2025 Preservation Heritage Fund Grant Recipients

McLean County Historical Society

Miller-Davis Building, Bloomington
Grant Amount: $2,328

In the early 1980s, the McLean County Historical Society was gifted the Miller-Davis building and immediately began restoration work. The building, constructed in 1843, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and the Abraham Lincoln National Heritage Corridor in Central Illinois. Visiting attorneys from the 8th Judicial Circuit, including Abraham Lincoln, used space at the location and gathered on the upper level while the circuit was in town. The building is now the oldest surviving structure in downtown Bloomington and sits on historic Route 66.

In the last two years, the museum has replaced the roof, repointed the brick and refurbished the doors. Landmarks Illinois’ grant funds will be used to hire a woodworking specialist to create and install new door thresholds and new stairs.

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National Trail of Tears Association, Buncombe

Cherokee Trail of Tears Wayside Store Preservation Project
GRANT AMOUNT: $5,000

A Landmarks Illinois grant was awarded to the National Trail of Tears Association (TOTA) to help protect the Wayside Store in Buncombe, built c. 1820 as a sundry shop. The Cherokee Tribe visited the log structure store as they crossed Southern Illinois during their forced removal from their ancestral lands to their government-assigned home in present-day Oklahoma.

Wayside is one of 12 sites in Illinois certified by the National Park Service as nationally significant. The Trail of Tears Encampment, which includes the Wayside Store, was included in Landmarks Illinois’ 2006 Most Endangered Historic Places in Illinois. The store is encased in a 1940s frame barn that is in severe disrepair. If the barn collapses, it could severely damage Wayside. TOTA will use Landmarks Illinois grant funds to carefully remove the outer barn and construct a protective structure over the log store.

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Cairo Public Library Board of Trustees, Cairo

Cairo Public Library
Grant amount: $5,000

The Cairo Custom House, a 1872 Romanesque-style building, was originally used to collect tariffs on imports traded along the Mississippi River. It also once housed a federal court, post office and government offices. The National Register-listed property is currently home to the Cairo Custom House Museum, which provides much-needed educational resources to the region by exhibiting Civil War-related pieces and commemorating an enslaved person who accompanied the Lewis and Clark expedition. The museum fosters community connection by providing shared experiences and common ground to understand the past, accept all parts of history and move forward toward a brighter future. The Cairo Custom House Museum is a historical gem for the community, the region and any visitors seeking a peek into our nation’s collective history.

Although the Custom House Museum is owned by the City of Cairo, the Cairo Public Library Board of Trustees serves as the custodian of the museum. The Public Library will use Landmarks Illinois’ Preservation Heritage Fund grant to make necessary roof repairs on the building.

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Filipino American Council of Greater Chicago, Chicago

Rizal Center
GRANT AMOUNT: $5,000

The Rizal Center, run by the Filipino American Council of Greater Chicago (FACGC), is owned by is a two-story yellow-brick structure located on Irving Park Road on Chicago’s North Side. Constructed in the early 20th century, the building reflects the durable craftsmanship of its era, with modest ornamentation and a rectangular footprint typical of neighborhood institutional buildings of that period. The center has provided generations of Filipino immigrants and their families with a place to gather, celebrate traditions, host educational workshops, stage performances and nurture civic leadership. It is the only community center of its kind in Illinois, becoming a cornerstone of the Filipino American community and offering a safe space that could nurture the community’s cultural heritage.

FACGC will use the Preservation Heritage Fund grant from Landmarks Illinois to complete urgent brickwork stabilization and tuckpointing to ensure the safety, longevity and continued community use of the Rizal Center.

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Crete Area Historical Society, Crete

Crete Area Historical Society Museum
Grant amount: $5,000

The Crete Area Historical Society Museum consists of a church, built in 1853, and a railroad depot (circa 1920), which was moved to the site in the late 1960s. The church is one of the oldest buildings in the region and was recognized by the National Park Service and the Network to Freedom in 2018 as a site that makes significant contributions to the study and understanding of the Underground Railroad in American History.

The Crete Area Historical Society purchased the property in 2023 for use as a venue for local history exhibits. The society has made some repairs to the structure, but it remains unusable until it can create a working bathroom. The historical society will use Landmarks Illinois’ grant funds to install a water supply for an ADA-accessible bathroom.

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World Service Enterprise Organization, Decatur

Grant amount: $5,000

Built in 1867, the historic former church at 401 W. Prairie St., is now home to the World Service Enterprise Organization, whose mission is to empower Decatur’s underserved communities through education, resources and support. Located within one of Decatur’s two National Register historic districts, this 150-year-old church stands as a cornerstone to the community.

When World Services Enterprise Organization purchased the property earlier this year, the roof was in critical condition, causing damage to the interior of the building. Landmarks Illinois’ Preservation Heritage Fund grant will be used to stabilize the roof, enabling the building to serve as a multifunctional community center.

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Oak Brook Park District, Oak Brook

Fordon Horse Barn at Saddle Brook Park
Grant amount: $5,000

The Fordon Horse Barn is a lasting reminder of an era when Oak Brook was the polo capital of the United States. The Oak Brook Polo Club was founded in 1922 and became one of the top clubs nationwide. Jerry Fordon, a competitive polo player and club member, purchased the barn in 1941 to house his polo ponies. In 1975, the Saddle Brook Development Company deeded the barn and surrounding parkland to the Oak Brook Park District.

For many years, the park district used the barn for storage but has considered demolishing it since the polo club closed. This demolition threat led Landmarks Illinois to include the barn on its 2025 Most Endangered Historic Places in Illinois. Following pushback from residents, the park district has recognized the property’s value and plans to rehabilitate the structure and explore alternative uses. The Preservation Heritage grant funds from Landmarks Illinois will be used to stabilize the structure and repair the roof.
(Photo credit: Paul Morgan)

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A House in Austin

Chicago
GRANT AMOUNT: $6,000

A House in Austin (AHIA) is a nonprofit located in a historic Victorian home that has a 75-year history of serving the community. AHIA serves families on the West Side of Chicago, offering programs that foster responsive relationships between parents and children. The group launched a capital campaign called “Raise The Roof!” to address maintenance needs on the house and its grounds. This includes repairing the roof, and Landmarks Illinois grant funds will be used to fix the chimney. AHIA is eager to make necessary repairs to the property to keep the house in good condition and preserve its timeless features, such as stained glass windows and fireplaces.

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New Precious Grove Missionary Baptist Church

Chicago
GRANT AMOUNT: $5,000

The church on Chicago’s West Side is located in what was originally the Ideal Theatre, built in 1912. The distinctive building is structurally sound but requires restoration to some of its unique architectural elements, including the terra cotta facade and interior plasterwork. The building’s roof is also in need of immediate repairs, which the grant funding from Landmarks Illinois will help pay for. The church has no paid staff. It is run by more than 50 volunteers who lead a broad range of activities, from leading spiritual services and educational programs to conducting extensive community outreach and social services. This dedicated group of volunteers sees its overall preservation efforts as not just about refurbishing the building, but about revitalizing a community hub that will continue to serve future generations with an array of supportive and educational services.

Orpheum Theatre

Galesburg
GRANT AMOUNT: $5,000

The Orpheum Theatre has a 109-year history as a beacon for performing arts and humanities in Galesburg’s National Register-listed Historic District. Constructed in 1916 and designed in the Italian Renaissance and Second Empire style, the theater has long been used as a community gathering space and tourist destination, offering live performances and arts programming. The theater has recently completed a new strategic plan, and under new leadership, is working to attract new audiences by delivering more diverse programming. It is also preparing to launch a capital campaign to fund a large-scale preservation project that includes upgrading its accessibility. Landmarks Illinois grant funds will be used to make more immediate repairs: replacing three old exterior doors, including one original door, with modern doors at fire exits that feature panic bar mechanisms.

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Harmony Church

Greenup
GRANT AMOUNT: $5,000

Harmony Church has a history in Greenup going back nearly 150 years. The quaint church was constructed by Methodist and Quaker volunteers in 1876, both of which used the building for services. Its name comes from the “harmonious nature” of the people who constructed it and worshiped there. A cemetery sits alongside the building and is home to many veterans dating back to the Civil War. The cemetery also features an original Native American burial mound, located at the highest point on the south side of the property. The congregation has plans to restore the entire church building and has already installed a new roof. It will use the grant funds from Landmarks Illinois to make immediate necessary repairs to the church’s floor. The congregation believes restoring the church is a step toward honoring this rich history and paying proper homage to Native American Ancestors.

Calhoun County, Perrin's Ledge Historic Site

Kampsville
GRANT AMOUNT: $5,000

Calhoun County is working to preserve the historic Perrin’s Ledge historic site located two miles north of Kampsville. The site marks where Father Marquette and Louis Joliet visited Calhoun County in July 1673 and met local Native Americans. It includes Native American mounds, a cremation site and a unique two-story “I-House” built in 1907. The county plans to renovate the house to use as an interpretive visitor center, featuring exhibits and artifacts that provide information about the building and site’s history. Landmarks Illinois’ grant funding will help Calhoun County pay to conduct a feasibility study for the adaptive reuse of the historic house.

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Citizens to Preserve Jubilee College

Peoria
GRANT AMOUNT: $5,000

Founded in 1839 by Philander Chase, the first Episcopal Bishop of Illinois, Jubilee College was one of the earliest institutions of higher learning in the state, providing education and religious instruction in a time when such opportunities were scarce in the region. Today is listed in the National Register of Historic Places and is an Illinois State Historic Site that is open to visitors. Citizens to Preserve Jubilee College will use grant funds from Landmarks Illinois toward its window restoration project. The group is restoring ground-floor windows at the college, which are showing signs of severe deterioration and wood rot. The windows will be restored using historically accurate materials and techniques to maintain the building’s original 19th-century appearance.

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