SIU Campus Shryock Auditorium

(Click the photo above for an audio tour)

As the ninth building constructed on campus and nestled in the very heart of Old Campus, Shryock remains one of the oldest operational buildings at SIU. Designed by James B. Dibelka of Chicago, Illinois, and constructed by A.W. Stoolman of Champaign, Illinois, the first floor of Shryock originally served as an auditorium, president’s office and registrar’s office, while the second floor held classrooms and the Board of Trustees room. The Board of Trustees requested funds for the building in 1915, with the 49th General Assembly of the State of Illinois appropriating $135,000 for a dedicated auditorium soon after. Construction for the historic structure started taking shape in 1916, with completion following in 1918. The July 1918 Annual Catalog of Southern Illinois State Normal University explained that, “It is unquestionably the best auditorium in the southern half of Illinois; possibly there is nothing better anywhere in the state outside of Chicago.