The 2025 Landmarks Illinois Influencers will be honored at the 2025 Preservation Forward spring fundraiser event on March 6, 2025, at the Old Post Office in Chicago. Through their work, these leaders are helping to move the preservation movement forward.
Learn more about the event2025 Landmarks Illinois Influencers
CHICAGO WOMEN IN TRADES
Nonprofit trades training organization
Represented by Jayne Vellinga, Executive Director
For four decades, nonprofit Chicago Women in Trades has been dedicated to opening up opportunities for women to enter into and thrive in the construction trades. They are both an advocate and a training partner. At a time when there are not enough people entering the trades, CWIT’s promotion of inclusion and equity in these skilled and well-paying jobs is vital. We cannot reuse historic places without preservation trades workers.
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Chris Enck
Architect and preservationist
Chris Enck has spent over a decade saving places that once were thought hopeless causes. He is willing to do what it takes, from moving homes to scaling up his development practice, to preserve historic places from the northern Chicago suburbs to Champaign, Illinois. As a member of Landmarks Illinois Skyline Council, Chris’ inspiring story shows that young preservationists can become serial developers taking a direct approach to saving the places that they care about with an eye toward sustainable reuse. Learn a bit about his work here and here.
ELIZABETH AND ETHAN FINKELSTEIN
CHEAP OLD HOUSES
Wildly successful storytellers and serial rehabbers Elizabeth and Ethan Finkelstein are making historic preservation relevant, interesting and accessible to a wide audience. They founded Cheap Old Houses, a different kind of real estate listing service focusing on very affordable, often rural historic houses, including many across Illinois. Their 3 million Instagram followers led to the creation of their two HGTV shows, including “Who’s Afraid of Cheap Old Houses.” They encourage taking another look at old houses by profiling those that might otherwise be overlooked, tell their story and show how they can be revitalized for contemporary use. The deeply discounted homes may provide opportunities for homeownership for some that may not otherwise have access. Check out and follow their “Cheap Old Houses” Instagram here.
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