Edward Ater
Edward Ater (1815-1893) came to Champaign County in 1830 with his father. In 1857, he was elected head judge of the County Court along with John P. Tenbrook of Sadorus and Lewis Jones of Salt Fork as his two associate judges. Ater then served as Urbana’s mayor from June 1861-June 1864. He was also the County Board member responsible for building the third permanent Champaign County Courthouse in 1861, thus assuring that Urbana would remain the county seat.
"The private residences now being built are worthy of prominent notice. They are built in a style that warrants the opinion that the owners intend to 'live at home' hereafter. The new residence of Edward Ater Esq., on Elm St., now in an advanced state of construction, will be such as would do honor to much larger places. It reflects much credit upon its owner and the master builder, Mr. John Paton"
- Local column of Urbana Daily News, 13 August 1857, pp. 4.
Judge Edward Ater constructed the Ater-Jacques House in 1857. Nine years later, he sold it to Francis Jacques, a lawyer, early supporter of The Urbana Free Library, and railroad man. Jacques was the owner and operator of the Urbana & Champaign Street Railway from 1863 to 1890 and was involved in building the Champaign and Eastern Railroad in 1881. He was also responsible for founding the Urbana Building and Loan. He and his daughter Minnie Jacques are best remembered for their Urbana Free Library involvement; together, they served 77 years as treasurers.
The original residence was two stories with a one-story service wing in the rear. Two additional wings consisting of an office, a dining room, and a kitchen were added to the house in the 1870s. Francis Jacques lived in the house until he died in 1896. In the 1960s, the house was converted to commercial use, during which time a series of alterations were made that boded poorly for its future structural stability.
In June 1999, before the house could be moved to a new site on West Main Street, a section of the east wall suddenly collapsed, and the City of Urbana ordered the immediate demolition of the house due to safety concerns. The Urbana Free Library currently uses the site for parking.