Nathan Clifford Ricker House

Built in 1892, this single dwelling two-story home at 612 W. Green St. in Urbana was designed by famed architect Nathan Clifford Ricker and served as his home throughout the later years of his life. It is believed to be his only residential design. Threatened by demolition, it was purchased in 1996 by the Preservation and Conservation Association and restored to its original condition with the help of an LPCI Endangered Building Grant. [1] It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2000. [2] The wood frame house [3] is of the Queen-Anne style [4] and has 11 rooms and a full basement and attic. A detailed description of the house and its architectural features may be found in The Ricker House Nomination. [5]

Nathan Ricker was the first graduate of an architecture program in the United States. He was responsible for founding the formal Department of Architecture at the University and served as Dean of the College of Engineering for a number of years.

It is interesting to note that despite his long and prestigious tenure at the University, no office address has ever been located for Ricker, and, in fact, directories of the time listed only his home address beside his official University title. [6]