The Illinois Traction Building, located at 41 E. University Ave. in Champaign, Illinois, was the headquarters of the Illinois Traction System, an interurban railroad serving Central Illinois. Built in 1913, the building held the railway's offices and served as the Champaign interurban station until 1936; it later housed the offices of the Illinois Power Company, which descended from the Illinois Traction System. Architect Joseph Royer planned the building in a contemporary commercial design. The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places on September 20, 2006.HistoryThe Illinois Traction System was established by William B. McKinley in the 1890s and 1900s. McKinley began his system by purchasing and electrifying local streetcar lines. In 1902, the system opened its first interurban line between Champaign and St. Joseph, and by 1911 it linked most major cities in Central Illinois, as well as St. Louis, Missouri. The company built the Illinois Traction Building in 1913 to replace its previous Champaign station; the new building had a central location and office space for the company. In 1928, the Illinois Traction System became part of the Illinois Terminal Railroad; its utility division became the Illinois Power and Light Company and maintained offices in the Traction Building. Streetcar service to the building ended in 1936, when a new owner replaced the lines with bus service; while interurban trains continued to serve Champaign, they stopped at a different station. The building continued to house the utility company, which became known as the Illinois Power Company, until it moved to a different building in 1985.
