July 2024 Preservation News Roundup

Working with local advocates in East St. Louis to save the former Lincoln School

This month, Regional Advocacy Manager Quinn Adamowski traveled to East St. Louis to meet local advocates of the former Lincoln School, a 2024 Most Endangered site. Built in 1886 as a school for Black students, the historically significant building has survived the 1917 East St. Louis Race Riots and the widespread demolition seen in the Southern Illinois city during the mid-20th century. Despite its local importance and proximity to the city’s historic district, without a new use and proper investment, the school faces demolition.

On July 25, Adamowski met with more than a dozen representatives from the East St. Louis Historical Society, Emma Wilson King Foundation, the House of Miles and others at the former Lincoln School (pictured above). Landmarks Illinois continues to work with these local advocates to find a preservation solution for the school. With East St. Louis’ downtown historic district a block away, the former Lincoln School stands as a prime location for use as a museum and heritage site to tell stories from the past, like that of John Robinson and residents’ involvement in the 1917 race riots.

Preservation in action: Progress at the former Broadview Hotel in East St. Louis

Also in East St. Louis is the former Broadview Hotel, a 2021 Most Endangered site now being redeveloped into senior affordable housing. Regional Advocacy Manager Quinn Adamowski met with Yaphett El-Amin of Efficacy Consulting and Development, which is leading the adaptive reuse of the Broadview Hotel, to tour and see the progress of the project. The New Broadview, which is utilizing a variety of critical preservation financial incentives including the River Edge Historic Tax Credit and the Federal Historic Preservation Tax Credit, will create 111 new affordable housing units and is expected to open in December.

Alton

In Alton, Adamowski met with Sara McGibany, Executive Director of Alton Main Street, and with members of the Alton Area Landmarks Association to discuss ongoing preservation efforts in the historic Mississippi River town. Home to many historic sites, including a number of former Most Endangered Historic Places, like the McPike Mansion, City Hall and the Bruch-Guertler House, Alton has a rich history and features quintessential 19th-century buildings. In 2022, Alton’s Downtown Historic District was also listed in the National Register of Historic Places. In recent years it has seen an influx in preservation efforts and projects. Pictured is Alton’s Night Market on Broadway, a community event hosted by Alton Main Street featuring local artists and businesses.

Edwardsville

Landmarks Illinois Regional Advocacy Manager Quinn Adamowski met with owners of The Ink House, an events space in Edwardsville inside the former home to the town’s local newspaper, The Edwardsville Intelligencer. The newspaper occupied the downtown building from 1921 to 2019. Ink Space (pictured) opened in the adaptively reused historic building in 2020. The event space became so popular, hosting weddings, parties and other gatherings, that the owners purchased another historic building next door, a former paint and decorating store, to create a hotel, giving venue guests a place to stay overnight.

Litchfield

Landmarks Illinois Regional Advocacy Manager Quinn Adamowski attended the 100th anniversary of Ariston Café in Litchfield on July 17. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2006, the iconic Route 66 roadside restaurant has served residents and tourists for almost 90 years at its current location. Adamowski is pictured with Casey Claypool from the Illinois Route 66 Scenic Byway and Will Law, owner of Ariston Café.

Springfield

Landmarks Illinois Regional Advocacy Manager Quinn Adamowski met with Casey Claypool, Executive Director of Illinois Route 66 Scenic Byway, and Scott Dahl, Director of Visit Springfield, at Gate 2 of the Illinois State Fair Grounds in Springfield. A new directional sign installation (pictured) is featured at the Route 66 Experience at the state fair, which runs August 8-18.

Landmarks Illinois provides $500,000 loan to create performing arts center in East Garfield Park

Landmarks Illinois has awarded a $500,000 loan to BandWith, a nonprofit providing access to the performing arts in Chicago’s underserved communities, for the adaptive reuse of the former Loyal Casket Building in East Garfield Park. This significant financial support provided through Landmarks Illinois’ Reinvestment Program Loan Fund will help BandWith thoughtfully transform the historic building at 134 S. California Ave. into a vibrant community performing arts center.

Landmarks Illinois’ Reinvestment Program offers loans to preservation initiatives in Chicago and Illinois, where traditional financing is either difficult to obtain or unavailable. The more affordable and accessible lending terms help bring preservation projects closer to completion. A previous Reinvestment Program Loan supported Greater Chatham Initiative’s effort to create its “Artist on the 9” co-working space and gallery at a historic building in Chicago’s Greater Grand Crossing Commercial Historic District.

“Our Reinvestment Loan Program has proven to be a critical addition to the preservation incentives Landmarks Illinois offers, helping spark reinvestment and reuse of culturally significant and historic places,” said Bonnie McDonald, Landmarks Illinois President & CEO, said in a press release. “We are thrilled to support BandWith’s vision to revitalize a former factory to foster a vibrant cultural environment in East Garfield Park. This project will benefit current and future generations while providing invaluable opportunities for artistic expression and community engagement.”

(Pictured: BandWith plans to transform a former factory into a community performing arts center. Courtesy BandWith.)

Latest edition of The Arch now online!

The Arch is Landmarks Illinois’ biannual publication offering an in-depth look at our historic preservation work around the state. Our June 2024 edition features articles on the Edith Farnsworth House, which just marked 20 years of being open to the public, and how the Galindo family is preserving Apollo’s 2000 theater in Little Village, as well as our 2024 Most Endangered Historic Places in Illinois.

Apollo’s 2000: A Family’s Mission to Landmark a Little Village Icon

Apollo’s 2000 in Little Village became a Chicago Landmark in April. The former Marshall Square Theatre opened in 1917 and has remained an important fixture in the vibrant Mexican-American community. For the past 35 years, the Galindo family has owned and operated the event venue and concert hall. They even led the process of designating the Beaux Arts building as a local landmark. In this feature article from our June edition of The Arch, the Galindo family offers insight and tips on the owner-led landmarking process for a building that means so much to each of them.

“In hindsight, the process of pursuing Chicago Landmark designation was a transformative journey that deepened our connection to the Apollo’s 2000 and reinforced our commitment to its preservation,” said Evelyn Stell, daughter of owners Javier and Lidia Galindo. “It taught us the power of collaboration, the importance of advocacy and the profound impact that historic buildings can have on shaping the identity and vitality of a community.”

Landmarks Illinois joins the community in celebrating reuse and activation of Overton Elementary School in Bronzeville

Advocacy Manager Kendra Parzen attended the ribbon cutting for the Public Outdoor Plaza (POP!) at the Overton Exchange Plaza in Bronzeville on July 29. Overton Exchange Plaza is located at the former Overton Elementary School, one of the many public schools shuttered by the City of Chicago over 10 years ago. This activation of the grounds, sponsored the City of Chicago’s Public Outdoor Plaza program, is maintaining the connection between the school site and the Bronzeville community while Washington Park Development Group transforms the building into the Overton Center for Excellence. The activation builds on the Creative Grounds initiative of Borderless Studio, led by 2023 Landmarks Illinois Influencer Paola Aguirre, that has been working at Overton since 2017. Landmarks Illinois’ 2018 Annual Meeting that took place at Overton is commemorated with a sign installed on the new fence.

2022 Most Endangered site, Gillson Park, named as one of the nation’s threatened landscapes by The Cultural Landscape Foundation

This month, 2022 Most Endangered site, Gillson Park in Wilmette, was named to The Cultural Landscape Foundation’s “Landslide” list, which draws attention to threatened landscapes. TCLF is a national nonprofit promoting landscape heritage. Gillson Park is a 60-acre, Prairie-style public park sitting along Lake Michigan that features naturalist landscapes and open space. This past spring, Landmarks Illinois’ advocacy led to it being listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

When Landmarks Illinois called attention to the park on its 2022 Most Endangered Historic Places in Illinois, the Wilmette Park District was considering changes to the 107-year-old park that would alter its passive design and remove greenery to add more roads and parking. That threat continues today.

In its Landslide listing of Gillson Park, TCLF specifically called attention to the Wilmette Park District’s newly-released Request for Proposals (RFP) for road and sewer improvements that “would have an impact on the National Register-designated historic district’s character-defining drives.”

RBIC & Skyline Council host networking event at The Salt Shed

On June 25, we combined two of our popular annual events — the Real Estate and Building Industries Council and Skyline Social events — into one unparalleled night of networking at The Salt Shed, one of Chicago’s largest and most creative adaptive reuse projects. Check out photos from the event below.

(Pictured left to right: Amy Lamb Woods, Founding President of Women in Restoration & Engineering (WiRE), Skyline Council Member Katherine Pohl of Nurture Architects, & Skyline Council Chair Emily Sajdak of Partners for Sacred Places. Credit David T. Kindler)

$30,000 in grants awarded to preservation projects

Landmarks Illinois awarded $30,000 in grant funding to eight preservation projects across the state through its Preservation Heritage Fund and Barbara C. and Thomas E. Donnelley II Preservation Fund for Illinois grant programs. Grant-funded projects are located in the Illinois communities of Chicago, El Paso, Jacksonville, Oak Park, Pittsfield and Richmond. (Pictured: Project XV in El Paso)

2023-24 Annual Report

Landmarks Illinois released its new Annual Report for the 2023/24 Fiscal Year. The report highlights examples of our work helping people save places across Illinois. Read about our biggest preservation success stories and how we are continuing to move preservation forward.

Annual Meeting

Miss our Annual Meeting on June 25? You can watch it on Landmarks Illinois’ YouTube channel! Participants elected our new Board Members and leadership and heard stories of our vital preservation work over the past year.

Become a Landmarks Illinois Member today!

We need your support to help people all across the state save places that are special to them and their communities!

Landmarks Illinois partners with photography college class to document historic sites

This summer, Landmarks Illinois proudly partnered with architectural photographer Barbara Karant and students in her summer Architectural Photography class at the College of DuPage to document historic sites in Illinois. Among the many places students photographed were culturally significant sites associated with Route 66 in Chicago and Pontiac, Illinois, affordable housing adaptive reuse projects like Maywood Supportive Living and St. Charles Senior Living as well as current and former governmental buildings like the Kendall County Sheriffs Office and Jail and the McHenry County Courthouse. The class also took a field trip to the architecturally significant Edith Farnsworth House in Plano. Stay tuned to see more photos from the students and learn more about their experience with the project.

Top social media post of the month

Our Instagram post on July 24 announcing the Reinvestment Program Loan we provided to BandWith to support its adaptive reuse of a historic building in East Garfield Park received a lot of attention this month. Check out our other top posts below:

• Top Facebook post
• Top LinkedIn post
• Top X (formerly Twitter) post