Maps

Related Documents
and Links

Facilities Planning
& Construction

The Jesse Fell Gateway, which denotes the eastern entrance to the quad, was one part of the comprehensive plan of the University landscape in the early twentieth century. The east entrance was developed as an addition to the awakened interest in the formal composition of the grounds. This replaced an existing wooden gate that acted as the main entrance to the university with a winding drive to the front of Old Main. The inscription over the old gate read, "For Carriages Only." 
On Monday, June 5, 1916, hundreds assembled for the dedication of the Jesse W. Fell Memorial Gateway. The plan was instituted by The Woman’s League of Normal as a gateway that connects the university with the town. They stipulated that it should be plain and noble in design—a tribute to a great man of the community. 
President Felmley of the University summed up the accomplishment of Fell, "…In viewing this memorial that his friends have erected, we are not unmindful that its highest values are not those of the mason, or the brass founder, nor are they to be found in the taste and skill of the architect who planned the work, or of the artists who have designed the bronzes. They are to be found in the character of the man whose name this memorial bears and whose services it commemorates." 
The gateway was designed by O.C. Simmonds of Chicago, Illinois, and the artist successfully created a design both simple and impressive. The bas-relief of Jesse W. Fell occupies the front side of the column at the right of the gateway. This sculptured brass was made by Theodore Spicer Simson of New York. He also produced the tablet which occupies a corresponding position on the column on the left side of the gateway. On this tablet are inscribed the words: 

To the Founder of Normal 
Jesse W. Fell, 
Friend of Education, 
Lover and Planter of Trees, 
Philanthropist of Mighty Vision, 
This Gate is Dedicated by 
The Woman’s Improvement League 
And His Many Friends.

The massive bronze lanterns, which sit atop the center pillars, were made by the Victor S. Pearlman Company of Chicago, and complement the entire design for the gateway. 
Across from the gateway was a waiting station on the campus south of North Street. The structure was built by the Bloomington and Normal Railway and Light Company. The heated waiting room provided shelter for streetcar patrons and sold various items to students—stationery, school supplies, ice cream and candy. Tobacco was forbidden in the waiting room. The President of the University had the authority to inspect and rule on the deportment of students at the waiting station.