Designed by Illinois architect Robert Watson, Sherman Hall is a three-story, mixed classical revival-style building. Construction on Sherman Hall began on December 21, 1900[2] at the cost of $302,950.
Sherman Hall opened to the public in 1902 as the main building of Western Illinois State Normal School. Sherman Hall was the school's only building until Garwood Hall was built in 1914. At the turn of the 20th century, the hall contained classrooms, an auditorium, a gymnasium, a library, laboratories and administrative offices.
Sherman Hall was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1998 as "Western Illinois State Normal School Building." This listing also encompasses nearby Garwood Hall because it is linked to Sherman Hall by a passageway as well as the Western Illinois University Art Gallery because it was the original heating annex for Sherman Hall.