The monthly Landmarks Illinois News Roundup keeps you in the loop on the latest preservation news stories from the month as well as Landmarks Illinois’ main advocacy efforts, projects and announcements. You can also receive these monthly news roundups directly in your inbox by signing up for our newsletters at the bottom of the page.
February 2025 Preservation News Roundup
Landmarks Illinois helps facilitate pro bono assessment for 2024 ‘Most Endangered’ site in Decatur
On February 25th, Landmarks Illinois Regional Advocacy Manager Quinn Adamowski was in Dectaur to visit the Masonic Temple, included on our 2024 Most Endangered list. Our partners at Berglund Construction conducted a pro bono condition assessment of the prominent building, constructed in 1929 and designed by renowned architects Holabird & Roch. The Decatur Masonic Temple has served as an important community center in Decatur’s historic district for the past nearly century, hosting cultural events and famous speakers like Eleanor Roosevelt and John F. Kennedy Jr. The building has suffered deterioration, however, and repairs are badly needed. The condition assessment will help local partners, including those with History of the Heartland, determine a preservation plan for the building.
Additional Advocacy news from around the state
Greater Illinois
LELAND
In partnership with the University of Illinois Extension, Regional Advocacy Manager Quinn Adamowski was in Leland to discuss local preservation efforts. During his trip, Adamowski met with Mayor Taunya Eckman and local building owners and preservation advocates. He also presented information on strategies for community revitalization through historic preservation, with a special focus on available financial incentives for the redevelopment of historic properties and what helpful steps could be taken to aid in their community revitalization efforts.
(Pictured: Resource Bank has reused a former one-room schoolhouse in Leland)
SPRINGFIELD
Landmarks Illinois Regional Advocacy Manager Quinn Adamowski attended the 36th Annual Illinois Rural Community and Economic Development Conference, held in Springfield February 26-27. The conference, which draws hundreds of rural-focused leaders from all around the state, covered a variety of topics that revolve around community and economic development in Illinois’ rural communities. The 2025 conference included a special focus on strategies to enhance communities by identifying and leveraging local assets.
Chicago
WALSER HOUSE
On February 4, Landmarks Illinois Advocacy Manager Kendra Parzen attended a case conference in Cook County Circuit Court for the Walser House at 42 N. Central Ave. in Chicago’s Austin neighborhood. Walser House was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright and home to the Teague family since 1970. Since owner Anne Teague passed away in 2019, the building has been deteriorating and has been stuck in legal limbo resulting from a reverse mortgage. Landmarks Illinois has been working behind the scenes with partners Austin Coming Together, the Frank Lloyd Wright Conservancy and Preservation Chicago since early 2024 to alert the city to the poor condition of the building and make sure that it is secure. We intend to advocate through upcoming court proceedings for the building to go to new ownership that can rehabilitate it. A hearing date is scheduled for March 11.
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MUSEUM OF SCIENCE & INDUSTRY
On February 6, the Commission on Chicago Landmarks Permit Review Committee voted to approve the Griffin Museum of Science and Industry’s plans to rehabilitate the museum’s South Portico. The reopening of the south entrance through this work will allow visitors to enter the building as they might have in 1893, when this building was the Palace of Fine Arts for the Chicago World’s Fair and oriented toward the south. Landmarks Illinois commended plans to center a new accessible entrance within the existing staircase. Read our letter of support below.
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HOLY ANGELS SCHOOL
On February 13, Landmarks Illinois Advocacy Manager Kendra Parzen spoke at a virtual community meeting hosted by Alderman Lemont Robinson regarding the future of Holy Angels School at 545 Oakwood Blvd in Bronzeville. This 19th-century, former Catholic school building, part of the Chicago Park Boulevard System National Register Historic District, is threatened by plans to demolish it and build a new residential building. The current owner is also open to selling the building. The purpose of the community meeting was to discuss the future of the property, including neighborhood interest in seeing it become a City of Chicago landmark. Holy Angels School is anticipated to appear on the Commission on Chicago Landmarks’ March 6 meeting agenda.
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CENTURY & CONSUMERS BUILDINGS
The architecturally significant Century and Consumers Buildings on State Street have been designated as official Chicago landmarks through a rare municipal code process, the city reported on February 19. For years, Landmarks Illinois has supported landmarking the two vacant, terra-cotta-clad skyscrapers owned by the General Services Administration.
Last August, we praised GSA’s decision to pursue a viable adaptive reuse of the skyscrapers. However, at this time, it is unclear what the future holds for the federally owned buildings, given the ongoing cuts within the federal government.
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HOTEL FLORENCE
The Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) will be looking for a developer-led team to enter into a public-private partnership for the development, restoration and operation of the Historic Hotel Florence and Hotel Florence in the Pullman State Historic Site in Chicago. IDNR plans to issue a Request for Solicitations on or after March 19, according to its website. Responses are anticipated to be due this summer.
Read moreSuburbs
GLENVIEW
Glenview officials voted February 18 to move forward with a development proposal that would demolish the architecturally significant former Scott Foresman campus in Glenview to make way for new housing. The midcentury modern corporate campus is eligible for the National Register of Historic Places and was included on Landmarks Illinois’ 2021 Most Endangered list. In recent years, Landmarks Illinois has continued to advocate for reuse of the property, including most recently an attempt to preserve one of the existing Perkins & Will-designed buildings to be incorporated into the new development.
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EVANSTON
The Evanston City Council delayed a vote regarding the reuse of the historic Harley Clarke Mansion. The council previously approved an adaptive reuse plan from developer Celadon Construction Corporation to turn the once-endangered lakefront property in Evanston into a hotel and event space. At its February 24 meeting, however, the council delayed its vote to authorize the lease of the mansion. The council will next consider it at its March 10 meeting.
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Landmarks Illinois grants help fund repairs at historic church buildings on Chicago’s South Side
Landmarks Illinois has awarded $20,000 through the Timuel D. Black, Jr. Grant Fund for Chicago’s South Side to aid restoration efforts at Beautiful Zion Missionary Baptist Church in Englewood and to the former Reformation Lutheran Church in Roseland.
A $10,000 Timuel D. Black, Jr. Grant Fund for Chicago’s South Side grant will help pay for critical masonry repairs at the historic church that has served as a cornerstone of the community for more than a century. Located at 1406 W. 64th St., Beautiful Zion Missionary Baptist Church features a striking Neoclassical-style limestone façade that is in need of restoration to prevent further deterioration.
A $10,000 Timuel D. Black, Jr. Grant Fund for Chicago’s South Side grant has also been awarded to help Onyx360 NFP stabilize and reuse the former Reformation Lutheran Church at 11310 S. Forest Ave. (pictured). The church was designed by famed Pullman architect Solon S. Beman in the late 1880s and once housed President Barack Obama’s South Side office when he worked as a community organizer. Onyx360 NFP plans to open a health and wellness center at the former church following necessary repairs.
learn moreNew on the LI blog
Landmarks Illinois loans support the reinvestment in our Chicago neighborhoods
The Landmarks Illinois Reinvestment Program provides accessible loans to nonprofit and for-profit organizations working on preservation projects to benefit their community. In this article, we talk about the two loans Landmarks Illinois gave to in 2024: One to Bandwith for its adaptive reuse of the Loyal Casket Building in East Garfield Park and another to Plant Chicago to aid restoration efforts at a historic former firehouse in the Back of the Yards neighborhood.
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Joliet Steel Mill Main Office Building: a preventable loss
The historic Joliet Steel Mill Main Office Building was destroyed by a fire in September 2024, after sitting empty and neglected for years. Here, Regional Advocacy Manager Quinn Adamowski discusses how the devastating loss, while not unique, could have been prevented.
read moreupcoming events
2025 PRESERVATION FORWARD
‼️LAST CALL FOR TICKETS ‼️
MARCH 6
5:30 P.M.
Landmarks Illinois will hold its 2025 Preservation Forward event next week at The Old Post Office in Chicago. Each year, the annual fundraiser brings in critical support for Landmarks Illinois’ mission-driven work of helping people across the state save places. The evening will also honor this year’s 2025 Landmarks Illinois Influencers:
- Chicago Women in Trades, Nonprofit trades training organization
- Chris Enck, Architect & preservationist
- Elizabeth & Ethan Finkelstein, Founders of Cheap Old House
RESERVE YOUR TICKETS NOW! Raffle tickets also available!
Learn more & register
2025 AMERICAN HISTORIC TRADES SUMMIT
APRIL 7-9
The second bi-annual national trades summit comes to Chicago this spring! Landmarks Illinois is proud to serve as the local partner or the upcoming conference Hosted by The Campaign for Historic Trades. The national convening will have informational sessions and networking opportunities that explore the past, present and future of historic trades training in America. It will be held at Hire 360, honored at our 2024 Preservation Forward event, in Chicago’s South Loop.
learn more & register
Next grant application deadline: April 1
RECEIVE FUNDING FOR YOUR PRESERVATION PROJECT!
Landmarks Illinois is accepting applications for the next round of funding through our Preservation Heritage Fund and the Barbara C. and Thomas E. Donnelley II Preservation Fund for Illinois. These grant programs provide financial assistance to preserve or protect significant structures and sites in Illinois. Visit our website to learn more about qualifying projects for each grant fund and to submit an application.
(Pictured: Graham-Ginestra House in Rockford, a 2024 Donnelley grant recipient)
apply for a grant
Top social media posts of the month
A LinkedIn post calling attention to Georgia Louise Harris Brown, the second African American woman licensed as an architect in the U.S., was among our most popular posts in February. See it here.
Other popular posts:
Interested in providing pro bono services to help save Illinois' historic places?
Landmarks Illinois and people across the state rely on the generosity of our knowledgeable and experienced preservation professionals to help save places. Through pro bono services, Landmarks Illinois can help move preservation projects forward. If you and/or your company are interested in donating pro bono services, please fill out our form below. This will allow us to match you with pro bono service opportunities that best match your skills and availability.
(Klein & Hoffman conducting an assessment at the McAuley school in West Chicago.)
pro bono expression of interestAdditional Landmarks Illinois news...
- Landmarks Illinois once again partnered with the International Masonry Institute and the Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers Administrative District Council 1 to host an annual historic masonry training course on February 20. This year’s virtual day-long webinar explored effective methodologies for assessing and repairing masonry facades on existing buildings. Landmarks Illinois Board Member Ally Toonen-Talamo gave opening remarks. Multiple Landmarks Illinois preservation award-winning projects and former Most Endangered sites were included in the day’s case studies, including Ramova Theatre, Old Cook County Hospital and Lawson House.
- Landmarks Illinois participated in the Midwest Gathering of preservation partners held over two days in Chicago in early Februrary. The gathering draws preservation partners from across the region to discuss best practices and ongoing challenges. Landmarks Illinois Regional Advocacy Manager Quinn Adamowski was part of a presentation discussing strategies for preserving African American sites. Dr. Erica Avrami, author of “Second Order Preservation” also gave a presentation.
- Landmarks Illinois President & CEO Bonnie McDonald will speak at the Edgewater Historical Society’s annual meeting on March 1. She will discuss her book, “The Relevancy Guidebook: How We Can Transform the Future of Preservation.”
- Illinois Main Street and the District will host “Preserving History, Closing Financial Gaps: A Historic Tax Credit Workshop” on March 12 in Quincy. Guests will hear from representatives of architectural firm Studio GWA and explore how Historic Preservation Tax Credits work and how to leverage them for your next historic project. Register here.
- Illinois Humanities will hold a “Envisioning Justice Grant Writing Workshop” on March 8 in Champaign. The two-part, free workshop will inform participants on how to structure their grants, how to effectively voice their needs and how they can get their story out and talk about what they’re experiencing in their grant proposals. Learn more here.
- The Preserving the Recent Past 4 conference will be held March 19-22 in Boston. The event will “provide a new forum to share the latest strategies for identifying, protecting, and conserving significant structures and sites from the recent past.” Learn more here.
Download the full February 2025 Preservation News Roundup
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