Everyone asks about the orientation of this view of the college...it really confuses people. The view is of the southeast corner of the college building looking northwest. The south entrance (shown in the photo) was almost in line with Dillman Street, which runs along the west edge of Rose of Sharon Church. This was probably taken from in front of the church.

Like most buildings built in northeastern Illinois between 1820 and 1860, both the Plainfield College building and the Rose of Sharon Church were constructed in the Greek Revival style of architecture. The Greek Revival style has strong inferences to the architecture of ancient Greece.Its broad and austere massing was ideally suited for civic, religious and domestic architecture of the Illinois prairie, which was being rapidly settled after 1830. The details of the style were popularized in numerous builders' publications and could be easily executed in wood, brick or stone. Although numerous stylistic variants may be found, the typical features of Greek Revival buildings in northeastern Illinois include a pediment, a street-facing gable; symmetrical placement of double-hung, windows; pronounced corner pilasters (engaged columns); a broad frieze or entablature at the roof line; and a moderately-pitched gable roof.

Sharon Church (1855) is one of the oldest houses of worship in Will County and is similar in design to many of the other original early churches in the county and northeastern Illinois: Plymouth Congregational Church -Plainfield (1850); DuPage Presbyterian Church - Bolingbrook (1850); Crete United Methodist Church - Crete (1852); and Zion Lutheran Church - Naperville (1862).

The name was changed to North-Western College in 1864, and moved to Naperville in 1870. The Plainfield College building burned to the ground a few years later. Plainfield erected a two-story community school (K-12) on the old foundation in 1881-82. That building was razed in 1961. Central Elementary School (begun in 1948) now occupies the former college site.

Architectural commentary by:
Michael Lambert, Arris Architects
arrisarchitects@netzero.net
Plainfield, IL