Landmarks Illinois’ bold vision and leadership will bring meaningful and necessary change to the preservation movement. This self-reflective, justice-based reckoning will hone preservation into a better, more equitable and accessible solution for people wanting to save places that are important to them and their communities. It is also a path toward a sustainable solution to fight and repair climate change. The result will support our diverse nation in protecting and celebrating historically and culturally special places, sharing underrepresented stories and being a part of our nation’s needed healing process.
(Pictured: Landmarks Illinois Springfield Office Director Frank Butterfield (right) with Bill Kelly, Executive Director of Illinois Route 66 Scenic Byway, at a parade in 2016)
Be Involved in the Change
Our 50th Anniversary Campaign is our invitation to contribute to the important steps we need to take to advance this vision. The campaign supports projects in four phases:
Phase I: Communications and Community Engagement
Socializes and seeks feedback from communities statewide about Landmarks Illinois’ Guiding Principles and ideas for their implementation. We will host at least 15 stakeholder meetings in 2021-2022. This also included facilitator training for volunteers that want to host community gatherings.
Phase II: Integrating Justice, Equity, Inclusion, Diversity and Accessible Practices
Continues our work to center justice, inclusion, diversity, equity and accessibility in our work and to seek continual education and training to learn how best to practice this work. Creates an internal Anti-Racism or Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Accessibility (IDEA) Committee to work with an IDEA consultant to conduct trainings, an organizational anti-racism audit and action plan, and maintain transparency and accountability to the Guiding Principles.
Phase III: Strategic Planning
Engages Landmarks Illinois board and staff members, and other stakeholders, in a strategic planning process to operationalizing our Guiding Principles, our anti-racism plan, and the change we envision in our practices and policies through specific goals, tactics and objectives.
Phase IV: Branding Implementation
Brings our organizational brand and communications in alignment with our vision.
Our goal is to raise $267,000 to support this work. For this bold vision to succeed, we need your partnership and support.
(Richard Nickel in the early 1970s protesting the proposed demolition of the former Adler & Sullivan-designed Garrick Theater in Chicago. Nickel was a passionate preservationist who died in 1972 during his efforts to preserve and document the Chicago Stock Exchange Building.)
Make a gift to the 50th Anniversary Campaign
Your donation will provide funds for this transformative work for Landmarks Illinois to remain relevant for the next 50 years. Make a gift here.
For more information about the 50th Anniversary Campaign or making a gift, please contact Anne Puotinen at apuotinen@landmarks.org.