The Council of Independent Colleges: Historic Campus Architecture Project

Quinby House

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Institution Name: Monmouth College
Original/Historic Place Name: Ivory Quinby House
Location on Campus: 605 N. Sixth St.
Date(s) of Construction:

1867	original construction Cochrane, John C.
1997	renovation

Designer: John C. Cochrane
Type of Place: Individual building
Style: Greek revival, Italianate (Glossary)
Significance: architecture, education, history
Narrative: see below
References: see below

Materials:

Foundation: limestone

Walls: wood

Roof: wood shingle, replaced with asphalt shingle

Function:

1867-1965	private residence
1965-present (2006)	president's house

Narrative:
Quinby House was designed by noted Chicago architect John C. Cochrane, who was responsible for much for the design of many of Chicago's public buildings following the Great Chicago Fire. His firm also designed the Illinois and Iowa State Capitols. Completed in 1867, the house remained in the Quinby family for nearly a century until it was donated to Monmouth College in 1965. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980. In 1997, it received a complete renovation, largely funded through a historic preservation grant from the Illinois Department of Transportation in recognition of Quinby's role in helping establish the Peoria and Oquawka Railroad.

References:

Davenport, F. Garvin. Monmouth College: The First Hundred Years. Cedar Rapids, IA: Torch Press, 1953.

Meyer, Daniel, and Jeffrey D. Rankin. A Thousand Hearts' Devotion: A History of Monmouth College, Monmouth, IL: Monmouth College, 2002.