-Urbana%20Architectural%20Survey%201974.pdf
However for several decades, the city of Champaign neglects to identify any buildings in the city as potentially historic, contrary to requirements of Federal law and Champaign's own city ordinance.
2014/2015
A new site is sought for Central High School's badly needed renovations. Several acres north of I-74 are purchased by the former school board for this purpose. Other sites (e.g. Judah/Franklin/Spalding complex; Central; Southside) were under consideration, with many wanting to keep the school itself downtown.
Feb 2016
Dr S. Appel, professor of architectural and art history and board member of the Champaign Historic Preservation Commission and the State Historic Sites Advisory Council, notifies the School Board by letter that several very historic homes are in the vicinity of Central.
March 2016
The School Board determines that most options are not viable to keep Central central. They throw out the South Side site due to neighborhood opposition to floodlights, noise, and parking.
April/May 2016
Summer 2016
November 2016
Citizens vote on the loaded, all-encompassing referendum regarding whether or not to issue $183,400,000 School Building Bonds to upgrade SIX local schools.
The Burnham House was designed in 1883 by world famous architectural firm Burnham & Root for Champaign residents A.C. and Julia Burnham. The Champaign Burnhams were major benefactors for the citizens of Champaign, gifting the city with the first permanent home for the public library and the first public hospital, the Burnham Hospital. The Burnham house remained in the Burnham (and Burnham/Harris) family until the mid 1930's.
1943
The Hurst family purchased and converted the Burnham into apartment units in the 1940s. The interior was carefully divided by walls but retained much of the interior intact, including the grand staircase, periodic details, hardwood floors, original built-ins, and all of the many fireplaces (see Interior Details). The Hursts took very good care of the Burnham (as you can see from the photos), and rented it at a profit until it was sold to the School Board in 2017.
1974
The Heitzman Historic Inventory (1974) indicates that the Burnham House meets requirements for being historic. http://www.heitzman.org/Champaign-Urbana%20Architectural%20Survey%201974.pdf
However for several decades, the city of Champaign neglects to identify any buildings in the city as potentially historic, contrary to requirements of Federal law and Champaign's own city ordinance.
2014/2015
A new site is sought for Central High School's badly needed renovations. Several acres north of I-74 are purchased by the former school board for this purpose. Other sites (e.g. Judah/Franklin/Spalding complex; Central; Southside) were under consideration, with many wanting to keep the school itself downtown.
Feb 2016
Dr S. Appel, professor of architectural and art history and board member of the Champaign Historic Preservation Commission and the State Historic Sites Advisory Council, notifies the School Board by letter that several very historic homes are in the vicinity of Central.
March 2016
The School Board determines that most options are not viable to keep Central central. They throw out the South Side site due to neighborhood opposition to floodlights, noise, and parking.
April/May 2016
- The School Board was notified several times that the Burnham, The Captain Bailey Home (606 W. Church St), and the Phillips House (the old YMCA) were historic.
- Landmarks Illinois notified the School Board that the houses, the school, and the entire neighborhood was historic.
- The Burnham and the Bailey are listed on Landmarks Illinois as two of the 10 Most Endangered Historic Places in Illinois.
- There is much press about this and a letter is sent to the School Board regarding Central and the Burnham.
- The School Board submits landmark nominations to the city planning department for these properties, but they are inaccurately and incompletely written and are returned to the School Board for more information.
Summer 2016
- The School Board comes up with the scheme to keep Central central.
- PACA (The Preservation and Conservation Association) continues to attend meetings and state the historical nature of the Burnham, the Bailey and the Phillips Houses.
November 2016
Citizens vote on the loaded, all-encompassing referendum regarding whether or not to issue $183,400,000 School Building Bonds to upgrade SIX local schools.
This is what the referendum stated:
"The idea that those who voted on the referendum could reasonably conclude/assume (even with significant research) that a ‘yes’ vote on the referendum necessarily meant the Unit could proceed with plans however they saw fit, or that voters should have known this meant Burnham could go, is unrealistic." EK
"In our experience working on referendum campaigns around the world with a major polling firm, we have learned that referendums are vulnerable to a number of serious flaws — flaws which call into question claims that referendums are a more direct form of democracy than other types of elections, and which should make governments think twice before offering them. Confusion can hijack referendums. The irony of a referendum is that while it typically asks voters to check a simple “yes” or “no,” it is actually one of the most complicated forms of voting: The policy issues at stake are complex; the wording of the question on the ballot is often technical; during the campaign, voters are often bombarded with information." Is it not cruel to let our city die by degrees, stripped of all her proud monuments, until there will be nothing left of all her history and beauty to inspire our children? If they are not inspired by the past of our city, where will they find the strength to fight for her future? Americans care about their past, but for short term gain they ignore it and tear down everything that matters." |
May/June 2017
The School Board purchases the Burnham and 3 associated properties for for $1.7M, well over market value. The Board continues to stall on the historic nature of the houses. Instead they plan to demolish this very historic and architecturally important home for a parking lot, claiming that it is the "will of the voters". Many wanted to keep Central central, not north of I-74. However, many of these same people who voted to keep Central central never would have supported the razing of Champaign's historic neighborhood and demolishing the very historic Burnham House. July/Sept 2017 A Landmark Nomination Application is prepared and submitted by Dr. Susan Appel. August 2017 All residents of the Burnham are evicted and forced to find alternate housing. Oct 2017 The city's Historic Preservation Commission recommended historic preservation status for all three buildings including the Burnham. The Burnham easily met all 6 criteria for preservation. Without question, a 1883 building designed by the famed architectural firm Burnham & Root is historic, whether it holds landmark status or not. Nov/Dec 2017 Many concerned citizens speaking in favor of preserving the Burnham. The Champaign Planning Commission and the City Council vote against granting preservation status to the Burnham because they did not want to interfere with property owners rights. The citizens of Champaign are the property owners of the Burnham. The school board is spending public funds and planning to destroy Champaign's irreplaceable history without clear and explicit review and approval from Champaign citizens. Dec 20, 2017 The School Board announces that the Burnham House, the Captain Bailey house across the street and other properties will be demolished by April 2018. Many questions remain:
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