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.
July 2026 Preservation News Roundup
Landmarks Illinois joins community partners in celebrating ACT's purchase of the JJ Walser House
Austin Coming Together (ACT) has acquired the J.J. Walser House, a Frank Lloyd Wright-designed residence in Chicago’s Austin neighborhood. Landmarks Illinois Technical Assistance and Programs Manager Amber Delgado joined ACT representatives and other community partners at the historic home on July 27 to celebrate the acquisition.
Built in 1903, the Walser house is a significant example of Frank Lloyd Wright’s Prairie-period work. Landmarks Illinois included it on the 2025 Most Endangered Historic Places in Illinois following years of the property sitting vacant and in foreclosure with mounting maintenance needs. ACT is a collective impact organization working to improve quality of life in the Austin community and aims to bring the Walser House back to life as a cultural anchor.
“We commend Austin Coming Together for its vision and determination to preserve the J.J. Walser House, a nationally recognized architectural and cultural asset on Chicago’s West Side,” Kendra Parzen, Landmarks Illinois Director of Preservation Services, said in an ACT press release announcing its acquisition.
Stay tuned for future updates from ACT on the restoration and reuse of the Walser House. Visit its website below.
(Pictured L-R: John Lydon of Lavelle Law, John Waters of the Frank Lloyd Wright Building Conservancy, Natalie Goodin of Austin Coming Together, Barbara Gordon of the Frank Lloyd Wright Building Conservancy, Darnell Shields of Austin Coming Together, Ward Miller of Preservation Chicago, Sarah Panthos of Berglund Construction, and Amber Delgado of Landmarks Illinois.)
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A goodbye and a note of gratitude
July 24 marked the official conclusion of Bonnie McDonald’s extraordinary tenure as President & CEO of Landmarks Illinois. She stepped down to begin her 2027 Loeb Fellowship at the Harvard Graduate School of Design in Cambridge, Massachusetts, where she will continue to pursue her transformative work making preservation more relevant, accessible and inclusive.
We are immensely grateful for Bonnie’s years of dedicated service and visionary guidance. Her commitment to reshape preservation practice and empower communities to save places has left an indelible mark on Illinois and the nation. Please join us in wishing Bonnie the very best as she embarks on this exciting next chapter!
As noted previously, Landmarks Illinois will be guided through this transition period by Interim President & CEO Frank Butterfield, Chair Ron Clewer and Vice Chair Catherine Baker. In case you missed it, please take a moment to read Bonnie’s farewell message:
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Sweeping changes proposed for Section 106 - Public comment period will be critical
On Friday, July 24, the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation (ACHP) voted to advance changes to Section 106 that would drastically weaken this key component of the National Historic Preservation Act. For the past 60 years, Section 106 required federal agencies to consider the effects of their actions on historic resources, involving the public and addressing their concerns. Under the proposed revisions, fewer federal actions will require review, fewer historic places will be subject to review and fewer voices will be welcome as part of the review to defend the cultural heritage of this country.
While the ACHP voted to advance these changes, there will be a to-be-announced 30-day public comment period before these revisions can be finalized. Public comments during this window will be imperative to the legal challenges that will follow. Landmarks Illinois will share information about the public comment period as soon as it is available.
A redlined version of the proposed regulation changes are available here, with additional resources here, both via Cultural Heritage Partners.
(The Century & Consumers buildings on State Street in Chicago were previously part of a Section 106 review)
Landmarks Illinois awards $27,100 in grants to seven community-led preservation projects statewide
Landmarks Illinois has awarded $27,100 in grant funding to seven preservation projects across the state through the Preservation Heritage Fund and the Barbara C. and Thomas E. Donnelley II Preservation Fund for Illinois. Grant-funded projects are in the Illinois communities of Chicago, Lemont, Ottawa, Vienna, Warsaw and Wayne.
(The Johnson County Courthouse in Vienna, Illinois, included on Landmarks Illinois’ 2024 Most Endangered Historic Places list, is among the recent grant recipients.)
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Formerly endangered Judge Barry House becomes local landmark in St. Charles
The St. Charles City Council approved an ordinance at its July 20 meeting to designate the Judge William D. Barry House a local historic landmark, following the recommendation of the St. Charles Historic Preservation Commission.
Listed on Landmarks Illinois’ 2025 Most Endangered Historic Places in Illinois, the historic home faced an uncertain future before a local developer, Geneva Heights LLC, stepped forward with plans to rehabilitate it. A unique agreement between the City of St. Charles, the developer and current owner, Baker Memorial United Methodist Church, will ensure the Barry House is restored.
Gloria (Kohlert) Geske, a former owner of the Judge Barry House, spoke during the City Council’s public comment period. According to a recording of the meeting, she thanked the city for its support in preserving the home and helping to highlight its story.
(Photo credit: Paul Morgan)
Bryn Mawr Historic District gets final landmark recommendation
The Commission on Chicago Landmarks (CCL) voted unanimously on July 9 to recommend Chicago Landmark designation for the Bryn Mawr Avenue District.
The proposed district includes 15 historic buildings constructed between 1897 and 1929 along West Bryn Mawr Avenue. Already listed in the National Register of Historic Places, the district represents a remarkably intact historic commercial corridor that has served the Edgewater community for more than a century.
At its July meeting, the CCL also denied a permit for a developer to demolish a building in the district to make way for an apartment building.
Landmarks Illinois has supported this designation from the beginning, including submitting letters of support, participating in community outreach and testifying in favor of protecting this important historic place.
The recommendation now moves to the Chicago City Council’s Committee on Zoning, Landmarks and Building Standards. We continue to support landmark designation for the Bryn Mawr Avenue District and believe preservation and thoughtful development can work together to strengthen this historic corridor.
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Former 'Most Endangered' site in Altgeld Gardens takes step toward landmarking
Former “Most Endangered” site, the Shop Building at Altgeld Gardens, received preliminary landmark designation from the Commission on Chicago Landmarks (CCL).
The CCL approved the preliminary designation on June 4. Landmarks Illinois Director of Preservation Services Kendra Parzen submitted a letter supporting the designation and has advocated for the preservation of the Shop Building alongside People for Community Recovery since placing it on our list of Illinois’ Most Endangered Historic Places in 2021.
Designed by Keck & Keck and completed in 1945, the Midcentury Modern Shop Building housed essential shops and services of Altgeld Gardens and remains a beloved community focal point known as “Up-Top.” The building is also home to the Memorial Wall, a powerful symbol of Altgeld Gardens’ environmental justice legacy and the advocacy of Hazel Johnson and People for Community Recovery.
Last year, Landmarks Illinois awarded a grant through our Timuel D. Black Jr. Grant Fund for Chicago’s South Side to support By The Hand Club For Kids’ plans to adaptively reuse the building for after-school programs. We look forward to seeing the Shop Building protected by landmark designation and revitalized for the benefit of Altgeld Gardens.
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Major restoration project underway at McAuley Schoolhouse in West Chicago
The more than century-old former McAuley Schoolhouse in West Chicago is undergoing a reportedly $1.6 million renovation to reopen the one-room building for educational purposes.
According to the Chicago Tribune, West Chicago Elementary School District 33 is leading a restoration of the 24-by-36-foot building that “includes a new roof, masonry restoration, improvements to deteriorated beams and floor joists and utility upgrades, as well as a new parking lot. The schoolhouse will also get new doors, windows and siding.”
Once complete, the schoolhouse will become a living educational resource, according to the Tribune, allowing students to learn about the history of the site and providing space for the district’s instructional coaches.
The former McAuley Schoolhouse is listed in the National Register of Historic Places. Before closing in 1991, it was the last one-room schoolhouse still in use in Illinois. In 2014, Landmarks Illinois included it on the Most Endangered Historic Places in Illinois following decades of it sitting vacant and deteriorating.
Landmarks Illinois, led by Director of Preservation Services Kendra Parzen, has worked with West Chicago Elementary School District 33 staff in recent years on its goals to rehabilitate the former schoolhouse. We helped facilitate a pro bono space and site planning analysis by AltusWorks and a conditions assessment by Klein & Hoffman and Berglund Construction for the property.
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Exploring a church's legacy in Garfield Park
On Saturday, June 13, Landmarks Illinois co-hosted an educational program in partnership with Metropolitan Missionary Baptist Church located in Chicago’s Garfield Park neighborhood. Metropolitan Missionary Baptist Church is listed in the National Register of Historic Places and is a City of Chicago Landmark.
The June event, “Preservation Through Photography: The Story and Legacy of Metropolitan Missionary Baptist Church,” included a tour of the building led by community elders. A panel discussion moderated by Amber Delgado, Technical Assistance and Programs Manager at Landmarks Illinois, followed. The panel featured Nancy Watrous, Executive Director of the Chicago film Archives; Scheherazade Tillet, Executive Director of A Long Walk Home; Michal Raz-Russo, Programs Director at The Gordon Parks Foundation. This educational program was made possible with support from the Barbara C. and Thomas E. Donnelley II Preservation Fund and Jean Follett.
(L-R: Rev. Ledbetter, Jr., Michal Raz-Russo, Scheherazade Tillet, Amber Delgado, Shirley Wooten)
LI around the state...
See some of the places members of the Landmarks Illinois team were in July
National Alliance of Preservation Commissions FORUM
JULY 22-26
Director of Public Affairs Quinn Adamowski co-presented a session on July 25 at the National Alliance of Preservation Commissions FORUM in Minneapolis. Adamowski joined Huy Pham, Executive Director of Asian & Pacific Islander Americans in Historic Preservation (APIAHiP); and Hanna Stark, Director of Policy and Communications at the Preservation Alliance for Greater Philadelphia for the presentation, “Tools Hidden in Plain Sight: How Policies Shape Historic Preservation.”
The National Alliance of Preservation Commissions FORUM is a biennial conference and brings together hundreds of commissioners, local government staff and preservation professionals from across the country for intensive training, networking, and expert-led sessions designed to tackle modern preservation challenges. FORUM 2028 will be held in Louisville.
Celebration at the Forum
July 23
On July 23, Frank Butterfield attended an event at the Forum Cafe, 318 E. 43rd St., to celebrate of the reopening of the first section of the long-shuttered Forum complex!
Landmarks Illinois included the Forum on the 2018 Most Endangered Historic Places and awarded a Preservation Heritage Grant to Urban Juncture Foundation for structural repairs in 2017. Community members and supporters were welcomed into historic space with music, arts and cuisine to recognize this accomplishment and vision for the future.
On the LI blog...
Appraising Integrity at the Sheldon Peck Homestead
Amber Delgado, Technical Assistance & Programs Manager, and Kendra Parzen, Director of Preservation Services, explore the ongoing campaign to recognize the Sheldon Peck Homestead—a historic Underground Railroad site in Lombard—and discuss how rigid historic preservation standards can unintentionally exclude important American stories.
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Exploring Illinois’ Iconic Sites this Summer
Travel season has arrived, and regardless of your plans, there’s a way to experience the spirit of preservation throughout Illinois this summer. Nicole Rakers, Director of Development, highlights these iconic sites, including a Route 66 “Muffler Man” and one designed by trailblazing female architect Gertrude Lempp Kerbis, who would have celebrated her 100th birthday in August.
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Top social media posts of the month
News that demolition of the Jackson Square Mall in La Grange was halted, at least for now, was our top post on Facebook this month.
Our former President & CEO Bonnie McDonald’s farewell message ranked the highest on Instagram & LinkedIn:
Additional Landmarks Illinois news
- Bonnie McDonald, former President & CEO, presented the Relevancy Guidebook as a case study for a Heritage Now! campaign webinar on July 16. The webinar, “Heritage-Informed Decarbonization Around the Globe,” focused on heritage-informed approaches that help communities create more sustainable, resilient, and climate-positive futures. Drawing from Built Buildings Lab‘s new Decarbonizing the Built Environment through Heritage Toolkit, the webinar highlighted practical examples and select case studies demonstrating how preservation and climate goals can work together. The Relevancy Guidebook was selected as one of 14 case studies and can be found on pages 100-103 of the toolkit.
- Director of Public Affairs Quinn Adamowski will be inducted into the Joliet Hall of Pride on July 30. The Hall of Pride, located within the Joliet Area Historical Museum‘s Gallery of Champions, honors individuals and organizations whose leadership, service and lasting contributions have helped shape the Joliet region. Adamowski is being recognized for volunteer leadership, public service and dedication to cultural and historic preservation. As a citizen volunteer, he has played a key role in preserving Joliet’s stories, strengthening community institutions and advancing projects that celebrate the city’s history while contributing to its future. His leadership in his hometown has left a lasting impact on the community and helped ensure that many of Joliet’s most significant historic places will be preserved for future generations. Also being inducted are the Rubens brothers, whose vision and investment led to the development of Joliet’s iconic Rialto Square Theatre, one of the city’s most iconic structures.
- The Historic Ford Hangar in Lansing is hosting a Centennial Gala on Friday, September 18 to celebrate its 100th anniversary. Designed by architect Albert Kahn in partnership with Henry Ford, the Ford Motor Hangar was built in 1926 to house Ford’s Tri-Motor planes. In 2013, the Village of Lansing worked with Landmarks Illinois to preserve the historic property. We helped facilitate a conditions assessment of the site and provided a grant to support the restoration work through the Landmarks Illinois’ Preservation Heritage Fund. Former Landmarks Illinois Board Member and longtime partner and preservation advocate, Allison Toonen-Talamo, became involved in the restoration project, describing it as an “aha” moment that inspired her to pursue a career in building restoration. Learn more.
- In case You Missed It: Landmarks Illinois held its 2026 Annual Meeting on June 23, 2026, via Zoom. Participants elected our new Board Members and leadership and heard stories of our preservation work this past year. Watch the meeting on our YouTube channel. You can also read our Annual Report by clicking here.
View the full news roundup below
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