The Endowment Building
111 & 113 South Main Street - est 1874
1811 - 1873 The Early Years
Urbana was officially established in 1805 and the first known records of the site that today is home to the Endowment Building date to about six years later.
In 1811, a double log cabin existed in the middle of the 111-113 lot and was owned by Alexander Doke. The cabin served as his home and blacksmith shop.
Sometime thereafter, due to ongoing conflicts with nearby Native Americans, Doke added a block safehouse at the south end of the property.
In 1829, the lot was sold to Daniel Hurr, who built a tavern known as the Ohio House. Thirty years later in 1859, the Ohio House entered new ownership and was converted to a two-story building called the Taylor Hotel.
History in the Making
111 & 113 South Main Street, better known for generations as the “Endowment Building,” is part of the larger Monument Square Historic District that makes up part of Downtown Urbana. The building is a community icon with a storied past.
Odd Fellows Lodge in red brick, circa 1910, earliest known photo.
1874 - 1921
The Lodge Era
In 1873, the Taylor Hotel was bought by the International Order of Odd Fellows, who had a chapter in Urbana and were looking for a larger space. On October 6, 1874, the Order began construction on a three-story brick building known as the IOOF Lodge.
The construction cost was about $20,000 or about $550,000 in 2024 dollars.
The upper floor was spacious and used for dancing and entertainment. The ground floor had retail space, housed the Urbana Post Office, and hosted the Young Men’s Christian Association. The general footprint of this structure is the base of the building today.
Becoming an Icon
1922
Tallest occupied building in Champaign County
Largest historic building by square footage in downtown Urbana.
In 1922, the Odd Fellows Lodge was purchased by the Ohio Industrial Endowment Fund Company. The company gutted the interior, added a steel superstructure and turned a three-story building into a five-story tower.
The ornate Victorian style gave way to a building with an Art Deco feel. Etched into its facade, the “Endowment Building” was born and hailed as Urbana’s first “skyscraper.”
When completed, the upper floors had 42 suites, which were used as professional and government offices. City directories listed as many as four beauty shops in the building at one time. The office suites were popular locations for doctors, dentists, loan and insurance group offices.
The 1924 image, above, from the Whitham Collection of the Champaign County Historical Society shows the ground floor occupied as retail space for the Urbana branch of the Powers Home Store and the Kenton Grocery, prominent companies at the time. Later, the Western Auto Store located a franchise in Urbana.
Today, much of the building still has embossed tin ceilings, interior transom windows, and elegant wood trim dating to the 1920s reconstruction. The building offers some of the best views of downtown Urbana.
Looking to
the Future
Sustainable
Transformational
Outstanding
Urbana Tomorrow owns and has redeveloped several properties in Champaign County. Most notably, 40 Monument Square – commonly referred to as the big blue building – and Bodey Circle, among others.
Redevelopment of the Endowment Building will focus on respecting the history of the property and highlighting its features while bringing modern amenities and a higher standard of living to the building.
“There’s a lot of positive, private investment happening in downtown Urbana and we believe it is important to keep that momentum going.
We’ve encountered our fair share of challenges in championing change, but we take on projects like this because hardships are the catalyst for lasting success.
Change and hope are in the air.”
- Justin T. Weller, Founder
“It will take several years and a lot of work, but doing what’s right for the betterment of our community is something we should all get behind.
Hardworking local businesses owners, property developers, advocacy groups, and dedicated private citizens have made the renaissance happen.
Justin and I intend to continue being a part of and leaders in this movement.”
- David Uhl, CEO
Acknowledgements
This narrative history and many of the images were made possible and/or are the property of the Champaign County Historical Society, to whom we are grateful for their contribution to this initiative.
Levi LaForge at TrueChat was the lead producer for the audio history.