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Courthouse Projects
Awarded
First Round of Grants include
“Lady Justice”
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, is being funded by the Richard H. Driehaus
Charitable Lead Trust.
The grants are designed to help fund the restoration of
a county courthouse’s most critical features, such as
clocks, bell towers, cupolas, and ornament. Another
grant priority is to support cutting-edge–and energy
efficient–exterior lighting programs.
Grant applications this year were limited to courthouses
listed in the National Register of Historic Places and
located in an Illinois Main Street community. The
projects were reviewed by an advisory group composed of
architects, courthouse experts, and Landmarks Illinois
board members. The following three county courthouses
were awarded grants for 2010.
Edgar County, Paris – This grandiose Romanesque
Revival-style building, which was designed by Henry
Elliot in 1891-93, towers above this city of 9,000.
Atop its clocktower, standing 150 feet above the street,
is a statue of “Lady Justice.” The metal-clad figure,
however, stands with a distinct lean and is in danger of
toppling. The county will use its $70,000 matching
grant to remove Lady Justice from the tower, completely
restore her, and then reinstall her once the tower’s
structural repairs are completed.
Henry County, Cambridge – This Second
Empire-style courthouse, designed by T.J. Tolan and Son
and Brentwood S. Tolan in 1880, is the central focus of
this community of 2,000. Although the courthouse is the
tallest structure in the vicinity, its clock does not
work. The county will use its $50,000 matching grant to
restore the clock and clock tower to their original
glory.
Morgan County, Jacksonville – This eclectic-style
courthouse, which is located just off the county square,
was designed by Chicago architect Gurdon P. Randall in
1869. The county has undertaken an extensive
restoration of the building that includes replacing the
asphalt shingle roof with the original slate design,
rehabilitating the original wood windows, and restoring
the Joliet limestone exterior. A $25,000 grant will
help pay for an exterior lighting study that will
recommend how to best highlight the building’s features
at night.
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