A demolition crew tore down the 134-year-old Burnham Mansion in Champaign on Tuesday, reducing it to a pile of rubble by evening. The home on Church Street that later become an apartment building is coming down to make room for the expansion of Champaign Central High School.

Three buildings that the Champaign School Board wants to tear down for the expansion of Central High School have been nominated for local landmark status. The action approved Thursday by the Champaign Historic Preservation Commission occurred the same day that the school board filed formal protests with the city.

Susan Appel, a board member with the Preservation and Conservation Association of Champaign County (PACA), talks about her group’s efforts to seek city landmark status for three buildings slated to be torn down for the expansion of Champaign Central High School.

The second of two open house-style 'town hall' meetings over the future of Champaign Unit 4's facilities brought out a lighter crowd than the previous one, but a mostly enthusiastic response to supporting a bond issue of around $200 million this fall. Around 50 attended Thursday's event at Centennial High School.