Construction underway on new Illinois Extension Center in Urbana-Champaign

URBANA, Ill. (WAND) — Construction is underway on the new University of Illinois Extension building.

Leaders call the space a new chapter for the organization, as crews build the Doris Kelley Christopher Illinois Extension Center on the Urbana-Champaign campus.

The nearly 40,000-square-foot facility will bring Extension staff together under one roof for the first time in the organization’s more than 100-year history. University leaders said the building will serve as a collaborative hub for education, outreach, and innovation across Illinois.

University of Illinois Extension Director and Associate Dean Dr. Matthew Vann said the organization’s reach spans all 102 counties in Illinois, offering programming in areas including agriculture, youth development, community wellness, environmental education and economic development.

“We impact, in one way or another, every citizen of this state,” Vann said. “That’s our mission, and that’s what we wake up every single day to try to do.”

The center is funded through a major gift from Doris Kelley Christopher, the founder of Pampered Chef and a University of Illinois alumna. Christopher was also involved in 4-H as a child and worked as an Extension educator before founding the company.

Vann said the project reflects the long-term impact Extension programs can have on communities and future leaders.

“It’s incredibly powerful when you have someone like Doris Kelley Christopher, who has an amazing story,” Vann said. “There’s this huge pipeline that really showcases through her what Extension can do when we make those investments in our youth, and we continue to support them as they go into adulthood.”

According to the University of Illinois Extension, the facility will include flexible classrooms, technology-equipped meeting rooms, collaborative workspaces, a discovery kitchen, a maker space and a media studio. Leaders said those additions will help Extension educators create more hands-on learning opportunities and expand digital programming statewide.

Vann said Extension staff are currently spread across multiple campus buildings, making the consolidation a major step forward for collaboration.

“For the first time in our 100-plus year history, all of our Extension staff here on campus will be housed together under one roof,” he explains. “We genuinely believe that that will create new synergies and new opportunities internally.”

The building will be located near the University of Illinois Arboretum along Lincoln Avenue and is expected to become one of only two standalone Extension-focused facilities in the country, alongside a similar facility at the University of Kentucky.

Construction officially began in 2025 after years of planning following Christopher’s $45 million gift announced in 2021. University leaders expect the building to open in spring 2027, with a grand opening celebration planned later that year.

Vann said sustainability has also been a major focus throughout the planning process. While some trees were removed from the site, he told WAND News the wood will be repurposed within the building for furniture and design features. The project is also pursuing green energy to be used now and in the future.

“This is not just a space to be able to move into,” Vann said. “It’s a space to build and move into in a very thoughtful and strategic way.”