“Desperate for housing and lacking lumber, 19th-century Nebraska pioneers resorted to cutting and baling the sweet prairie grass growing all around them, then using the bales as giant bricks to build homes. Their new dwellings proved to be cozy and pleasant.”
— New Prairie Construction Web site

ALTHOUGH STRAW BALE houses have been around for more than 100 years, they are typically not found in Illinois. New Prairie Construction, a local company, completed the first straw bale house in Champaign-Urbana in 2005.

Besides being environmentally friendly (its wood floors are reclaimed from an old grade school, for example, and all the windows and skylights are made from low emission glass), the house provides a unique and quiet living space.

Gargoyle staff reporter Katherine Allen recently toured the house — located on East Main Street in Urbana — to get a glimpse of a more eco-friendly future in architecture. For a closer look, check out this slideshow featuring Katherine's photos.