Front Elevation
(710 S. Elm Blvd)On October 1, 2024 City Council approved the designation of 710 S. Elm Blvd as a Local Landmark. This City Council approval is the final step in a Local Landmark Designation process which includes review by the Historic Preservation Commission and Plan Commission. Materials and meeting recordings for each of these meetings is provided below:

Explanation of Council Bill 2024-156

Recording of 10/1 City Council Regular Meeting

Plan Commission Report (Case PL24-0021)

Recording of 9/18 Plan Commission Meeting

Historic Preservation Commission Report (Case PL24-0021)

Recording of 9/5 Plan Commission Meeting

The Harding and McDowell Residence at 710 South Elm Boulevard in Champaign, is a highly significant and remarkably intact example of Dutch Colonial Revival architecture which satisfies multiple criteria for listing as a Local Landmark in the City of Champaign. Albert Austin Harding, the inaugural Director of Bands at the University of Illinois, commissioned F.E. Berger and R.L. Kelley Associated Architects to design and build the home in 1927. The design of the home included an apartment for the long-term care of Mr. Harding’s mother, and an office for Margret Harding’s osteopathic practice. On three occasions, John Phillip Sousa, the internationally acclaimed band director and long-time friend of Harding, stayed in the home.

Following the death of Mr. Harding, the home was purchased by Austin and Ellen McDowell. Austin was a graduate of the University of Illinois School of Music, and would spend his career in the school of music. He served as Professor of Clarinet, Chair of the Woodwind Division, and eventually Head of the School of Music from 1972 until his retirement in 1988. His wife, Ellen, was heavily involved with local service agencies, most notably as a founding member of the Daily Bread Soup Kitchen between 1980 and her death in 2023.

The Harding and McDowell Residence Landmark is based based on the following criteria for designation:

1. Significant value as part of the historical, cultural, artistic, social, ethnic or other heritage of the nation, state or community; [the Harris Place Addition to Champaign; the University of Illinois Bands and School of Music;]
   
   
2. Associated with an important person or event in national, state, or local history; [Albert Austin Harding; Margrett Harding; John Phillip Sousa; Austin McDowell; Ellen McDowell]
   
   
3. Representative of the distinguishing characteristics of an architectural type inherently valuable for the study of a period, style, craftsmanship, method of construction, or use of indigenous materials. [Dutch Colonial Revival style; Radom Rubble Stone Cladding;]
   
   
4. Notable work of a master building, designer, architect, or artist whose individual genius has influenced an era. [Frederick E. Berger and Ralph Leverett Kelley, architects; Irving Peterson, landscape architect]

Landmark Nomination Photos

FE Berger and RL Kelley Architectural Plans

Questions or Comments

If you have any questions about this case or Historic Preservation in the City of Champaign, please reach out to:

Eric Van Buskirk, AICP
Senior Planner
Planning and Development Department
eric.vanbuskirk@champaignil.gov
(217) 403-8800