2020 PRESERVATION HERITAGE FUND GRANT RECIPIENTS

PENTECOSTAL CHURCH OF HOLINESS - North Lawndale, Chicago

Grant Amount: $2,500

The former Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church building was constructed in 1931 in the heart of Chicago’s North Lawndale neighborhood during the height of the Great Depression by renowned architect Louis Guenzel (of Guenzel and Drummond Architects). It has been home to Pentecostal Church of Holiness since 2010, and the congregation is currently working with the City of Chicago on Landmark Designation.

The Renaissance Restoration Initiative, the congregation’s capital campaign, endeavors to increase and stabilize property values within the disenfranchised North Lawndale neighborhood by restoring the church, a cherished place in the community. The congregation will use Landmarks Illinois’ grant for priority repairs as part of its overall restoration of the entire church campus to reflect the original design.

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CITY OF HAVANA - Havana Water Tower, Havana

Grant Amount: $2,500

The City of Havana’s red brick water tower was completed in 1887, making it the fourth oldest water tower in Illinois that is still in use. The City of Havana prides itself on upholding its history and small-town charm while continuing to best serve its citizens. The Historic Water Tower has become a beloved local landmark, and it brings tourists from all over who are looking to get a glimpse into the past. Unfortunately, the structure has imminent deterioration including damage to the brickwork and the surrounding retention wall. In addition to this deterioration, the structure and water tank are in need of repair. The water tank has experienced some failure. The City of Havana plans to use Landmarks Illinois’ grant funding, combined with city funds, to conduct a condition assessment on the water tower, the first phase of the restoration of the historic site.

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PEORIA HISTORICAL SOCIETY - Pettengill-Morron Historic House Museum, Peoria

Grant Amount: $2,500

The Peoria Historical Society’s Second Empire-style Pettengill-Morron Historic House Museum was built in 1868 by Moses Pettengill, an abolitionist, church leader and friend of Abraham Lincoln. It is believed that Abraham Lincoln stayed at Pettengill’s first home, from which Moses operated a stop on the Underground Railroad. After the last Pettengill’s occupation of the home in 1892, the house was home to six other owners, the last being Jean Morron, a philanthropist who, upon her death in 1966, bequeathed her home and all of its contents to the Peoria Historical Society. The elegant structure has since been showcased as a historic house museum and was formally named the Pettengill-Morron House to honor its first and last owners. The Pettengill-Morron House was placed on the National Register in 1976, is recognized as a local landmark by the Central Illinois Landmarks Foundation and is the anchor of the Moss-Bradley Historic Preservation District.

A condition assessment of the property conducted by the Farnsworth Group has identified several spots where the home has suffered water damage. The Peoria Historical Society will use Landmarks Illinois’ grant funds to complete necessary repairs as identified in the condition assessment report, including repairing the soffit, porte-cochere, roof, porch and porte-cochere columns, chimney and dormers as well as completing window restorations.

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PLAINFIELD HISTORICAL SOCIETY - Turner-Mottinger House, Plainfield

Grant Amount: $2,500

The Turner-Mottinger House was built in 1833-34 by a founder of Plainfield, Illinois. The house has been enlarged twice and consists of three distinct sections: the original north section, the east addition (circa 1838-1845); and the south addition (circa 1866). Over the years and through several owners, the property has been modified and some original materials have been removed. To prevent demolition, the Plainfield Historical Society purchased the historic site, spending eight years cleaning and stabilizing the property using its own limited resources. All utility services have been disconnected and the synthetic siding remains. The current condition of the roof and gutters increases chances for further damage to, and deterioration of, the structure and interior finishes. The Plainfield Historical Society will use Landmarks Illinois’ grant to help install a new roof and gutters on the historic home.

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Macoupin County Historical Society - Anderson Mansion, Carlinville

Grant Amount: $2,500

The Macoupin County Historical Society has owned the historic Anderson Mansion since 1973 and hosts tours of the home, which is full of county memorabilia. The large sleeping porch on the 1833 mansion has been closed since 2018 due to unstable flooring. The historical society will use the grant from Landmarks Illinois to repair the porch.

Glessner House - Chicago

Grant Amount: $4,000

Built in 1887, Glessner House is considered the urban residential masterpiece of architect Henry Hobson Richardson. Landmarks Illinois has held a preservation easement on Glessner House since 2006. The house has recently suffered water infiltration in the basement due to a collapsed sewer pipe, and Glessner House will use the grant funding to repair the water damage.

Redeemer Church - Urbana

Grant Amount: $2,500

The German-Romanesque style church, constructed in 1895, received a $2,500 matching grant to repair damage to the church building’s foundation caused by water infiltration.

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GLIDDEN HOMESTEAD - Glidden Homestead and Historical Center, Dekalb

Grant amount: $2,500

The Joseph F. Glidden House, a two-story brick house with a raised foundation of field stone, was constructed in 1861 by Jacob Haish. It is in this house in 1873 that Glidden invented barbed wire. Glidden became one of the founders, along with Haish, of the Northern Illinois State Normal School (now known as Northern Illinois University). Today, much of NIU stands on what had been Glidden-owned land.

The stairs leading up to the original porch of the house face imminent deterioration. On the west side of the stairs, several balusters/spindles and a section of base rail have rotted out. In 2017, as a result of an archaeological dig performed by NIU, it was discover that the original landing (or at least very early) is buried under the current visible landing. The Glidden Homestead and Historical Center intends to use the $2,500 matching grant to help restore the front stairs to the late 1800s period—the earliest period of which there are photos of the house.

 

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ELGIN MATH AND SCIENCE ACADEMY CHARTER SCHOOL - Administration Building, Elgin

Grant amount: $2,500

The Elgin Math and Science Academy Charter School is situated next to the Fox River in a beautiful wooded campus made of several buildings designed by noted Prairie School architect John S. Van Bergen. The buildings were formerly home to the Fox River Country Day School and the The Chicago Junior School before that. The school was founded in Michigan in 1913 and moved to this location in Elgin in 1923. In 2012, Landmarks Illinois included the Fox River Country Day School on its Most Endangered Historic Places in Illinois after the school closed its doors due to declining enrollment. The Elgin Math and Science Academy Charter School later purchased the property.

The campus’ Administration Building has suffered roof failures causing water damage. Some water has also leaked into the building’s main library/study room. The Elgin Math and Science Academy Charter School plans to use the $2,500 matching grant to tarp the entire roof, protecting it from further water incursion and damage for the next year until renovation of the building is undertaken. The school expects to have design plans for the renovation by March 2020.

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GLENCOE HISTORICAL SOCIETY - Booth Cottage, Glencoe

Grant amount: $2,500

A significant but little-known work by Frank Lloyd Wright, the Booth Cottage is a one-story frame house in Glencoe. The house was originally built as a temporary home for Sherman and Elizabeth Booth while their Wright-designed permanent house was being constructed. This charming small house is located on a big lot amid much larger residences. The property was included on Landmarks Illinois’ 2019 Most Endangered Historic Places in Illinois due to the immediate threat of demolition. The Glencoe Park District has since proposed a unique land-use agreement with the Glencoe Historical Society to relocate the Booth Cottage less than a block from its current location to public park land. The $2,500 matching grant would help fund that move. Once relocated, the local landmark will be used for public programs and tours.

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PLEASANT PLAINS HISTORICAL SOCIETY - Cunningham Barn at the Clayville Historic Site, Pleasant Plains

Grant amount: $2,500

The Cunningham Barn at the Clayville Historic Site is a classic example of barns from the early to mid-17th century. It was built in Cass County, Ill., in the 1850s, and in the 1960s, it was was dismantled, moved and reassembled at the Clayville Historic Site — a group of structures preserved to resemble an early frontier pioneer village. Landmarks Illinois included the historic site, which includes the National Register-listed Broadwell Inn, on its 2007 Most Endangered Historic Places in Illinois. The property was later purchased by the Pleasant Plains Historical Society, which was honored with a Landmarks Illinois Richard H. Driehaus Foundation Preservation Award in 2011 for its preservation efforts.

The Cunningham Barn is currently used for educational programs and houses exhibits during festivals that demonstrate pioneer skills. It is also used as a rental venue. The immediate need for this building is new flooring, and the $2,500 matching grant will help the historical society cover this cost. The historical society is also working with structural engineers to determine the best plan of action for this significant project.

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GRACE UNITED METHODIST CHURCH - Salem

Grant amount: $2,500

The Methodist Episcopal Church in Salem was completed in 1907 and was designed in the Richardsonian Romanesque style by the architectural firm of Charles Henry and Son from Akron, Ohio. The church, which is a prominent structure in downtown Salem, was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 2019. The congregation has recently reroofed the building and now plans to repair the stained glass windows — a project the $2,500 matching grant will help fund.

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FRIENDS OF HAUBERG CIVIC CENTER - Carriage house on the Hauberg Estate, Rock Island

Grant amount: $2,500

The Friends of Hauberg Civic Center Foundation (FOH) is a nonprofit organization in Rock Island dedicated to the support and restoration of the 1911 Spencer and Powers Prairie Style Mansion and adjacent Jens Jensen-designed gardens. In 2019, FOH was awarded a Landmarks Illinois Richard H. Driehaus Foundation Preservation Award for its advocacy efforts to preserve the estate. To date, FOH has restored much of the interior of the mansion and now intends to rehabilitate the carriage house to provide space for STEAM programming. Although the carriage house is in overall good condition, the FOH plans to re-glaze the historic windows and the $2,500 will help fund that project. The glass had been replaced with Plexiglas on the first and third floors.

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