Aurora College Complex

About this property

Aurora University (AU) is a private university in Aurora, Illinois, United States. Established in 1893 as a seminary of the Advent Christian Church, the university has been independent since 1971. Approximately 6,200 students are enrolled in the university's undergraduate and graduate programs. It was a women's college from 1893 until 1960. Aurora University was founded as Mendota Seminary in Mendota, Illinois, in 1893. At that time, the school was focused on education and training rooted in the Advent Christian Church. Within a few years of its founding, the seminary changed its name to Mendota College, and broadened its programs into a traditional liberal arts curriculum. In 1911, residents of the nearby town of Aurora raised funds to construct a new college, led by funding from businessman Charles Eckhart, who founded the predecessor company to the Auburn Automobile Company. Recognizing mutual benefits, administrators of Mendota College moved their operations to Aurora and the school became known as Aurora College. In 1971, Aurora College separated from the Advent Christian Church, and in 1985, changed its name to Aurora University to better reflect the breadth of its academic programs. In 1992, the school entered into an affiliation agreement with George Williams College in Williams Bay, Wisconsin, which was followed by a full merger in 2000. In November 2022, Aurora University announced plans to end academic use of the campus in 2024 and continue operations as a conference center. Aurora University added a third location in 2009 with the opening of the Woodstock Center in Woodstock, Illinois. In 2023, the building was sold to McHenry County College. Sociolinguist Susana Rivera-Mills has served as the 14th president of Aurora University since 2023. The Aurora campus is based primarily around a traditional quadrangle and adjacent areas. In total, the campus is approximately 32 acres. All buildings constructed by the university have red tile roofs (with the exception of two, which continue the red theme on exterior wall panels), a stipulation of Charles Eckhart in his initial donation in the early days of Aurora College. Alumni Hall: Includes the primary student dining hall, the University Banquet Hall, Thornton Gymnasium, athletic training room, athletic offices and a weight room. In 2010, construction began on a new wing for Alumni Hall, which opened in 2011 to house several academic programs and classrooms primarily for athletic training, exercise science, nursing and social work programs. Centennial Hall: Houses freshmen and upper-class students in air-conditioned double rooms. The building is co-ed by floor with same-gender, community-style bathrooms located on each floor.

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Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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