In 1856 , he moved west to Chicago , Illinois . There , he focused on designing public buildings such as county courthouses and churches . Major commissions in the Chicago area included University Hall at Northwestern University , Union Park Congregational Church , Eighth Presbyterian Church , and Plymouth Church . He also designed plans for the Theological Seminary of the Northwest and the original University of Saint Mary 's of the Lake . Many of his Chicago works were destroyed in the Great Chicago Fire in 1871 . Outside of the Chicago area , Randall also designed some of the first buildings at The State Normal University in Bloomington , Illinois ; the Minnesota State Normal School in Winona , Minnesota ; and the Whitewater Normal School in Whitewater , Wisconsin . He died on September 20 , 1884
Great Chicago Fire
Great Chicago Fire
Gurdon P. Randall