Grant amount: $2,500
Rebecca and Kenny Benedict are the owners of two historic buildings in downtown Sesser in Franklin County: the Gualdoni building (pictured) and the Independent Order of Odd Fellows building, which are home to ground-floor retail space but require repairs on the upper levels.
Located at the town’s main intersection, the Gualdoni building is named after Charles Gualdoni, an early developer of the town who helped get brick buildings such as the Opera House and Hotel Building constructed. Today, the Gualdoni building is home to the ground-floor Brewed on Broadway coffee shop. The building also includes an event center. The Benedict’s are renovating the second floor of the building to create a short-term vacation rental. Downtown Sesser is near the popular recreation area of Rend Lake, making the town an ideal location for rental properties.
Across the street from the Gualdoni building is the former Independent Order of Odd Fellows building constructed in 1910, which is now home to the Pin Up Salon (pictured). The Benedicts will use the $2,500 Preserve Southern Illinois matching grant from Landmarks Illinois to help pay for needed tuckpointing and masonry repairs at both buildings.
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