Aurora University, Ellsworth and Virginia Hill Welcome Center and Schingoethe Museum

Aurora, Illinois

Firm

Cordogan Clark & Associates

Client

Aurora University

Area

19,700 sq.ft.

Total Cost

$6,550,252

Completion Date

05/2015

The Ellsworth and Virginia Hill Welcome Center and Schingoethe Museum provide distinguished gathering spaces for campus and community functions. The Center serves as the central gathering place for prospective students, alumni, and current students.
The warm, inviting and versatile Welcome Center features a small library and reading nook with a fireplace; it opens into a large, comfortable seating area. The well-appointed adjoining dining room accommodates a variety of receptions and events; it can serve as an intimate space for a dinner function or as a conference space, extending the university’s tradition for hospitality. The full kitchen enables events to be catered in the building without relying on food service from elsewhere on campus.
Other distinctive gathering spaces in the center: the Ethel Tapper Recital Hall, an intimate performance space for up to 80 guests; the Community Foundation of the Fox Valley Gallery, a resource for the entire community; and the Schingoethe Museum, which provides large gallery spaces for cultural exhibitions and displays of the rich history of the university and the Fox Valley community.
The museum’s art gallery showcases professional and student artists during several exhibitions throughout the year.
The building, the latest addition to the Aurora University campus, was dedicated in May 2015.