As NIU’s oldest building, Altgeld Hall has a history as varied as its architecture.

Completed in the fall of 1899, the building comprised the entire campus and was referred to as the Northern Illinois State Normal School and as “the castle on the hill.”

The building was renamed Altgeld Hall in 1964. Its new name was selected as a tribute to John Peter Altgeld, the Illinois governor responsible for the building’s creation.

The building’s exterior reflected Altgeld’s preference for the Tudor Gothic or English Castle style of architecture.

Altgeld believed that the 160 public buildings in Illinois looked like warehouses and had no character. In his argument to persuade the trustees to accept the Gothic style of architecture, he said this style was the “most effective method of ornamentation for buildings that are to stand alone.”

Chicago architect Charles Bush designed the building. At Altgeld’s suggestion, its exterior displayed a castle facade with towers, battlements and grotesques.

On Sept. 12, 1899, the first classes were held there while the building was still under construction.

The east wing of the building was used as a “practice school.” Chemical and physical science laboratories were on the bottom floor between the east wing and the center, and a library was on the top floor.

The central part of the building had a gymnasium furnished with baths on the ground floor. Executive offices and an auditorium capable of seating 1,200 people were located above the area.

Biology laboratories were on the lower level of the west connecting buildings. A study hall and museum were above this area. Classrooms were in the west wing.

The building also featured a manual training shop, a “dynamo” for light and power and a water system. Altgeld’s original cost was $230,160.

During the past 70 years, more than $1.5 million has been spent on the building’s upkeep.

Wooden window frames were replaced with aluminum frames in 1966. And in 1969, an elevator, fire-proof stairs and magnetically-controlled fire doors were installed.

The building also was modernized when central air conditioning, additional restrooms and lowered ceilings were added.

Altgeld was the son of German immigrants and overcame the obstacles of poverty and a language-barrier to gain an education. He initiated and expanded land-grant schools throughout the state.