Memory Lane: Feelin’ Grovey

Over the past 75 years, Illini Grove has remained a stable presence on an ever-changing campus—the site of barbecues, pickup basketball games, dance classes and dozens of other activities (including the unique joy of watching geese and turkeys chase passersby). (Image courtesy of Illini Media)

At the corner of Lincoln and Pennsylvania avenues, sandwiched between residence halls on the south and McKinley Health Center on the north, stands a grove of trees that is almost as old as the university itself.

Established in 1871 as the U. of I.’s forestry—an experimental nursery planted as a potential source for commercial timber—by 1951 it had been dramatically reduced in size, cleared to make way for new campus buildings. That year, the university repurposed the forestry as a recreation area for students, installing barbecue pits and outdoor games and giving it a new name: Illini Grove.

Illini Grove was a hit with students from the start, and in the early years was a popular place for cookouts, softball, shuffleboard, clock golf and horseshoes.

As students’ interests changed, so did the grove—out went shuffleboard and clock golf, and in went basketball and tennis courts.

But for many Illinois alumni, the amenities were beside the point. The grove’s simple, calming presence was the main attraction.

On an ever-growing, busy campus, “it’s an oasis of tranquility,” says Tom Duggan, ’05 LAS. “A proper park, with decent birding and foraging, and dense with towering oaks.”

(Image courtesy of Illini Media)

It’s the oaks, along with scores of other trees, that alumni remember most of all. Christ Forte, ’72 LAS, EDM ’75, has “great memories” of walking through the grove on his way to class, the leaves changing from summer green to autumn red, to winter brown and back again, while Leslie Harrison, ’82 AHS, loved “hearing the fall leaves crunch beneath my feet.”

But, of course, there’s a lot more to Illini Grove than faded leaves on the ground.

Throughout its history, Illinois students have interrupted the grove’s tranquility by using the park for fun-filled extravaganzas, such as carnivals sponsored by the Illinois Student Government and block parties thrown by Campus Recreation, with live DJs and free pizza. The grove also has hosted large, but more sobering events, including fundraising walks to support AIDS research.

But, above all, Illini Grove has been a popular picnic spot, both for the Greek community and registered student organizations, such as the October Lovers Club (naturally). Picnickers take full advantage of its sports facilities, staging basketball games and sand volleyball matches that are so bitterly fought because the stakes are so low.

JoAnne Jessee, ’03 BUS, recalls the fierce volleyball tournaments hosted by Illini Life Christian Fellowship, each one an epic battle of good versus evil. (Good won every time.)

Other sports there have been more formal affairs. For decades, the U. of I.’s tennis teams called Illini Grove home, both for practices and matches with rival schools. After the teams relocated to the Atkins Tennis Center in 1991, the courts became purely recreational, open first-come, first-serve to the campus community.

(Image courtesy of Illini Media)

In 2024, U. of I. students voted Illini Grove the best park in Champaign-Urbana which, despite its merits, was a bit of a head-scratcher for many locals, who enjoy dozens of fantastic parks, with far more offerings than the grove.

David Sitrick, ’08 LAS, has a theory: proximity. “When I was in college, I liked that it was close to my apartment,” he says. “And clearly, some things about students never change.”

But for Duggan, there’s another, more meaningful reason: “Wooded areas, with their diverse plant and animal life, are few and far between these days,” he says. “Illini Grove may be convenient, but it’s also precious, and I consider myself lucky to have it.”