Ceramic Engineering Building

In 1914, the State of Illinois ranked fourth in the country in the value of its ceramic exports, responsible for 7½% of the country's $250M valuation. The importance of ceramics to the state economy paved the way for the Ceramic Engineering Building , whose cornerstone was laid on September 27, 1915 by Governor Edward F. Dunne.

The completed three-story 41,000 square foot building was dedicated December 6, 1917, [1] built at a cost of $130,998.79. [2] Designed by University Architect James White and State Architect James B. Dibelka, [3] [4] it measured 67 by 189 feet. The first floor housed the Concrete Testing Laboratory, the State Geological Survey resided on the third floor, a distillation system occupied the fourth floor, and storage and ventilation systems consumed the basement. The second floor was dedicated to faculty offices and instruction and held the library, lecture and classrooms, and drafting rooms. [5]