Burnham Athenaeum, Classical Revival library building in Champaign, United States

The Burnham Athenaeum is a two-story Classical Revival library building at 306 W. Church St. in Champaign, Illinois. Architect Julius A. Schweinfurth designed it in cream-colored brick with terra cotta ornamentation. Four two-story Ionic columns support a pediment and inscribed frieze at the entrance, and a terra cotta band encircles the building below the second-story window sill line.

Albert C. Burnham funded the construction of the Burnham Athenaeum in 1896, and architect Julius A. Schweinfurth designed it in the Classical Revival style. It served as Champaign's first permanent library until the collection moved to a larger facility in 1978. That same year, on June 7, the building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The building carries the name of Albert C. Burnham, the donor whose gift of funds in 1896 made Champaign's first permanent library possible. It was later known as the Champaign Public Library, and the name Athenaeum recalls the 19th-century ideal of a library as a place of reading and public instruction. The inscribed frieze above the entrance columns is a detail to look for.

The building stands at 306 W. Church St. in Champaign, Illinois, and its four two-story Ionic columns and pediment face the street, so the facade is visible from the sidewalk. It has not housed the public library since 1978, so check its current use before planning a stop.

A continuous terra cotta band runs around the entire building just below the second-story windows, creating a striking horizontal line that catches the eye. This ornamental feature demonstrates the care taken in the original design and is easy to miss at first glance.