Time Capsules on Campus

Posted on by Sammi Merritt

By Sammi Merritt

Following the 2024 discovery of time capsules in the cornerstones of the Main Library and McKinley Health Center, we have wondered whether there might be more “copper boxes” hidden throughout campus. Upon further investigation, it appears that these cornerstone boxes may be more common than we imagined.

Early 20th century newspaper articles indicate that it was a common practice – not only on campus, but around the world – to include such a “copper box” in new building cornerstones. In those days, as now, it was common to hold a cornerstone laying ceremony to lay the cornerstone for new buildings. Over 265 (digitized) articles from Illinois newspapers, including 30 articles from the Daily Illini, suggest that a core purpose of this ceremony was to fill and encapsulate these boxes within the cornerstone. On May 9, 1924, in anticipation of the cornerstone laying ceremony for McKinley Hospital (now McKinley Health Center), the Daily Illini states this clearly: “The big box that dominates every cornerstone laying is being filled with the numerous articles today…”

Programs and photos from these ceremonies, which were held for many new campus buildings, can be found in the Archives in record series 2/0/808 Building and Statue Dedication Programs and 39/2/20 Photographic Subject File, respectively. Many photographs from these ceremonies actually depict the copper box being enclosed within the cornerstone, such as the two from the McKinley Hospital ceremonies linked below.

Campus news sources covered the deposit of some boxes, but not all of them. Although the Champaign News Gazette published a list of the contents of the capsule in the Main Library’s cornerstone, The Daily Illini published nothing on the box. Conversely, The Daily Illini published many details about the copper boxes in McKinley Hospital and the Architecture Building’s cornerstones.

A full list of university buildings which are known (as of June 2025) to contain a copper box can be found below. It is possible that more will be discovered as additional sources are identified, and that more undocumented cornerstone boxes will come to light as buildings reach the end of their life on campus.

(Note that university buildings on the Chicago campus and local Champaign-Urbana buildings have been omitted from this list, but many of these buildings do contain copper boxes confirmed in the source below; notably the Champaign and Urbana City Buildings.)

[A copy of this blog post can be found in the Archives’ ready reference file on “Buildings, University.”]

University of Illinois Buildings Which Contain Time Capsules

All buildings with known or suspected time capsules are listed below, in chronological order of their cornerstone laying.

Four main sources were used to confirm the presence of time capsules/copper boxes in the following list:

The sources which confirm the presence of each box are included beneath the building name, with the digitized source linked where possible.

Legend

(Current building name [if different from original name])
[x] Building no longer exists
* Time capsule has already been retrieved
^ Indicates a time capsule that has been or will be replaced
[?] Suspected time capsule (not confirmed)

1871

  • University Hall [x]*
    [x] Building demolished in 1938.
    *Time capsule retrieved in 1938 and placed into the Gregory Hall cornerstone in 1939.

1892

  • Natural History Building

1896

1906

  • Auditorium (Foellinger Auditorium)

1907

1909

  • Osborne Hall (Chi Omega Sorority House)

1910

1912

  • Commerce Building (Old)
    [Note that The Daily Illini refers to this as the “New” Commerce Building, but this is 12 years before construction of the “New” New Commerce Building, which was dedicated on the same day as the “New” Library and “New” Gymnasium in 1924.]

  • 1912 Senior Memorial: “Eternal Flame”

1913

1914

1915

1916

  • Women’s Residence Hall (Busey Hall)

1917

  • Tina Weedon Smith Memorial Building (Smith Hall) [?]
    [?] Suspected to have a time capsule containing phonographic discs of the University Band due to mention of recordings made for this purpose in 1909 DI

1920

1922

1924

  • McKinley Hospital (McKinley Health Center) *^
    *Retrieved on March 24, 2025 as part of 100th Anniversary celebrations.
    ^To be replaced in 2025.

    • The Daily Illini, June 3, 1924, pp 7
    • See also: McKinley Hospital Addition (1961)
  • New Library (Main Library) *^
    *Retrieved in October 2024 as part of 100th Anniversary celebrations.
    ^To be replaced in 2025.

    • Champaign News Gazette, June 8, 1924, pp 1
    • The Daily Illini, June 6, 1924, pp 1
  • New Commerce Building (David Kinley Hall)
    • Champaign News Gazette, June 8, 1924, pp 1
    • The Daily Illini, June 6, 1924, pp 1
  • New Men’s Gymnasium (Huff Hall)
    • Champaign News Gazette, June 8, 1924, pp 1
    • The Daily Illini, June 6, 1924, pp 1

1926

1928

1930

1931

1934

1937

1939

1948

  • Mechanical Engineering Building

1951

1955

1958

1961

1962

1963

  • College of Education Building

1978

1981

1987

Updated on by Sammi Merritt