Burnham 310
Burnham 310 is a skyscraper in Champaign, Illinois, USA. It was completed in late 2008 after many months of planning, development and delayed construction. Originally, the city block at 310 East Springfield Avenue had been occupied by the area's first hospital. The establishment of the Burnham City Hospital was proposed in 1935, the same year as the Champaign City Building. Under the Public Works Administration program, which was established as part of the New Deal of 1933 during President Franklin D. Roosevelt's first term, both building proposals qualified for federal grant funding.[3]
| Burnham 310 | |
|---|---|
 Southeast view of Burnham 310 and the adjoining County Market | |
| |
| General information | |
| Status | Complete |
| Type | Residential |
| Architectural style | Modernist |
| Location | Campustown |
| Address | 310 East Springfield Ave., Champaign, Illinois |
| Country | United States |
| Coordinates | 40.11285°N 88.23458°W |
| Construction started | December 2006 |
| Completed | September 2008 |
| Cost | 44 million US Dollars |
| Height | 244 ft (74 m) |
| Technical details | |
| Floor count | 18 |
| Design and construction | |
| Architecture firm | VOA Associates |
| Main contractor | Construction Reality |
| Other information | |
| Number of rooms | 259 apartments |
| References | |
| [1][2] | |
In 1989, the Burnham City Hospital merged with Mercy Hospital to form Provena Covenant Medical Center and, in 1992, most services were consolidated which caused the Burnham to close. The structure then stood vacant for 14 years until it was razed in summer 2004.[4]
Building design
The tower was designed by VOA Associates, and was intended to be the cornerstone of the "Burnham District" that would link Campustown near the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign campus with Downtown Champaign. Upon its completion in 2008, Burnham 310 became the tallest building in the Champaign–Urbana metropolitan area, surpassing the Tower at Third. However, the building has been surpassed in height by 309 Green in 2009, and by HERE Champaign in 2015.[5]
The first floor of the tower is occupied by sales office space for Greystar Communities and Apartments. Attached to the east side of the tower is a County Market grocery store, which also houses a Caribou Coffee store. Currently, the County Market is the only full-service grocery store located within Campustown. A fitness center is also located on the first floor of the building. The second to eighteenth floors are a mixture of one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments.
Neighborhood impact
Because of the completion of Burnham 310, the Champaign Park District made improvements to Scott Park. New playground equipment and landscaping updates were completed during summer 2009. The Stone Arch Bridge was structurally improved.[6]
References
- Wurth, Julie (August 21, 2008). "Delays force Champaign high-rises to postpone move-ins". News Gazette. Retrieved January 16, 2014.
- Wurth, Julie (October 1, 2008). "Hie-rise residents happy to be settling into new apartments". News Gazette. Retrieved January 16, 2014.
- McCollum, Dannel. "Historical Review of the Champaign City Buildings Over The Years". City of Champaign. Retrieved January 21, 2014.
- Cook, Anne (August 9, 2004). "Cure for nostalgia: Former Burnham workers to reunite". News-Gazette. Retrieved January 21, 2014.
- "City of Champaign Emporis Profile". Retrieved January 21, 2014.
- Cassman, Landon (July 8, 2009). "Scott Park construction coming to end". The Daily Illini. Archived from the original on January 21, 2014. Retrieved January 21, 2014.