The Agricultural Experiment Station at the University of Illinois was formed in 1888, one year after the Hatch Act provided federal funds.

Steele was an aggressive marketer of the circular barn concept, and in early 1902 began advertising in various agricultural newsletters.

In 1903 his concepts caught the attention of Professor C. B. Dorsey of the University of Illinois Agricultural Experiment Station, who traveled to Indiana to view the barns built by Steele and his associates.

Dorsey was apparently impressed, for he hired Steele and Detraz to construct a barn on his farm in Gilberts, Illinois.

By 1908 Dorsey's interest in round barns had caught the eye of his University of Illinois colleague Wilber J.

He was also a strong advocate of the round barn which he said offered the "economy of consideration, low maintenance, and labor efficiency."

They were built every two years from 1908–1912 and as such, incorporated advances in construction and design to improve each subsequent round barn.

The 60-foot (18 m) diameter barn's interior is dominated by a large central silo which extends from the basement to the apex of the roof.

For a time, the round barn became a popular design across the Midwest, with hundreds being constructed in Illinois and Indiana alone.

Anecdotal evidence of the impact of the University of Illinois round barns can be collected from farmers today.