Illinois Bicentennial

1918 - Illinois Celebrates It's Centennial

In 1918, the people of Springfield voted to give $100,000 to the construction of a Centennial building.

The cornerstone was laid for the Centennial Memorial Building, now the Howlett Secretary of State Facility.

The project, considered the most long-lasting physical legacy of the Centennial, cost $3 million after its completion in 1923. Today, that would run the state just over $53 million.