Media Contact:
Kaitlyn McAvoy
Communications Manager
Landmarks Illinois
kmcavoy@landmarks.org
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 28, 2022
Landmarks Illinois’ 2022 Richard H. Driehaus Foundation Preservation Awards honor projects in Belleville, Chicago, Lockport, Marion, Petersburg and Rockford
CHICAGO – Landmarks Illinois is pleased to announce the recipients of the 2022 Landmarks Illinois Richard H. Driehaus Foundation Preservation Awards, an annual program now in its 29th year that celebrates exceptional preservation efforts in Illinois. Our 2022 award-winning projects, located in Belleville, Chicago, Lockport, Marion, Petersburg and Rockford, will be honored at a public ceremony on November 4, 2022, at the historic Chicago Cultural Center.
“Our 2022 award winners demonstrate the impact preservation has in our Illinois communities: it creates inspiring places where people want to live and visit, boosts jobs and economic activity and strengthens local pride,” said Bonnie McDonald, President & CEO of Landmarks Illinois. “We are proud to bring well-deserved attention to these preservation efforts and the people who thoughtfully and beautifully preserved our historic places.”
2022 LANDMARKS ILLINOIS RICHARD H. DRIEHAUS FOUNDATION PRESERVATION AWARD RECIPIENTS
Hotel Belleville, Belleville
2022 Landmarks Illinois Richard H. Driehaus Foundation Preservation Award for Advocacy
Thanks to the efforts of dedicated, local preservationists, the 91-year-old former Hotel Belleville has been rehabilitated into an affordable housing development called “Lofts on the Square.” Owners MH Belleville Associates LP undertook the $14.6 million transformation of the historic, Art Deco-style hotel, a 2014 Landmarks Illinois Most Endangered site. The project is an example of the power of sustained advocacy efforts as well as public-private collaboration.
Chicago Cultural Center Grand Army of the Republic Rooms, Chicago
2022 Landmarks Illinois Richard H. Driehaus Foundation Preservation Award for Restoration
The Grand Army of the Republic Rooms, completed in 1897 in Chicago’s Cultural Center (the city’s former main public library) have undergone a $15 million restoration to preserve and honor the original features designed by Louis Comfort Tiffany and Healy & Millet. The project, which spanned more than two years, was funded by a generous anonymous donor and led by the City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events, Harboe Architects and Berglund Construction.
Lincoln Park Zoo Pepper Family Wildlife Center, Chicago
2022 Landmarks Illinois Richard H. Driehaus Foundation Preservation Award for Rehabilitation & Winner of the Richard H. Driehaus Legacy Award
Lincoln Park Zoo’s historic lion house has been reborn as the Pepper Family Wildlife Center following a much-needed $41 million rehabilitation and expansion. This Chicago Landmark, constructed in 1912 and listed in the National Register of Historic Places, has been restored to its original Arts & Crafts-style appearance, features greatly improved zoo animal habitats, and provides an immersive and fully accessible space for the enjoyment for visitors.
Mattie Butler Apartments, Chicago
2022 Landmarks Illinois Richard H. Driehaus Foundation Preservation Award for Leadership
Longtime Chicago housing activist Mattie Butler and her organization Woodlawn East Community and Neighbors (WECAN) collaborated with Preservation of Affordable Housing (POAH) to guarantee the long-term affordability of two 1920s Woodlawn apartment buildings. Initially saved in the 1990s by WECAN, POAH obtained the property in 2017 and in 2022 celebrated the completion of the $26.8 million renovation of the renamed Mattie Butler Apartments, honoring Ms. Butler’s decades of stewardship and activism for affordable housing in the Chicago South Side community.
Pullman National Monument and State Historic Site, Chicago
2022 Landmarks Illinois Richard H. Driehaus Foundation Preservation Award for Rehabilitation
This award honors six organizations and federal agencies for their decades of leadership and advocacy work in Chicago’s Pullman community that led to the creation of the 12-acre Pullman National Monument & Historic Site and the $35 million rehabilitation of the long-vacant Pullman Administration-Clock Tower Building (now the Pullman Visitor Center). Recipients of the award are: the National Park Service, Illinois Department of Natural Resources, Chicago Neighborhood Initiatives, National Park Foundation, Positioning Pullman Project Team and Historic Pullman Foundation.
Lock & Mule, Lockport
2022 Landmarks Illinois Richard H. Driehaus Foundation Preservation Award for Adaptive Reuse
Local residents and business owners Inga Carus and Peter Limberger renovated the vacant former Mackin Motor Company Building in Lockport’s downtown historic district to open Lock & Mule, a craft brewery, restaurant and event venue. The adaptive reuse of the 7,000-square-foot building — constructed in 1927 and listed in the National Register of Historic Places — received support from the City of Lockport and has contributed to the revitalization of the downtown area.
Crown Brew Coffee Co., Marion
2022 Landmarks Illinois Richard H. Driehaus Foundation Preservation Award for Rehabilitation
Crown Brew Coffee Co. opened in October 2020 in a 120-year-old building in downtown Marion that owners Joshua Benitone and Jared Gravatt rehabilitated largely on their own. As the first business to open in a city-led downtown revitalization effort, the coffee shop serves as an example of what is possible when local governments and business owners join efforts to drive economic development.
Broadgauge, Petersburg
2022 Landmarks Illinois Richard H. Driehaus Foundation Preservation Award for Adaptive Reuse
Built in 1872 as a “megastore” selling hardware, groceries and dry goods, the Broadgauge Building in Downtown Petersburg has been reopened and reimagined by owner Douglas Pope. Today, the multi-purpose building includes a bar, restaurant, billiards room, event space and coffee shop, drawing the community back into the historic space and becoming one of the town’s largest employers.
Rockford City Market, Rockford
2022 Landmarks Illinois Richard H. Driehaus Foundation Preservation Award for Adaptive Reuse
The nonprofit Rock River Development Partnership adaptively reused three vacant storefronts at historic buildings in downtown Rockford to create new business and event space. Conceived as an indoor extension of the existing outdoor Rockford City Market, the transformation of these properties as year-round market facilities has brought new life to downtown Rockford’s streetscape and economy, attracting residents and visitors alike, hosting community events, and providing opportunities for collaboration.
Please visit our website to learn more about each of the 2022 award winners.
AWARDS CEREMONY EVENT DETAILS
The 2022 Landmarks Illinois Richard H. Driehaus Foundation Preservation Awards Ceremony will take place at 6:00 p.m. on Friday, November 4, 2022, at the Chicago Cultural Center’s second-floor Claudia Cassidy Theater in downtown Chicago. A cocktail reception will immediately follow in the Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) Rooms. The event is open to the public.
Tickets for the event are $50 for Landmarks Illinois members and $65 for non-members. A student rate of $35 is also available with proof of a student ID. Guests who wish to join remotely can view a live, virtual presentation of the ceremony for free with registration. Tickets can be purchased at our website or by contacting Alma Rebronja, Events Manager at events@landmarks.org.
ABOUT THE AWARDS PROGRAM
Since 1994, the annual Landmarks Illinois Richard H. Driehaus Foundation Preservation Awards has honored individuals, projects and programs in Illinois whose work demonstrates a commitment to excellence in preservation. A jury of preservation professionals from across Illinois selected the 2022 winners based on the project’s positive impact in the community, how it inspires others to save places as well as degree to which the project aligns with Landmarks Illinois’ mission, values and guiding principles.
ABOUT LANDMARKS ILLINOIS
We are People Saving Places for People. Landmarks Illinois is a membership-based nonprofit historic preservation 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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