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Preservation News
Archive
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2011 Aldermanic Run-off
Historic Preservation Survey
In advance of the April 5th aldermanic
election, Landmarks Illinois requested that the candidates for Chicago
Alderman in the 14 ward run-off elections share their views on issues
critical to the protection, preservation and economic …
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The Results Are In
Chicago Mayoral Preservation Survey
In advance of the February 22nd primary
election, Landmarks Illinois sent a survey on historic preservation
issues to each of the six remaining candidates for Mayor of Chicago. The
candidates were given more than two weeks …
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Peoria Legend Passes On
Leslie H. Kenyon
Architect Leslie Kenyon, who had been “Mr.
Historic Preservation” in this central Illinois community for several
decades, died on January 14, 2011. He was 88. Kenyon was a longtime
chair of the Central Illinois …
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Presidential Appointment
Former LI Board Member
Bradford J. White, a former Board President
of Landmarks Illinois (1994-96), has been appointed by President Barack
Obama to be a member of the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation.
The 23-member independent federal agency …
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Hope for Iannelli Studio?
Park Ridge
The home and studio of famed sculptor
Alfonso Iannelli (1888-1965) may have received a stay of execution in
January, when a donor offered a challenge grant to help purchase the
pair of threatened buildings. The anonymous donor …
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“Ten Most” List Announced
State Capitol
Landmarks Illinois announced its list of
the 2010 “Ten Most Endangered Historic Places in Illinois” at a press
conference on April 20, 2010 at the State Capitol in Springfield.
President Jim Peters introduced each of the threatened sites …
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Saved Cook
County Hospital
A nine-year advocacy effort to prevent the
demolition of Old Cook County Hospital Building may have ended on March
2nd, when the Cook County Board voted to support a rehabilitation
proposal to convert the long-vacant structure into …
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Reese’s Pieces
Razing of Hospital Complex Continues
The saga of historic Michael Reese Hospital
took another sad turn in November 2010, when the Public Building
Commission of Chicago (PBC) approved a $2.7 million demolition of
Reese’s Old Main Building. The century-old structure was …
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North/Clybourn Red Line Station
Chicago
A $4 million “refurbishment project” funded
by Apple Inc. has altered the appearance of this 1943 Art Moderne-style,
street-level CTA subway station. The building’s original
brick-and-granite cladding has been replaced …
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Unity Temple Theft
Oak Park
Vandals, in late September 2010, stole most
of the bronze lettering above the two entrances to Unity Temple in Oak
Park. Landmarks Illinois holds a protective easement on this National
Historic Landmark …
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Courthouse Projects Awarded
First Round of Grants
In 2010, three counties will receive
restoration grants from Landmarks Illinois, as part of the first round
of the Illinois County Courthouse Initiative. The $1 million multi-year
program, which was announced in March 2009 …
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Encourage Jobs in Illinois
Support a Rehab Tax Credit
In March 2010, the Illinois Senate passed
SB 2559, but the bill did not pass out of the House Revenue Committee.
The bill is based on the highly successful Missouri tax credit enacted
in 1997, which has generated nearly 40,000 jobs …
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Federal Historic Preservation Funds
Illinois
The Illinois Historic Preservation Agency
announced a new round of Certified Local Government Grants (CLG),
totaling $103,136, to eleven communities throughout the state, including
Chicago, Blue Island, Berwyn, Quincy …
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Another Edward Dart Building
Bites the Dust
In early November 2009, the Edward
Dart-designed addition to Lorado Taft’s Midway Studio at the University
of Chicago (U of C) was demolished to make way for a courtyard for the
university’s proposed Reva and David Logan Center …
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Lewis Pharmacy Purchased
Canton
Six months after the last milkshake was
served and the soda fountain closed, the historic 1915 Lewis Pharmacy
has found a thoughtful new owner. Canton native and historic
preservation supporter, Bill Cook, purchased the former …
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Operation of Farnsworth House
Transferred Plano
Landmarks Illinois will transfer operation
of the Farnsworth House, effective Jan. 1, 2010, to the National Trust,
the property’s owner. “This was a difficult decision,” said Jim Peters,
president of Landmarks Illinois. …
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State Supreme Court Rejects Landmarks
Plea Chicago
On May 28, 2009, the Illinois Supreme Court
rejected the City of Chicago’s petition asking the court to review a
January 30th ruling by the Illinois Appellate Court that puts the
Chicago Landmarks Ordinance at risk. Landmarks …
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New Chairman Elected at Annual Meeting
Landmarks
Geoffrey A. Koss was elected the 21st
chairman of Landmarks Illinois’ Board of Directors, in conjunction with
the organization’s annual meeting on June 23rd at Chicago’s Lake Point
Tower, which is celebrating its 40th anniversary …
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Threatened Dawes House in Good Hands
Evanston
Northwestern University and the Evanston
History Center have reached an agreement for the University to transfer
the Dawes House, listed on Landmarks Illinois’ 2008-09 Chicagoland Watch
List, and more than half of an existing …
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IHPA Remains Independent Agency
Illinois
On August 7, Gov. Pat Quinn signed House
Bill 88, which canceled his proposal as part of his fiscal year
2009-2010 budget announcement in March, to merge the Illinois Historic
Preservation Agency (IHPA) and …
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TIF and Historic Structures
Illinois
Governor Blagojevich in August signed SB
2733, a new law that will greatly reduce the ability of communities to
use TIF (Tax Increment Financing) funds to demolish or alter National
Register-listed properties or buildings that may …
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Court Rules to Protect Landmark
Peoria
On March 31, 2009, the United States
District Court for the Central District of Illinois rejected a church's
challenge to the City of Peoria's decision to landmark a historic
apartment building it owned, as well as the city's …
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Washburne Trade School Demolition
Chicago
This Prairie-style industrial building at
31st and Kedzie is in the process of demolition, following a devastating
February 15th four-alarm fire. The Nimmons & Fellows-designed building
was placed on Landmarks Chicagoland Watch List …
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Richard H. Driehaus Commits $1 Million
to Landmarks
Philanthropist Richard H. Driehaus has
announced a four-year, $1 million commitment to Landmarks Illinois to
establish a grant program that assists communities throughout Illinois
in restoring their historic county courthouses …
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Watch List Property Suffers Damaging
Fire Chicago
Sunday, February 15, the Washburne Trade
School suffered a four-alarm fire, believed to have been accidentally
started by a homeless person taking refuge in the building. The building
is located in the Little Village neighborhood …
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Saving the
Farnsworth House 2003-2008
Plano
On December 12, 2003, representatives from
Landmarks Illinois and the National Trust for Historic Preservation sat
anxiously in the Sotheby’s New York auction house participating in the
historic bidding war for the Farnsworth House. …
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State Budget Merges IHPA into DNR
Illinois
Under the new Illinois state budget released by Gov. Pat Quinn on March 18, state historic sites will remain closed and the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency (IHPA) will end its 24-year-long operation as a stand-alone department. …
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State Historic Sites Close
Illinois
Despite widespread protests by Landmarks
Illinois members, state legislators, and the general public, Gov. Rod
Blagojevich in November decided not to restore the $2.4 million in
budget cuts he had made earlier this year …
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2006 Chicagoland Watch List Property
Saved Elmhurst
Built in 1868, the Wilder Mansion housed
the Elmhurst Public Library from 1922 to 2003. The original, central
section of the building was later updated in 1937 to reflect a
Neo-Classical style. It was at that time …
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Doctors Hospital
Chicago
A proposal to demolish the former
Illinois Central Hospital—more recently known as Doctors Hospital—has
galvanized preservationists and residents in the Hyde Park neighborhood.
on Landmarks 2007-08 “Chicagoland Watch List.” …
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New
President Announced
Landmarks
Landmarks Illinois Board of Directors
Chairman, Rolf Achilles, announced on July 10, 2008 Jim Peters as the
new president and chief executive officer (CEO) of the Landmarks
Illinois, the state’s leading voice for historic preservation. …
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TIF and Historic Structures
Illinois
Governor Blagojevich in August signed SB
2733, a new law that will greatly reduce the ability of communities to
use TIF (Tax Increment Financing) funds to demolish or alter National
Register-listed properties or buildings. …
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Gunners’ Mates School
North Chicago
On May 1, two official letters from the
Advisory Council on Historic Preservation (ACHP) were sent to
high-ranking Navy officials telling them to stay the course with finding
a preservation/re-use solution …
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Central School
Mount Prospect
On Thursday, May 29, the Mount Prospect
Historical Society relocated this 1896 one-room schoolhouse from the
property of St. John’s Episcopal Church, which planned to demolish the
school of it was not moved this year. …
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Viking Ship
Geneva
The Viking Ship has been in the news lately
with articles, photos, and videos on the Chicago Tribune’s website and
the Daily Herald’s website. …
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Flood
Assistance
Midwest
Under the Opportunity Illinois: Disaster
Recovery Loan Program, the Treasurer’s Office provides low-interest
loans to storm victims whose property has sustained weather-related
damage. For cultural institutions and individuals affected …
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End of an Era: Bahlman Retires
Landmarks
After almost ten years as Landmarks
Illinois’ president, David Bahlman is retiring. “I’m very pleased to
have had the opportunity to work for an organization in a state that
contains unparalleled milestones in …
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Lakeshore Athletic Club
Chicago
In December, 2007, 42nd Ward Alderman
Brendan Reilly announced Lakeshore Athletic Club would be renovated and
converted to luxury senior housing. A purchase agreement is
underway between Northwestern University …
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Barat College’s Sacred Heart Chapel
Lake Forest
After listening to eloquent testimony from
31 speakers on the importance of preserving Barat College’s Sacred Heart
Chapel, the Lake Forest City Council voted 8-0 on Monday, April 16, 2007
in favor of demolition …
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Preservation Onions of the Year
Announced
Chicago
The top five “preservation onions” of the
year were announced July 19, 2007 by Landmarks Illinois at its monthly
Preservation Snapshots lecture series at the Cultural Center. This was
the first such “onions” presentation …
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Strawbridge-Shepherd House
Springfield
The University of Illinois at Springfield
in February agreed to lease this 162-year-old farmhouse—and its two
acres—to a local preservation group. The two-story structure, which is
one of the oldest surviving frame houses in central Illinois …
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Brad Pitt, Kenny Chesney and the Fox
River
Plano
Not often do you see these well-known names
(two celebrities and an Illinois waterway) in the same sentence—let
alone in connection with Mies van der Rohe’s Farnsworth House. But all
three have made their appearance recently …
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Preservation Easement Reform Language
Washington
On August 3rd, the Senate passed H.R. 4,
an omnibus pension reform bill, which included charitable reform
language, and specifically language to address abuses in the area of
preservation easement donations. …
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Farwell Building
Chicago
The public celebrations over the fate of
this 1927 Beaux Arts-style building were short lived. The Commission on
Chicago Landmarks in March approved, by a vote of 8-1, a plan to
dismantle the 11-story local landmark …
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Save a Landmark
Put Down the Blowtorch Illinois
The Illinois Senate passed a resolution to
determine the needs of historic barn preservation efforts, their
potential impact on tourism and economic development in rural
communities, and programs and incentives in other states …
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Becker-Segal Estate
Highland Park
The Illinois Senate passed a resolution to
determine the needs of historic barn preservation efforts, their
potential impact on tourism and economic development in rural
communities, and programs and incentives in other states …
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Illinois Historic Barns Resolution
(S.R. 700)
The Illinois Senate passed a resolution to
determine the needs of historic barn preservation efforts, their
potential impact on tourism and economic development in rural
communities, and programs and incentives in other states …
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Should Religious Properties Be Landmarked?
Chicago
In 1987, the Chicago City Council amended
its local preservation ordinance to include an owner-consent requirement
for the landmark designation of religious properties. Property-owner
consent for other properties, however …
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Soldier Field
Chicago
The recent $660 million renovation of this 81-year-old
structure—which LPCI had strongly opposed—has resulted in its de-listing
as a National Historic Landmark (NHL). Former U.S. Interior Secretary Gale
Norton had …
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Cook County Hospital
Chicago
Cook County Commissioner Mike Quigley, on
March 8, 2006, submitted a National Register of Historic Places nomination
for the Old Cook County Hospital Building, 1400 W. Harrison St., to the
Illinois Historic Preservation Agency …
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New Dollars/New Partners
Church Training Program
In an effort to assist
religious congregations with older buildings, Landmarks Preservation
Council of Illinois (LPCI) is sponsoring a year-long fundraising training
program for ten Chicago-area congregations …
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Skiff House
Kenilworth
A week before its scheduled razing—and following a pre-demolition salvage
auction — this Daniel Burnham-designed house at 157 Kenilworth Ave. was
saved from the wrecking ball in early November. Facing strong local
protests …
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Berghoff’s Restaurant
Chicago
The closing of this historic German restaurant was front page news last
December. Lost in the press coverage was that neither of the two buildings
housing the restaurant is a protected Chicago Landmark, although they date
to 1872 …
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Wrigley Field Landmark Protection Chicago
After more than two years of discussion with the Chicago Cubs baseball team, the
city of Chicago is proceeding with plans to designate Wrigley Field as a local
landmark. If approved, Wrigley Field would become … FULL STORY |
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Streator High School
Streator
The LaSalle County Circuit Court in September dismissed a lawsuit brought
by LPCI and the National Trust for Historic Preservation to stop the partial
demolition of this 1923 high school building …
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Soldier Field Case Lost Chicago
On February 21st, the Supreme Court of Illinois issued a ruling against LPCI’s
and the Friends of the Parks’ appeal of the Soldier Field case. In a
unanimous opinion, the Supreme Court upheld the lower court’s decision …
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Preservation Day
A Success
Springfield
A list of the state’s Ten Most Endangered
Historic Places for the coming year was announced by LPCI at a March 12
press conference that was attended by dozens of community
representatives, property owners, state …
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New
Preservation Grant and Loan Program
Chicago
Two of the most architecturally significant buildings in the Chicago metropolitan area—H.H. Richardson’s Glessner House and
Frank Lloyd Wright’s Unity Temple—have received substantial grants from a new LPCI program …
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It’s
Time-Again-for Pro-Active Preservation
Editorial
The ten projects represented by this year’s
Driehaus Preservation Awards are truly inspirational. They represent the
best of what Illinois preservationists can accomplish through determined
advocacy campaigns …
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