Repository: UIHistories Project: Board of Trustees Minutes - 1918 [PAGE 519]

EXTRACTED TEXT FROM PAGE:

1917]

UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS LEAVE OF ABSENCE FOR PROFESSOR YOUNG

513

(8) A request from Professor L. E. Young for leave of absence to undertake certain work for the Government at Washington in the investigation of prices of material products for the Federal Trade Commission. O n motion of M r . Hoit, the President of the University was authorized to grant Professor Young leave of absence from September 1, 191 J, until further notice, without salary, to enable him to do this work.

SMITH MUSIC BUILDING

(9) A statement that in the budget already approved an item of $160,000 was inserted for the construction of the Smith Music Hall, to be charged to the legislative appropriation for completing buildings which had already been begun. Captain Smith is eager to see this building completed as soon as possible, as he feels that the present condition of his health is very uncertain. Our plan for financing the completion of the building is to sell the farms. One of them has already been sold and the money paid in, the sum amounting to $37,450. It will be possible to complete the building by the sale of the other farms and if they cannot be sold at good figures in the course of the coming year it will still be possible to raise money by a loan on these farms as security, which will enable the Board to complete the building.

On thorized to enter contract mous.

motion of Mrs. Busey, the Supervising Architect was auto proceed with the completion of the Music Building, and into the necessary contracts supplementary to the general already let to Mr, A. J. Stoolman. The vote was unaniPROPERTY OFFERED

(10) A statement that the attention of the Board has been called to the desirability of purchasing the twenty acres of woodland lying immediately north of the Kerr Woods recently acquired (page 395). The owner would, I presume, be willing to accept the same price per acre as that paid for the Kerr Woods if the University would pay the cost of clearing the title. It is desirable to secure this land because it would remove from the property the University now owns a very serious fire risk involved in an open wood lot in immediate juxtaposition to the present forest. The attention of the Board has also been called to the possible purchase of the property at the northeast corner of the intersection of Mathews Avenue and Illinois Street, in Urbana, the frontage being 120 feet on Mathews by 200 feet on Illinois. The property contains two large houses. It is believed that this property could be obtained under mortgage, and that the interest on the mortgage could be met by the rental of the houses until such time as the Trustees should be able to acquire the property in fee simple. The houses might be used to assist in the cooperative house movement for the housing of the women students of the University. It is desirable to obtain this property for the possible extension of the departments housed at present in the Natural History building.