The Main Building, designed by Chicago architects Patton & Fisher, was completed in 1893. This significant City of Chicago Landmark building was designed in 1891 for the newly founded Armour Institute of Technology (now the Illinois Institute of Technology) to house classrooms and offices. The building’s Romanesque Revival exterior features a rough-cut sandstone base, red brick and terra cotta upper levels, large arched windows, and a multi-hipped roof.

As the need decreased for classrooms in the Main Building, numerous interior renovations were completed to retrofit new offices. The roofline was also altered due to a fire that occurred in the southern hipped-roof in the 1950s. Exterior masonry repairs and window replacement was completed in the 1980s; however, a comprehensive building restoration and systems upgrade was never completed.

In 2006, Harboe Architects was commissioned to prepare a Master Plan to define the historical significance of the interior and exterior building elements and to prioritize the needed repairs. Phase 1 of the work is complete and included ADA upgrades to toilet rooms, elevator renovation, and life safety improvements. Phase 2 was completed through construction documents and included exterior masonry restoration, masonry and mortar analysis and plans for roof reconstruction.

Pending funding, future phases of work include roof and window replacement, interior lobby restoration, and stained glass restoration.