DeKALB | DeKalb may not have the Pyramids of Giza in its backyard, but it does have wonders of its own.

The seven wonders of the ancient world are being re-evaluated and a new set of seven wonders will be chosen on July 7. Anyone can go online to look at wonders nominated at www.new7wonders.com.

Voting is available online or over the phone. Monuments such as the Eiffel Tower, the Roman Colosseum, Stonehenge, the Statue of Liberty and the Pyramids of Giza are all on the ballot.

The Illinois Bureau of Tourism is having a similar campaign. It is looking for the seven wonders of Illinois.

Residents can nominate their favorite places and “wonders” within Illinois borders until the end of February.

Starting March 5, Illinois residents can go online each week to vote for their favorite nominated places until two places in each region of Illinois remain.

The seven wonders of Illinois will be announced April 30.

The Seven Wonders of DeKalb are the following, based on feedback from these seven local experts: DeKalb city clerk Donna Johnson; city manager Mark Biernacki; Debbie Armstrong, DeKalb Convention and Visitors Bureau coordinator; Chuck Siebrasse, executive director of the Chamber of Commerce; Debra Hopkins, director of NIU CPA Review; Career Services’ Katie Benson; and Community Development director Russ Farnum.

1. The Ellwood House, 500 N. First St.

“The Ellwood family started when Issac L. Ellwood became wealthy manufacturing barbed wire,” said volunteer coordinator Donna Gable.

Though Ellwood did invent his own kind of barbed wire, he went into partnership with Mr. Glidden and manufactured Glidden’s design. So, Ellwood’s design has never gone into production, Gable said.

2. Altgeld Hall

In 1899, Altgeld Hall was NIU. Altgeld Hall featured everything from a gymnasium to classrooms. Over the course of the century, Altgeld Hall has been through many changes. In the last century, an auditorium has been added, whitewashed, divided into smaller art studios, changed to an art gallery and restored again.

3. The Egyptian Theatre, 135 N. Second St.

“The building opened in 1929, and in 1922, King Tut’s tomb was discovered, so there was an Egyptian wave going across the country,” said operations director Alex Nerad. “The building’s design was actually based on Ramsey II.”

The theater has the largest movie theater in the county with a screen 35-feet wide and 22-feet tall. It also has the largest auditorium with 1,430 seats, Nerad said. Just recently, the theater welcomed Irish band Gaelic Storm.

4. The Convocation Center

Opening in 2002, the Convo has had a great impact on student life at NIU, hosting multiple graduation ceremonies, athletic events, concerts, comedians and many other types of events.

“The Convo center is a real plus, not just for us but for our whole area,” Siebrasse said.

Average attendance per year at the Convo is 300,000 people per year, said Kevin Selover, assistant director of marketing for the Convocation Center.

5. Joseph F. Glidden Homestead & Historical Center, 921 W. Lincoln Highway

The Glidden Family has had a great impact on DeKalb – as well as the United States as it expanded westward – and contributed one of the oldest barns standing in DeKalb County.

Joseph F. Glidden worked out of his barn making barbed wire.

“He must of really loved horses,” said historic preservationist Roger Keys, “It was a very expensive building.”

6. Hopkins Park Community Center, 1403 Sycamore Road

A getaway from the businesses on Sycamore Road, Hopkins park has pools, a band shelter, baseball fields, picnic areas, large oak trees and the Kishwaukee River streaming though it.

“Last year, we offered free family movies in the park,” said Lisa Small, assistant director of the DeKalb Park District. “The screen is phenomenally huge.”

The largest attendance to one of the movies last summer was 1,000 people, she said.

7. Haish Memorial Library (DeKalb Public Library), 309 Oak St.

An easy place to find all sorts of information, the Haish Memorial Library – along with the Ellwood House and Egyptian Theatre – known on the National Register of Historic Places for its architecture and engineering.

The building was dedicated Feb. 15, 1931 and financed at the bequest of $150,000 by Jacob Haish.

“There are very few rooms that have the presence that this reading room has,” said director Dee Coover.