Her mother died in childbirth in 1897, and her father moved to Chicago, leaving five-year-old Louise in Champaign to be raised by her maternal grandparents, Mr. and Mrs. John G.
[2] Louise Woodroofe studied painting (and exhibited her works) initially at the University of Illinois (1913-1917), where she was a member of the Iota sorority and drew for the Illio yearbook, and continued the education at Syracuse University, graduating with a bachelor's degree in 1919.
[1] In the late 1940s, she had a solo exhibition of her circus paintings at the Crane Gallery of London, England.
Louise Woodroofe helped her student, Max Abramovitz, with design of the original Assembly Hall (now the State Farm Center), recommending circus-inspired features such as wide entry door at the base and ceiling installation for connecting a trapeze.
[1] After her death University of Illinois established Louise Woodroofe Prize, which is awarded annually to an architecture student based on their body of artistic work.