Governor moves Lincoln Hall one step closer to renovation.

Gov. Pat Quinn made a recent stop to the University of Illinois campus to share good news—that the Lincoln Hall renovation project will be ready to bid to contractors in approximately 30 days, moving along a roughly $63 million effort to turn the nearly century-old landmark into a 21st-century learning environment.

The governor spoke on Wednesday, Dec. 2, in the Illini Union, where he was accompanied by Interim President Designate Stanley Ikenberry and several area legislators and University officials. Saying that “jobs follow brainpower,” Quinn portrayed the Lincoln Hall project as vital to the future, and he stressed repeatedly that the building should be converted into a sustainable, environmentally friendly structure.

He added that it is important that the state and University move forward “expeditiously” in the renovation.

“This is an investment not just for our time but for future generations,” Quinn said. “We have to understand that all of us in Illinois today, in 2009, have to have the spirit of Abraham Lincoln, who was our president in probably our country’s most difficult time. He understood that we in America always want our children’s future to be better. We’re custodians of the future—all of us.”

The Illinois legislature passed a statewide capital construction bill in July, which included funds for Lincoln Hall’s renovation; however, the campus has had to wait for the release of funds by the state before it could begin construction. The governor’s announcement removes that hurdle.

The building has stood empty since August, when asbestos abatement work began in preparation for construction. The abatement work will conclude in late December.

The governor’s office anticipates that the Lincoln Hall project will create 350 construction jobs. It is scheduled to begin in early 2010 and be ready for classes by fall 2012.