Landmarks Illinois

Landmarks Illinois is proud to launch "The Relevancy Guidebook," a manual aimed at making historic preservation more effective, inclusive and just. Written by Landmarks Illinois President and CEO Bonnie McDonald from extensive research, including 130 interviews with people deeply involved in preservation and the built environment, it identifies preservation's challenges and actionable ways to increase its relevance in a changing world. Preservation can help solve society's pressing needs, with the potential to create affordable housing, fight climate change, promote justice and equity, generate new jobs, and more. Historic places give context to events that have shaped our history. Destroying them can untether communities; saving them can provide knowledge, repair, and hope. "The Relevancy Guidebook" is designed to help make it possible for anyone to protect the places that matter to them and their community. Download it for free at?https://lnkd.in/es5Df32c. Our thanks to the James Marston Fitch Charitable Foundation and National Trust for Historic Preservation for their support. #HistoricPreservation #Preservation #LandmarksIllinois

Regional Advocacy Manager Quinn Adamowski, Lt. Governor Juliana Stratton and Judy Tighe at the 2024 Illinois Main Street Conference! Quinn presented two sessions: Learn about National Register of Historic Places Myth-busting?? & Introduction to Landmarks Illinois? ??? Intro to Landmarks Illinois Learn how Landmarks Illinois helps save historic buildings and supports local preservation efforts. Get insights on programs, services, and partnership opportunities! ?? National Register of Historic Places: Facts vs. Fiction Debunk myths about the National Register! Learn the truth about designations, what they mean for property owners, and how to create Historic Districts. Comment below if you're curious about that info! We'd love to direct you to the right place.

Did you miss our fall series of Preservation Snapshots Lectures? Not to worry! We have them all on our YouTube page for you to catch up on??https://ow.ly/bRms50Ufj9o ?? The Boss and the Bulldozer with Stacy Robinson Explore the impact of Richard J. Daley’s urban renewal efforts in Chicago with award-winning documentarian Stacy Robinson. ?? Sandra Steinbrecher and The Salt Shed Dive into the remarkable restoration of Chicago’s Morton Salt Warehouse with photographer and writer Sandra Steinbrecher. ?? Al Watts and the Alexander Bros. Blacksmith Shop Learn about the preservation efforts to save one of Geneva’s oldest commercial structures, with insights from Al Watts. #HistoricPreservation #LandmarksIllinois #remotelearning

News Roundup November 2024! 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 the letter of support and other November updates here:https://ow.ly/Z1er50Ue589 ??Credit Patrick Wirtz

Great news! The U.S. General Services Administration (GSA)has put out a request for qualifications (RFQ) with submissions due ?Jan. 31, 2025? for 202-220 South State Street which include the Century and Consumers Buildings. Learn more and share the RFQ: https://ow.ly/8Pko50Uc9e1 This comes after the August announcement to pursue “Viable Adaptive Reuse” for the historic Century & Consumers Buildings in Chicago. That milestone came after years of relentless advocacy and points to the potential that these architectural treasures will be reinvigorated and preserved. Find more info on the Century & Consumers Buildings on our website.

Landmarks Illinois has awarded the Revolution Workshop $10,000 for exterior restoration work on a historic rowhouse at 10730 S. Langley Ave., located within the boundaries of the Pullman National Historical Park. The nonprofit provides construction jobs training to people from under-resourced Chicago communities, and the rowhouse is one project where Revolution Workshop is providing hands-on training to program participants. The Landmarks Illinois Timuel D. Black, Jr. Grant Fund for Chicago’s South Side provides small planning and capital matching grants to support organizations and people working to preserve the history, culture and architecture of Chicago’s South Side, where Mr. Black, acclaimed civil rights leader, author and historian spent the majority of his life living and promoting African American history. Applications are due January 1 https://ow.ly/ypt650Ub3f9

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. https://ow.ly/J9H750UaqIQ

We are proud to support the preservation of Black history through our Timuel D. Black, Jr. Grant Fund! ???? On Sunday, October 27, 2024, members of Landmarks Illinois staff and board attended the unveiling of a new historical marker for 500 E. 37th Street—former site of the Free Breakfast for Children program at Madden Park Public Housing’s Field House. The breakfast program was founded by Fred Hampton and Billy “Che” Brooks. This marker is part of the Black Panther Party Heritage Trail in Illinois, a groundbreaking project by the Historical Preservation Society (HPS) of the Illinois Chapter of the Black Panther Party. With the help of our $3,000 Timuel D. Black, Jr. grant, this site is now permanently recognized. We’re honored to be part of this historic moment and proud to support the ongoing effort to preserve stories in Illinois that continue to inspire generations! 1. Landmarks Illinois President and CEO Bonnie McDonald, Programs Manager Leila Wills 2.Historical Preservation Society’s Lonnie Hall, Landmarks Illinois Board Chair Jackie Holsten, Historical Preservation Society’s Sheila McNary

Please join us in welcoming Amber Delgado to the Landmarks Illinois team! Amber is our new Easements and Advocacy Associate. She will be supporting the Director of Reinvestment with the historic preservation easements program and assisting the advocacy managers with inquiries across the state of Illinois. ?? Prior to joining Landmarks Illinois, Amber was previously the Grant Compliance Manager for The Community Preservation Act with The City of Boston. Amber received Master’s Degree in Heritage Studies and Public History from The University of Minnesota. Born and raised in a tight-knit community in North Carolina, she has long valued the importance of documenting the histories of marginalized communities and the stewardship of historic sites.

We’re dedicated to saving the historic places that shape our communities—like the Living Sanctuary of Faith Church of God in Christ and the Oak Park & River Forest Day Nursery, both supported through our Preservation Heritage Fund grants. But we can’t do it without YOU! By becoming an individual member of Landmarks Illinois, you’ll be joining a passionate community working to protect and preserve treasures across Illinois. For over 40 years, we’ve partnered with local residents to identify projects that spark the revitalization of neighborhoods and districts, empowering communities and driving local economic growth. ?? Your membership helps us: ?? Preserve and protect historic architecture ?? Support community-led preservation projects ?? Catalyze local economic development statewide ? Join us today and be a voice for the future of our communities!https://ow.ly/AvZM50U7vNO