The American Football House is a house in Urbana, Illinois, United States, famed for its appearance on the cover of Midwest emo band American Football's 1999 self-titled debut album. The house's interior was also featured on the cover of the band's 2016 self-titled second album. The house has since become "one of music's biggest landmarks", attracting tourism, especially in the emo community.[1]
History
Built in 1893, the American Football House is located at 704 West High Street in Urbana, Illinois, near the campus of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.[2][3] One of the house's earliest residents was Charles M. Webber, who died while living in the house in 1931. Two of Webber's great-great-grandchildren, Adam and Michael Thies, worked at Polyvinyl Records, the Champaign-based record label behind American Football.[1]
In 1980, the house was purchased by local real estate investor Fred Krauss, the father of musicians Alison Krauss and Viktor Krauss. It was passed on in the mid-1990s to Viktor, who owned the house until selling it in 2001.[4]
By the 1990s, the house had become a popular venue for college parties and punk concerts.[5] While a student at the university in the late 1990s, photographer and album cover artist Chris Strong lived in the basement of the house with his then-girlfriend.[6][7] No members of American Football ever lived in the house, but as fellow students at the university, they were friends with Strong and frequently attended parties at the house.[8][9] When American Football enlisted Strong to design cover artwork for their 1999 self-titled debut album, Strong took "a couple thousand" photographs of the house.[8] The photograph used for 1999's American Football was a nighttime shot of the house's exterior, tilted upward at the second-floor window.[7] When asked why the band chose this particular image, lead vocalist Mike Kinsella said, "we just liked the photo."[6][8]
After American Football's 2000 breakup and 2014 reunion, Strong shot a 2014 music video inside the house for "Never Meant", the opening track on the band's 1999 album.[1][5] An interior shot of the house's stairwell, also taken by Strong, was featured on the cover of the band's 2016 self-titled reunion album.[3] In 2020, amid the COVID-19 pandemic, American Football performed a virtual concert to over 10,000 viewers, set at a replica of the house built in Minecraft.[10]
Ownership
In fall 2022, the American Football House was put up for sale, with rumors indicating that housing developers planned to demolish the house and build a condominium in its place.[11] On May 5, 2023, American Football announced on social media that they had purchased the house collectively with Polyvinyl Records, Chris Strong, photographer Atiba Jefferson, and the Chicago-based Open House Contemporary.[3][9][12]
In a statement on the purchase, Polyvinyl wrote: "Besides being a literal home to its many tenants throughout the years, The American Football House has come to represent a nostalgic dream of possibility and the beauty of the beginning. We could not let that dream go."[13] The house still had tenants at the time of the purchase, but Polyvinyl co-owner Matt Lunsford said there are plans for its future.[14]
On August 26, 2024, the band listed the American Football House on Airbnb, offering rentals "for artists, creative retreats, events, and nightly stays".[15]
Architecture
The American Football House is a two-story house with white wood siding and a prominent window on the front-facing gable.[1][16] Chris Strong described it as "not a terribly well-constructed house". Former resident Jessie Knoles recalled, "The hallway to the kitchen was so small and there was a door to a pantry in the tiny hallway so when the pantry was open, people from the living room couldn't make it to the kitchen."[1]
Legacy
As American Football accrued a cult following in the years after their 2000 breakup, the house became the main image that fans associated with the music.[1][17] In a 2014 interview, Mike Kinsella argued that the main reason why the house has endured as a symbol is that "it's pretty much one of the only images affiliated with the band."[18] The house's iconic status has been compared to the Andy Warhol banana print on the cover of The Velvet Underground & Nico.[7]
In a 2016 article, Vice named the American Football House "one of music's biggest landmarks", describing it as one of the most famous tourist attractions in the emo community.[1] As of 2023, the house is designated as a "place of worship" on Google Maps.[13] Some fans have etched an "X" into the sidewalk to mark the exact location where Strong stood to take the iconic photograph from the 1999 album.[1][7]
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