Royer Cottage

Urbana, Illinois

Located adjacent to the Royer House in the Urbana Royer Historic District, the Royer Cottage, or “mother-in-law cottage” was designed and built by architect Joseph Royer for his wife Adelaide’s mother Ella Danley in 1923.

The structure is often referred to as the "Danely Cottage" or the "Fairy House." The house was designed in the English Revival style or “Storybook Style,” as it is often known. With its whimsical details and hidden front garden, the rare example of this architectural style became well known. Ella Danley was an author and even featured the house in a children’s book about the house and “fairy garden.”

The cottage was listed along with the main house on the National Register of Historic Places in 2021.