Sherman Hall Cupola Restoration

Since Sherman Hall opened on September 23, 1902 it has served as a symbol of Western Illinois University. The Cupola is a wood and steel structure that was clad in ornamental sheet metal and surrounded by eight wood columns. Repairs have been made over the past 113 years with various patches made, parts replaced and coatings applied. In 2012, Hurst-Rosche was retained to prepare bidding/construction documents to complete a more comprehensive repair of the structure and it's components, and meetings were held with representatives of Western Illinois University as well as the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency (Sherman Hall is on the National Register of Historic Places). Given the Cupola's location high atop Sherman Hall, IHPA allowed some liberty with the selection of materials to ensure the work not only maintained the historical image of the building, but also that the restoration work would last many decades into the future with only routine maintenance needs. The result is a project that over the course of the summer will restore the symbol of the University to a condition that has not been seen in many years.