For Immediate Release – September 18, 2026
New Illini Hall Reaches Milestone at University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Phase 3 of the Illini Hall Replacement and Altgeld Hall Renovation Project Celebrates Topping Out
Champaign – The Illinois Capital Development Board (CDB), in partnership with the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, state and local officials, construction partners, and members of the campus community, joined together to celebrate the topping out of the new Illini Hall.
“Illinois has long been a hub for innovation and technological development, and the new Illini Hall is an extension of this progress,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “Now more than ever, we must equip students with the disciplinary knowledge and practical skills to tackle the complex problems of a new era. We look forward to seeing what research opportunities new and returning students pursue at the new data science center.”
The topping out marks the completion of the building’s structural steel frame, a significant milestone on Phase 3 of the Illini Hall Replacement and Altgeld Hall Renovation Project. The
new 140,000 square foot facility will house the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences’ Departments of Mathematics and Statistics, featuring lecture halls, classrooms, research labs, collaboration spaces, student organization meeting areas, faculty offices, and special program rooms. The building will also include a new data science center, supporting opportunities for research and education within the Illinois Innovation Network.
“As a public-serving university, Illinois’ mission is to fundamentally improve the lives of everyone in our state and throughout the world,” said Illinois Chancellor Charles L. Isbell, Jr. “Very soon, this building will be filled with students, staff, and faculty equipped with state-of-the-art resources that will help them solve the most technologically and socially complex problems we are facing. We are grateful for the many partnerships that made this a reality.”
“This building will not only support our fast-growing mathematics and statistics programs, but also will be a hub for our innovative degree programs that combine deep disciplinary knowledge in fields like astronomy, history, and chemical engineering with in-demand data science skills,” said Venetria K. Patton, Harry E. Preble Dean of the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences at Illinois. “This space is an important investment in preparing our Illinois graduates to lead society’s digital transformation.”
The large-scale project includes 1,800 tons of structural steel. If placed end to end, the building’s steel would spam approximately six miles, the distance between Duncan Road in Champaign and Philo Road in Urbana.
The Illini Hall Replacement and Altgeld Hall Renovation Project is being completed in four phases. Phase 1 began in 2023 with the demolition of the original Illini Hall. Phase 2 focused on exterior repairs and restoration of Altgeld Hall, and Phase 3 involves the construction of a new Illini Hall, designed to meet LEED Platinum standards. The final phase will renovate the historic interior of Altgeld Hall.
“It’s exciting to see the building’s steel framework completed and to celebrate how far the new Illini Hall has come,” said CDB Executive Director, TJ Edwards. “We’ll continue building on this momentum as we move toward completion of Illini Hall and the preservation and restoration of Altgeld Hall, transforming important parts of campus to better serve University of Illinois students.”
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