(Pictured: Volunteers help restore the historic Matsel Cabin in Carmi, a preservation project that has been awarded a Preservation Heritage Fund grant from Landmarks Illinois. Courtesy White County Historical Society.)
MEDIA CONTACT:
Kaitlyn McAvoy
Communications Manager
Landmarks Illinois
kmcavoy@landmarks.org
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 15, 2021
Landmarks Illinois awards grant funding to 14 preservation projects in Illinois
CHICAGO – Landmarks Illinois has awarded $35,000 to preservation projects in Illinois through its three grant programs. The grants, given to 14 preservation efforts in more than a dozen Illinois communities, were all awarded between August and November of this year through the Preservation Heritage Fund, the Barbara C. and Thomas E. Donnelley II Preservation Fund for Illinois and the Timuel D. Black Jr. Grant Fund for Chicago’s South Side.
The grants range between $1,000 and $4,000 each and are awarded on a matching basis, requiring the recipient to raise funds equal or greater to the Landmarks Illinois grant amount. Landmarks Illinois grant funding is used toward preserving historic and significant places in communities throughout the state. Often, these small grants help spark community engagement around the preservation of a place and help boost local fundraising efforts for the preservation project. Visit our website to learn more about our grant programs.
Preservation Heritage Fund Grant Recipients
A total of $30,000 has been awarded to 12 preservation efforts through the Preservation Heritage Fund Grant Program. The grant program provides funding to organizations in Illinois leading historic preservation projects at significant structures that are under threat of demolition, require stabilization and/or reuse or structural evaluation or those that need to be evaluated for landmark eligibility. Grant applications are accepted four times a year, and the next application deadline is January 15, 2022. Visit our website to learn more about each Preservation Heritage Fund grant recipient.
- Cairo Historical Preservation Project, Cairo: $2,500 to make immediate repairs to the roof of Cairo’s Ward Chapel AME Church, built in 1874 and once part of the Underground Railroad.
- White County Historical Society, Carmi: $2,500 for roof repairs to the Matsel Cabin, a two-story log cabin built in the 1880’s that today operates as a museum teaching about local pioneer life.
- Harmony International Development Inc., Chicago: $2,500 for roof replacement on a carriage house at 1432 S. Harding Ave. in the city’s North Lawndale neighborhood, which will be used by the nonprofit to house ex-offenders reentering the workforce and provide social work services and a computer library.
- PullmanArts, Chicago: $1,000 to seal the concrete flooring in the Block House Gallery, a community run art gallery where PullmanArts offers classes and highlights the work of resident artists living in the Pullman Artspace Lofts, an arts-based affordable housing development in Chicago’s Pullman neighborhood.
- Stone Temple Baptist Church, Chicago: $4,000 to make repairs to the floors and walls damaged by water infiltration at the nearly 100-year-old church in Chicago’s North Lawndale neighborhood.
- Save the Tabernacle Inc, Freeport: $2,500 for restoration work at the Oakdale Tabernacle in Freeport, a unique historic community gathering space once threatened with demolition and listed on Landmarks Illinois’ 2018 Most Endangered Historic Places in Illinois.
- Our Saviour Parish & Grade School, Jacksonville: $2,500 for electrical repairs to the church’s rectory, a two-story, Queen Anne-style brick home built in 1895-96.
- Ethnic Heritage Museum, Rockford: $2,500 to repair the foundation of the Graham-Ginestra House, a historic home built in 1857 that celebrates the cultural history of Rockford’s early beginnings and is part of the city’s historical campus known as Heritage Museum Park.
- W.A. McConnell Foundation, Richmond: $2,500 to fund a structural engineering assessment of the Olde #90 building, the oldest surviving building in Richmond built by pioneer Charles Cotting in 1844.
- Trout Valley Preservation and Restoration Society, Trout Valley: $2,500 for restoration work on a silo at the Trout Valley barn, a historic dairy and horse barn used by the society to host meetings and community gatherings.
- Washington Historical Society, Washington: $2,500 for electrical repairs and ADA compliant restrooms at 128 Washington Square, a 124-year old building owned by the historical society.
- Zion United Church of Christ, Waterloo: $2,500 for steeple repairs at the historic church built in 1884 by German immigrants that sits along the Kaskaskia Trail, one of the oldest trade routes in Illinois.
Barbara C. and Thomas E. Donnelley II Preservation Fund for Illinois Grant Recipients
Landmarks Illinois’ Barbara C. and Thomas E. Donnelley II Preservation Fund for Illinois provides monetary assistance to planning activities and education efforts focused on preservation. Applications for Barbara C. and Thomas E. Donnelley II Preservation Fund grants are accepted twice a year, and the next application deadline is April 15, 2022. Visit our website to learn more about the recent grant recipient.
(Nineteenth Century Club Building)
- Nineteenth Century Charitable Association, Oak Park: $2,500 for architectural fees associated with column restoration at the Nineteenth Century Club building, a two-and-a-half-story, Neo-Classical-style, brown brick structure built in 1928 and used regularly by the association.
Timuel D. Black, Jr. Grant Fund for Chicago’s South Side Grant Recipients
The Landmarks Illinois Timuel D. Black, Jr. Grant Fund for Chicago’s South Side provides small planning and capital grants to support organizations and people working to preserve the history, culture and architecture of Chicago’s South Side, where the late Mr. Black, acclaimed civil rights leader, spent the majority of his life living and promoting African American history. Grant applications are accepted four times a year, and the next application deadline is January 15, 2022. Visit our website to learn more the latest grant recipient.
(St. Basil)
- Saint Basil Visitation Church, Englewood: $2,500 to aid in the restoration of 80 original stained glass windows at the Gothic-style church that has been at the heart of the historical richness and cultural diversity of Chicago’s Englewood neighborhood since it was built in 1899.
About Landmarks Illinois
We are People Saving Places for People. Landmarks Illinois, now celebrating its 50th Anniversary, is a membership-based nonprofit organization serving the people of Illinois. We inspire and empower stakeholders to save places that matter to them by providing free guidance, practical and financial resources and access to strategic partnerships. For more information, visit www.Landmarks.org.
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