Pub. 1 2011 Issue 1

19 T he mansion has been renovated 5 times over the years, with the last being in 1970 when an addition was added. The current mansion now has 50,000 sq.ft and is the largest mansion. The mansion is furnished with antiques of the period. Historic items are also part of the mansion, including the Lincoln Bedroom, Governor Yates Bedroom, and the Bartels suite. The room most favored by governors is the library, built by a cabinet maker from De- catur, Monte Hall, in 1970. IN 1972, the Illinois Executive Mansion Association was formed as a not for profit, which oversees the historical entegrity of the house and also raises private funds to furnish the house. The mansion has regular scheduled tours open to the public 5 times per week, and is available for use by the public for events. Official Home of Illinois Governors Rarely regarded as an old Illinois house, one dating from pioneer days, is the Governor’s Mansion in the state capital. The is due partly to its being kept always in first-class condition and partly to the numerous additions imposed on it from time to time which have somewhat changed its original appearance. Gazing today at its white façade standing out impressively against a beautifully landscaped background, one can hardly believe that this residence is nearly a century old. But such it is. It was built in 1856. Among those who at in- tervals watched the brickmasons erecting it was Abraham Lin- coln, then a lawyer and ex-congressman who was beginning to attract national attention for his political gifts. A year after the house was built, Mr. & Mrs. Lincoln were guests at a brilliant social function held there by the second executive to occupy it, Governor William H. Bissell. The first chief executive of the state to live here was Gov- ernor Joel A. Matteson. It has been the home of every Illinois governor since 1856. Before that time, and beginning with the year 1839 when the state capital p104was moved from Vandalia to Springfield, the governors lived in a house at the west corner of Eighth Street and Capitol Avenue (then Market Street). It was a plain, twostory building and, when abandoned by the state, sold for $2,860. The Illinois Executive Mansion, built in 1855, is the 3rd oldest mansion in the country. Originally designed by a Chicago architech, John Mills Van Osdall, as a 28 room Victorian mansion. Q fall meeting — continued on page 21 IADA Board of Directors Convenes Fall Meeting at Illinois Governor’s Mansion