Landmarks Illinois Announces First Recipients of WWI Memorial Grant Program
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 12, 2017
Media Contact:
Kaitlyn McAvoy
Communications Manager, Landmarks Illinois
312-922-1742
kmcavoy@landmarks.org
CHICAGO – Landmarks Illinois has awarded the first round of funding through the Landmarks Illinois World War I Monument Preservation Grant Program. The City of Aurora and the Second Indianhead Division Association are recipients of the recently launched grant program that provides monetary assistance to preserve World War I outdoor monuments and memorials in Illinois.
The City of Aurora will use the grant funding to restore the “Branches of Services Plaque” on the city’s New York Street Bridge, which was constructed in 1931 as a tribute to WWI soldiers. The bridge’s bronze plaque has suffered corrosion from the weather and prolonged exposure to chemical compounds since its dedication. Restoring the plaque is part of the City of Aurora’s multi-year project to restore all historic elements of the New York Street Bridge.
The Second Indianhead Division Association will use the grant funding for cleaning and restoration of the Belleau Wood WWI monument, located within the Cook County Forest Preserve in Des Plaines. The monument commemorates the three-week Battle of Belleau Wood of 1918 that is credited as having a significant impact on stopping a German offensive that threatened Paris. It is the largest memorial to honor the U.S. 2nd Division outside of Washington, D.C. The Second Indianhead Division Association wishes to clean the monument in preparation for a rededication ceremony in August.
“Landmarks Illinois is proud to support our grant recipients as they put these dollars to work restoring important honorific monuments to soldiers of the Great War,” said Bonnie McDonald, President & CEO of Landmarks Illinois. “The City of Aurora and the Second Indianhead Division Association are ensuring that our veterans, even those that fought a century ago, are not forgotten. This is the important work of historic preservation: ensuring that we never forget.”
The Landmarks Illinois WWI Monument Preservation Grant Program is made possible with generous support from the Pritzker Military Foundation. Nonprofits and government agencies are encouraged to apply to the grant program to help fund their WWI monument restoration projects. Visit our Grants webpage for full eligibility rules and additional guidelines for grant applicants. The next round of applications is due Nov. 15, 2017.
About Landmarks Illinois
Landmarks Illinois is a membership-based nonprofit organization serving the people of Illinois. Visit www.Landmarks.org to learn more.