217 Today: Declining attendance & rising maintenance costs bring an end to a historic church building in Champaign

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By the middle of November, most of the University Place Christian Church building at Wright St. and Springfield Ave. in Champaign had been demolished to make way for student housing.
  • Photo: A. Oishii Basu /IPM News

Monday, December 16, 2025

Today’s headlines: 

  • Meteorologists say you may face dangerous conditions on the roads today.
  • The blustery weather is causing schedule changes at local school districts.
  • Winter weather brought snow, dangerous cold and deadly wrecks to central Illinois over the weekend.
  • Hours after terrorists killed 16 people at a Hanukkah season ceremony in Australia. A Menorah lighting went on as planned in Champaign last night.

In today’s deep dive, as church attendance declines in the U.S., some congregations are finding it difficult to maintain their historic buildings.

217 Today is produced by Stephanie Orellana. Reporting today contributed by Reginald Hardwick, Anna Koh, Charles Letford and Andrew Pritchard.

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Stephanie Orellana