PUBLIC NOTICE
Regarding the National Endowment for the Humanities’ Section 106 Review of
the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign Archives Research Center
Environmental Improvement Project
The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) has awarded the University of Illinois,
Urbana-Champaign a grant to install new climate control and fire suppression systems for its
Archives Research Center (ARC). NEH is an independent grant-making agency of the United States
government dedicated to supporting research, education, preservation, and public programs in the
humanities. This public notice is issued as part of NEH’s responsibilities under 36 C.F.R. Part 800,
the regulations which implement Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) of
1966, as amended, 16 U.S.C. § 470. NEH, a funding agency, is required by regulation to identify and
assess the effects of any proposed actions on historic properties. If any proposed action will have an
adverse effect on historic resources, NEH works with the appropriate parties to seek ways to avoid,
minimize, or mitigate any adverse effects. Additionally, the Section 106 regulations require NEH to
consider the views of the public on preservation issues when making final decisions that affect
historic properties.
In its grant application, the University proposed to protect its archival holdings and special
collections by:
•
•
Installing a chilled water cooling system serving two storage areas (for books/papers and
musical instruments), with an enthalpy wheel, energy recovery ventilator, and pumped heat
recovery coil to reclaim lost energy.
Installing a pre-action wet pipe fire protection system, with separate valves serving each of
the two storage areas.
The ARC is located in the former Horticulture Field Laboratory facility, constructed in 1921, on the
University’s south campus. In the mid-1990s, the building was retrofitted for occupancy by the
ARC. More recently, the building has been a focus of major improvements, as the University has
completed a $1.1 million dollar roof and gutter replacement project as well as relamping all
fluorescent light fixtures to replace existing T12 lamps with more energy efficient and lower UV
emission T8 lamps. The vault storage areas within the ARC, which include the portions of the
building affected by the NEH project, are a three floor (11,314 sq. ft.) space.
In a letter dated October 25, 2011, the Illinois State Historic Preservation Office affirmed that the
building is eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places and wrote “In our opinion,
these plans meet the Secretary of the Interior’s “Standards for Rehabilitation and Guidelines for
Rehabilitating Historic Buildings. Please retain this letter in your files as evidence of a No Adverse
Effect determination and compliance with Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act of
1966, as amended.”
As required by Section 106, NEH is providing the public with information about this project, as well
as an opportunity to comment on any knowledge of, or concerns with, historic properties in the
proposed project area, and issues relating to the project’s potential effects on historic properties.
Comments may be submitted to the NEH by e-mail to preservation@neh.gov, or to National
Endowment for the Humanities, Division of Preservation and Access, 1100 Pennsylvania Ave., NW,
Room 411, Washington, DC 20506. The deadline for submitting comments is January 5, 2014.
University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
Area of Potential Effect
1707 South Orchard Street
Urbana, IL 61801