Carolyn Oxtoby
Springfield
Carolyn Oxtoby has spent over three decades advocating for the preservation of historic buildings in Springfield, particularly in its downtown, where commercial buildings have often been threatened with demolition and replacement. Investing a great deal of her own time and resources, Oxtoby’s first project was in 1976, when she worked to convert a threatened block of South 6th St., part of a National Register district, from neglected space to a thriving residential and commercial block.
Other Springfield projects Oxtoby has undertaken include buildings on Old Capitol Plaza, the Lincoln-Herndon Law Office, the Fisher-Latham block and the Hoogland Center for the Arts. She founded and serves as the leader of the local Heritage Foundation, which accepts donations of old properties and matches buildings with prospective developers who will restore or rehab them.