50Forward

March 25, 2021 - A Landmarks Illinois Anniversary Celebration

Thank you to everyone who joined us for our virtual fundraising event celebrating the organization’s 50th anniversary and the people who shaped the preservation movement! The live, virtual event was held and taped at Chop Shop in Chicago’s Wicker Park neighborhood. Nearly 500 people tuned in from home to watch our first-ever virtual spring fundraising event and helped us raise $616,000 for our mission-driven advocacy work! (Scroll down to watch videos from the event.)

Give a gift in honor of our anniversary!

If you missed your chance to give during the live event, couldn’t attend or still want to make a donation in honor of a Landmarks Illinois Influencer or our organization, you still can! Click below to show your support! Thank you!

Watch the 50Forward videos!

Watch all the videos played during our 50Forward event at the Landmarks Illinois YouTube Channel!

50 Years: People saving Places for People

Artwork created by Ink Factory live during the 50Forward event on March 21.

Artist Lindsay Wilson, Founder and COO of Ink Factory, joined 50Forward host and Landmarks Illinois President & CEO Bonnie McDonald live at ChopShop in Chicago where 50Forward was held and recorded to create this custom artwork. The art visually demonstrates Landmarks Illinois’ 50th Anniversary, its mission and its plans for the future of preservation in Illinois.

Landmarks Illinois Influencers

Learn about the 20 Landmarks Illinois Influencers we honored at 50Forward.

The Landmarks Illinois "Arch"

The 1971 demolition of Adler and Sullivan’s Chicago Stock Exchange Building, widely considered an architectural masterpiece, gave rise to the formation of Landmarks Illinois. While the building was torn down, the original arch of the building’s façade was preserved and still stands today outside the Chicago Art Institute. That arch inspired Landmarks Illinois’ original logo in 1971 as well as its various redesigns throughout our history (pictured at left).

For our 50Forward event and invitation, we wanted to pay homage to our founders, our original logo and the arch that continues to inspire our work and stand as a testament to our perseverance as a nonprofit helping people save places for the past five decades.

Thank you to our 50Forward Event Sponsors

For future sponsorship opportunities, please reach out to Tiffanie Williams, events@landmarks.org.