Illinois Executive Mansion

The Illinois Executive Mansion is the official residence of the Governor of Illinois. It is located at 410 E. Jackson Street in Springfield, Illinois and is open to tours on Wednesdays and Saturday mornings, free of charge. The Georgian style Mansion was designed by Chicago architect John M. Van Osdel. The Mansion was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1976.The 16-room manor was completed in 1855 and was first occupied by governor Joel Matteson, who held the official grand opening on January 10, 1856. It is one of the oldest historic residences in the state of Illinois and one of the three oldest continuously occupied governor's mansions in the United States. The governor's mansion is constructed in an "H" shaped configuration.During the Christmas season the mansion is decorated lavishly with Christmas decorations, including over a dozen Christmas trees.Although sometimes used for state functions such as state dinners and the like, the mansion proper is, for the most part, a historic site. The libraries, bedrooms, parlors, sitting rooms, etc. are maintained as they may have looked in the 19th century. The governor and his family are not expected to actually reside in the main mansion itself. Rather, a 7-room private apartment on the second floor of the mansion is provided for the governor and his family.