November 2024 Preservation News

Landmarks Illinois takes supporters to Kankakee to see Ellis Island restoration in action

Landmarks Illinois took a group of volunteers and donors to Kankakee County on November 14 for a special tour of Restoration Works, Inc.’s studio in Bradley and reception at the Frank Lloyd Wright-designed B. Harley Bradley House in Kankakee. Restoration Works, led by Gail Wallace, is undertaking the multi-million-dollar job of stripping and restoring more than 1,500 wood and steel sashes and doors from New York’s Ellis Island.

The Bradley House was built in 1900 and is one of Wright’s earliest Prairie School designs. Nestled along the Kankakee River, it is a locally and nationally recognized historic landmark. Learn more about the house in the documentary, “An American Home,” featuring Landmarks Illinois President & CEO Bonnie McDonald.

Click below to read more about our tour of Restoration Works.

Learn more

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Please make your Annual Appeal gift to Landmarks Illinois! Thanks to a generous matching challenge gift from Anne Voshel through the Van Dam Charitable Foundation, your year-end gift to Landmarks Illinois will be matched, doubling your impact!

Please give the most generous year-end gift you can!

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Call for reuse proposals for Chicago's iconic Century & Consumers buildings

The U.S. General Services Administration, owner of the Century & Consumers Buildings in Chicago, has issued a Request for Qualifications for the redevelopment of the iconic skyscrapers. The release of the RFQ comes several months after the agency announced it would pursue reuse over demolition of the architecturally significant buildings on State Street, a decision highly praised by Landmarks Illinois and preservation partners. Landmarks Illinois included the Century & Consumers Buildings on its 2022 and 2023 “Most Endangered” lists. We were also instrumental in getting the buildings listed on the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s “America’s 11 Most Endangered Historic Places” in 2023. We are optimistic that the RFQ process will identify a feasible path forward for the buildings. Click here to learn more about the history of the Century & Consumers Buildings.

The RFQ process will close January 31, 2025.

RFQ

LI joins Illinois Black Panther Party for plaque dedication ceremony

On October 27, members of Landmarks Illinois staff and board attended the unveiling of a new historical marker at 500 E. 37th St. in Chicago’s Oakland neighborhood, the former site of the Illinois Chapter of the Black Panther Party’s Free Breakfast for Children program at Madden Park Public Housing’s Field House. Landmarks Illinois provided a grant through our Landmarks Illinois Timuel D. Black, Jr. Grant Fund for Chicago’s South Side earlier this year to help fund the plaque.

The marker is also one of many to come marking a new Heritage Trail identifying and honoring former significant sites associated with the Illinois Chapter of the Black Panther Party. The initiative is led by the Historical Preservation Society of the Illinois Chapter of the Black Panther Party. Learn more about the project below.

Learn more

(Pictured: Landmarks Illinois President & CEO Bonnie McDonald (left) and Leila Wills, journalist and executive director of the Historical Preservation Society of the Illinois Chapter of the Black Panther Party)

Next grant application deadline: January 1

(Pictured: Share Your Soles, 2024 grant recipient)

Applications are now open for the next round of funding through the Landmarks Illinois Timuel D. Black, Jr. Grant Fund for Chicago’s South Side. Applications are due January 1.

The grant fund provides financial support to people preserving and promoting the history, culture and architecture of Chicago’s South Side. This grant program is open to both nonprofits and for-profit entities. Potential grant amounts range from $500 to $10,000 each, depending on project need. Grants are awarded on a 3:1 matching basis.

Apply for a grant!

(Credit Patrick Wirtz)

Landmarking McHenry’s ‘Landmark Elementary School’

Landmarks Illinois provided a letter of support for the local landmark designation of Landmark School in McHenry, which the McHenry City Council considered on November 18. Landmark School has served McHenry since 1894 and received a plaque recognizing its history in 1994. City Council voted 7-0 to approve the landmark designation, which will protect the building from demolition after it ceases operation as a school at the end of the 2024-2025 school year.

Read our letter of support

LI’s Quinn Adamowski presents at the Illinois Main Street Conference

Landmarks Illinois Regional Advocacy Manager Quinn Adamowski presented at the annual Illinois Main Street Conference, which took place November 12-14 in Batavia. Adamowski led two sessions: “National Register of Historic Places Myth-busting” & “Introduction to Landmarks Illinois,” which provided insight on how we partner with people across the state to help local preservation efforts. Landmarks Illinois Advocacy Manager Kendra Parzen also attended the Main Street Conference.

Pictured above is Adamowski with Lieutenant Governor Juliana Stratton (middle) and Landmarks Illinois Board Member Judy Tighe (right) at the Lieutenant Governor Awards for Excellence in Revitalization during the conference.

Upcoming Events

2025 PRESERVATION FORWARD

Sponsorships now available!

Landmarks Illinois will hold its 2025 Preservation Forward event on March 6, 2025, at The Old Post Office in Chicago. Mark your calendars for the biggest night in preservation! Each year, this annual fundraiser brings in critical support for Landmarks Illinois’ mission-driven work of helping people across the state save places. The evening will also honor this year’s 2025 Landmarks Illinois Influencers:

Chicago Women in the Trades, Nonprofit trades training organization

Chris Enck, Architect & preservationist

Elizabeth & Ethan Finkelstein, Founders of Cheap Old Houses

Tickets go on sale in January. Sponsorships are now available. Click here to learn about Sponsorship opportunities.

Support the event!

PRESERVATION SNAPSHOTS LECTURES: Fall Series

We've wrapped up our Fall 2024 series of Preservation Snapshots Lectures. Miss any of them? Head over to our YouTube page to watch them all. Our final one of the season took place on November 12 and focused on preservation efforts at the Alexander Brothers Blacksmith Shop in Geneva.

Stay tuned in the new year when we announce our Spring 2025 lectures!

Watch the series

Did you attend one of our Snapshots in the past year? Take our survey to tell us how we did and help shape future programs!

Landmarks Illinois advocates for protection of South Side Church as landmark designation is considered

Advocacy Manager Kendra Parzen joined community advocates and Preservation Chicago demolition court hearings on November 6 and November 20 for 11310 S. Forest Ave. Designed by renowned architect Solon S. Beman as Elim Lutheran Church in 1888, the building has connections to Barack Obama’s time as a South Side community organizer. It most recently housed the Reformation Evangelical Lutheran Church, but it is now vacant. In response to calls to preserve the building, the court issued an order that preparation for demolition should cease until the building has been evaluated for Chicago landmark status. The Commission on Chicago Landmarks has until the next hearing date of December 18 to determine if it will pursue landmark status.

Welcoming a new staff member

Amber Delgado

EASEMENTS AND ADVOCACY ASSOCIATE

Amber will serve as LI’s Easements and Advocacy Associate, where she will provide support to the Director of Reinvestment with the historic preservation easements program and the advocacy managers with inquiries across the state of Illinois. Read more about Amber and how to contact her on our staff webpage.

Learn more

(Sarah Van Domelen of WJE providing a pro bono condition assessment of the historic Amasa House in Geneva.)

Interested in providing pro bono services to help save Illinois' historic places?

Landmarks Illinois and people across the state rely on the generosity of our knowledgeable and experienced preservation professionals to help save places. Through pro bono services, Landmarks Illinois can help move preservation projects forward. If you and/or your company are interested in donating pro bono services, please fill out our form below. This will allow us to match you with pro bono service opportunities that best match your skills and availability.

Pro Bono Expression of Interest

Additional Landmarks Illinois news...

The architecturally significant Elgin Mental Health Center Medical and Surgical building, designed by Bertrand Goldberg, is reportedly at risk of being demolished. Landmarks Illinois spoke with Lee Bey, Sun-Times architectural columnist and Editorial Board member, this month about the potential demolition. We pointed out that there are processes that the state must undergo before it can demolish a building that we suspect would be eligible for the National Register of Historic Places based on its architectural merit. Read the article here.

The Commission on Chicago Landmarks voted on November 7 to deny a building demolition permit for 2347 S. Michigan Ave. in Chicago, a contributing building to the Motor Row Historic District and the site of the 2003 E2 nightclub tragedy. Landmarks Illinois Advocacy Manager Kendra Parzen previously argued that demolition of the building should not take place until those affected by the tragedy are engaged in an inclusive process as to how they wish to memorialize their loved ones at the site.

At its meeting this month, the Commission on Chicago Landmarks also heard a report from the Department of Planning and Development regarding the landmark designation of 161 E. Erie St. in Chicago. DPD found that the designation does not raise any concerns from the department’s perspective. Landmarks Illinois spoke in favor of designating 161 E. Erie as a Chicago landmark at the Commission’s October meeting. The proposed landmark designation will now move forward to a final landmark designation vote by the Commission.