Preservation News Roundup: 2024 Year in Review

HELPING PEOPLE SAVE PLACES IN 2024

Landmarks Illinois proudly provides financial support to people working to save places in their community. Take a look back at the preservation projects our grant funds supported in 2024. 

• Preservation Heritage Fund
• Barbara C. and Thomas E. Donnelley II Preservation Fund for Illinois
• Landmarks Illinois Timuel D. Black, Jr. Grant Fund for Chicago’s South Side
• Landmarks Illinois Banterra Bank Preserve Southern Illinois Grant Program

Grants in 2024, by the numbers:

$107,375

awarded in grant funding

26

grants provided to preservation projects across Illinois

4

grant programs through which Landmarks Illinois provided grant funding

Landmarks Illinois’ accessible loans provide critical funding to adaptive reuse projects in Chicago

In 2024, Landmarks Illinois provided two loans through its Reinvestment Program Loan Fund to support the reuse of historic places in Chicago. In July, Landmarks Illinois closed a $500,000 loan to BandWith for the adaptive reuse of the former Loyal Casket Building in East Garfield Park. This fall we gave a $300,000 loan to Plant Chicago for its restoration and reuse of a historic former firehouse in the Back of the Yards neighborhood.

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 of the program help bring preservation projects closer to completion. The program is currently focused on preservation projects in historically disinvested neighborhoods on Chicago’s South and West Sides. Interested in learning more about the Landmarks Illinois Reinvestment Program or applying for a loan? Click below!

(Pictured: BandWith breaking ground on its reuse of the Loyal Casket Building)

South Side grant program expands reach

This year, we made the Landmarks Illinois Timuel D. Black, Jr. Grant Fund for Chicago’s South Side accessible to more people. The grant program provides financial support to people preserving and promoting the history, culture and architecture of Chicago’s South Side. Previously open to only nonprofits, the grant program now welcomes for-profit entities to apply.  Potential grant amounts have significantly increased this year and now range from $500 to $10,000 each, depending on project need. Grants are awarded on a 3:1 matching basis.

Visit our website to learn more about eligible projects and how to apply for a grant!

(Pictured: 2024 grant recipient, Phyllis Wheatley Home Group)

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Harley Clarke Mansion in Evanston will be adaptively reused 

Listed on Landmarks Illinois’ 2016 Most Endangered Historic Places in Illinois, the Harley Clarke Mansion in Evanston has sat empty with its future uncertain for more than a decade. Following an RFP process, the City of Evanston this year selected a reuse proposal for the architecturally significant lakefront property with gardens designed by the famed landscape architect Jens Jensen. In October, the Evanston City Council unanimously approved entering lease negotiations with Celadon, a developer that plans to adaptively reuse the Harley Clarke Mansion as an event space and hotel featuring a restaurant and other retail stores. Celadon’s proposal will maintain public ownership, enable a sustainable reuse of the property and continue the Jens Jensen Gardens’ stewardship of the beautiful landscape surrounding the mansion.

Since calling attention to the mansion on our “Most Endangered” list, Landmarks Illinois has continuously been involved in efforts to preserve the property, including hosting a heartbombing event in 2019, facilitating pro bono building condition assessments and speaking at countless Evanston City Council meetings. Landmarks Illinois also helped advise city staff on the RFP process earlier this year. Read our statement in support of Celdon’s reuse proposal here.

Chicago’s State Street skyscrapers on path to preservation, reuse

Landmarks Illinois celebrated the news in August that the General Services Administration had decided to pursue adaptive reuse, rather than demolition, for the historically and architecturally significant Century and Consumers Buildings in Chicago. We have been involved in the effort to preserve the iconic skyscrapers on State Street for the past decades, including listing them on our Most Endangered Historic Places in Illinois lists in 2022 and 2023, effectively helping bring much-needed attention to the at-risk buildings. We look forward to the GSA’s next steps to identify a developer that can return these buildings to active use after nearly 20 years of sitting vacant. Read more in our statement on the news below.

Dedication ceremony celebrates Old Millstadt Water Tower restoration

In April, Friends of the Old Millstadt Water Tower celebrated a project years in the making: the restoration of their community’s beloved tin man-style water tower. Built in 1931 and included on Landmarks Illinois’ 2014 Most Endangered Historic Places in Illinois, the water tower is one of only a few of its kind remaining in the state. A Preservation Heritage Fund Grant from Landmarks Illinois in 2021 also helped support the restoration of the tower. Work was completed in 2023. Landmarks Illinois joined the celebration in Millstadt this year.

(Pictured: Landmarks Illinois COO Frank Butterfield (left) with Betty Keller Timmer, President of Friends of the Old Millstadt Water Tower, and Judy DeMoisy of Collinsville, in front of the Old Millstadt Water Tower.)

Iconic Route 66 statue saved

The Gemini Giant, a once-threatened Route 66 attraction, was restored this year. Since 1965, the Gemini Giant has stood outside the Launching Pad restaurant in Wilmington. The statue is one of the many “Muffler Men” statues along Route 66. It was named after Project Gemini, NASA’s second human spaceflight program that ran from 1961 to 1966.

In 2017, Landmarks Illinois listed iconic Route 66 roadside attractions, like the Giant, on its Most Endangered Historic Places in Illinois. Earlier this year, the statue went up for auction, and the Joliet Area Historical Museum placed the winning bid in March. For over a year, the museum and City of Wilmington were working together with the common goal of saving the Gemini Giant. After a months-long restoration effort, the renewed giant was reinstalled in Wilmington’s South Island Park on November 30. Congratulations to all involved in this successful preservation effort!

(Pictured:Jeannine Smith, City of Joliet;, Greg Peerbolte, Joliet Historical Museum; Quinn Adamowski, Landmarks Illinois; Ryan Jandura, Save the Gemini Giant, Scott Durano, VFW. Credit Jeannine Smith.)

Gillson Park in Wilmette listed in National Register

The former Most Endangered site, Gillson Park in Wilmette, was listed in the National Register of Historic Places this year. The 60-acre, Prairie-style public park sits along Lake Michigan and features naturalist landscapes and open space. 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. Landmarks Illinois sponsored the Gillson Park National Register nomination, prepared by Julia S. Bachrach, landscape historian, and Malcolm Cairns, FASLA. We also hosted a Preservation Snapshots Lecture on the historic park in November 2023. Watch it here.

Thompson Center redevelopment is underway

In May, Landmarks Illinois attended the redevelopment launch of the James R. Thompson Center in Chicago, marking a monumental win for the preservation community. For years, Landmarks Illinois and a handful of preservation partners, including DOCOMOMO-Chicago, the National Trust for Historic Preservation, Preservation Chicago and Preservation Futures, advocated to save the iconic, Post-Modern building designed by Helmut Jahn. We included it four times on our Most Endangered list between 2017 and 2021. The State of Illinois put it up for sale in 2019, and in 2022, Google purchased the building and said it would reuse it as office space.

Altgeld Gardens School Building closer to reuse

The historic “School Building C” in Chicago’s Far South Side neighborhood of Altgeld Gardens is one step closer to rehabilitation and reuse. The former high school was constructed in 1944 and designed by the then-head architect of the Chicago Board of Education, John C. Christensen. It had sat vacant and deteriorating for more than 30 years when Landmarks Illinois included the building on our Most Endangered list in 2021. In September, the Chicago Board of Education agreed to transfer ownership of the building to People for Community Recovery. The Altgeld Garden-based advocacy organization plans to revitalize the building into the Hazel M. Johnson Institute for Sustainability and Environmental Justice. In December, the group had selected an architect to move forward with the building’s reuse.

Redevelopment progresses at the Broadview Hotel in East St. Louis

The former Broadview Hotel in East St. Louis is a 2021 Most Endangered site now being redeveloped into senior affordable housing. In July, Regional Advocacy Manager Quinn Adamowski met with Yaphett El-Amin of Efficacy Consulting and Development, which is leading the adaptive reuse project, to tour and see the progress of the building. 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 be completed by the end of the year.

Apollo’s 2000 becomes new Chicago Landmark

Apollo’s 2000, a former historic theater in Chicago’s Little Village neighborhood, became one of the city’s newest local landmarks this year. The prominent Beaux Arts building, which today is used as an events venue and concert hall run by the Galindo family, opened in 1917 and has remained an important community anchor. The effort to achieve Chicago Landmark designation was a particularly unique one, as it was led by the Galindo family themselves. Often landmarking is initiated by an outside party or city staff, who later seeks owner consent for support. Read our feature on the Galindo’s stewardship of the building here.

2024 Most Endangered Historic Places in Illinois

Landmarks Illinois announced its 2024 Most Endangered Historic Places in Illinois on May 7, calling attention to 10 culturally and architecturally significant sites across the state in need of preservation resources.

“This year’s ‘Most Endangered’ sites are not only incredibly important places in their communities, but many are large-scale buildings that sit prominently in highly visible areas near city centers, in historic districts or on state-owned land. Their neglect is seen and felt,” said Bonnie McDonald, President & CEO of Landmarks Illinois. “

Explore the list at our website.

Irreplaceable, one-of-a-kind Will County Courthouse is torn down

Will County began tearing down the courthouse, a 2022 Most Endangered site, at the tail end of 2023. In January 2024, Landmarks Illinois President & CEO Bonnie McDonald and Regional Advocacy Manager Quinn Adamowski co-wrote an op-ed in January published in the Chicago Sun-Times about the wasteful demolition. Landmarks Illinois and local preservation partners spent years trying to show Will County officials how reusing the one-of-a-kind Brutalist building would have brought indisputable benefits to the community.

“In the end, the lesson is obvious: With a few exceptions, when those who control the levers of power want to tear something down, they tear it down,” our op-ed stated. “Even when the evidence overwhelmingly suggests the reasoning is flawed and that redevelopment is the best option.”

Historic Joliet Steel Mill building destroyed by fire

A devastating fire destroyed the Joliet Steel Mill Main Office Building in September. The architectural and cultural landmark stood for more than 130 years on Collins Street in Joliet. The limestone building was part of the closed Joliet Steel site and the Joliet Steel Works National Register Historic District. Many buildings that once represented the city’s industrial heritage have already been demolished, heightening the importance of this structure.

Landmarks Illinois called attention to the long-vacant building on our 2021 Most Endangered Historic Places in Illinois. For years, we worked alongside the community to advocate for its restoration and reuse. Our advocacy efforts encouraged U.S. Steel, the site’s owner, to do some repairs, including the building’s roof. Following the fire this month, however, what remained of the building was demolished. Joliet’s Mayor also announced the remaining buildings on the steel site would also be demolished to remove the potential for future trespassers.

The loss also serves as a reminder of the importance of ensuring building owners provide adequate resources to maintain and honor the historic integrity of places that are important to communities all across Illinois and the nation. With proper care and repair, as Landmarks Illinois long called for, the Joliet Steel Mill Main Office Building would likely still be standing. Be sure to check out our upcoming January 2025 edition of The Arch newsletter to read more about this.

Landmarks Illinois fights to save Soldier Field, again

In March, Landmarks Illinois issued a statement in response to reports of the possible demolition of Soldier Field to build a new stadium for the Chicago Bears football team. As the organization that has led preservation efforts over the past two decades for the iconic landmark, our stance is clear: We oppose any plan that demolishes the few remaining pieces of the original Soldier Field. We remain committed to the preservation of the 100-year-old stadium that was built to honor the men and women who fought and died in World War I.

Effort to save Geneva's historic blacksmith shop continues

The Alexander Blacksmith Shop is a one-story limestone building that is one of the oldest surviving commercial structures in Geneva. Landmarks Illinois included the local landmark on our 2023 Most Endangered list since the new owner, the Shodeen Family Foundation, had applied for a permit from the city to de-designate and demolish it. The owner has continued to pursue demolition over the past year instead of making necessary repairs. In November, the City of Geneva issued a $27,000 fine to the owners for failure to make the building weather-tight.

Damen Silos near demolition

The 1906 former grain silos in McKinley Park moved closer to being demolished this year. Just this month, it was reported the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers gave the silo owner, Michael Tadin Jr., permission to tear them down with the expectation that a memorial using salvaged materials would be constructed to honor the silos’ historic significance. Landmarks Illinois has for years advocated for the silos to be sustainably reused along the Chicago River and included them on our 2022 Most Endangered list. Landmarks Illinois President Bonnie McDonald recently told the Chicago Tribune the loss of the Damen Silos is one of the city’s biggest preservation losses of the year. Tadin still needs final sign off from the city to complete demolition. He also has not said what he plans to do with the property once he demolishes the silos.

2024 Preservation Forward raises critical funds for preservation in Illinois

Landmarks Illinois held its 2024 Preservation Forward event on February 29, 2024, at The Old Post Office in Chicago. Approximately 730 guests joined us in honoring our 2024 Landmarks Illinois Influencers and helped raise approximately $600,000 for Landmarks Illinois’ mission-driven work helping people save places. Thank you to all our supporters and donors who helped make the event a success! See photos from the event below and click here for an event recap.

Save the date for 2025 Preservation Forward!

SPONSORSHIPS NOW AVAILABLE

Mark your calendars for the biggest night in preservation! Landmarks Illinois will hold its 2025 Preservation Forward event on March 6, 2025, at The Old Post Office in Chicago. Each year, this annual fundraiser brings in critical support for Landmarks Illinois’ mission-driven.

The evening will also honor this year’s 2025 Landmarks Illinois Influencers:

• Chicago Women in the Trades, Nonprofit trades training organization
• Chris Enck, Architect & preservationist
• Elizabeth & Ethan Finkelstein, Founders of Cheap Old Houses

LI celebrates 20-year anniversary of Edith Farnsworth House being open to the public

On May 1, Landmarks Illinois and the National Trust for Historic Preservation marked 20 years since opening the Edith Farnsworth House in Plano to the public. President & CEO Bonnie McDonald reflected on this legendary endeavor to save the iconic Ludwig Mies van der Rohe-designed house.

“Saving the Edith Farnsworth House put Landmarks Illinois and the National Trust on an international stage, where we received considerable acclaim for a bold preservation move,” McDonald wrote in a feature published in our June 2024 edition of The Arch. “Moreover, this experience gave us the courage and determination to always seek creative preservation solutions.”

In celebration of the 20th anniversary, we also hosted a special Preservation Snapshots Lecture in April featuring Joe Antunovich, architect and former Landmarks Illinois Chair. Watch it here.

Skyline Council's popular events draw big crowds at historic places

Among the popular events Landmarks Illinois’ young and emerging professionals committee, the Skyline Council, hosted in 2024 was Trivia Night in January, the Valentine’s Day event in February and a summer networking event at The Salt Shed held in partnership with Landmarks Illinois’ Real Estate & Building Industries Council.

The Valentine’s Day event this year took place at the Schlitz Tied House, a 125-year-old Chicago Landmark in the Englewood neighborhood. The two-story, Queen Anne-style building was constructed in 1898 as one of 57 original taverns or “tied houses” built by the Milwaukee-based Schlitz brewery in Chicago in the late 19th and early 20th centuries just before Prohibition. The tied house on 69th Street is one of only a few of these buildings that remain today. The building’s current owner, local activist and leader Jennipher Adkins, hopes to restore the tied house to reuse it as a community gathering space. A grant through Landmarks Illinois’ Timuel D. Black Jr. Grant Fund for Chicago’s South Side this year helped pay for roof repairs to the building.

2025 Skyline Council Trivia Night

TICKETS NOW ON SALE!

Did you get your 2025 Trivia Night tickets yet? Skyline Council will host the event on January 22, 2025, at Great Central Brewing Company in Chicago. Teams of six can sign up now!

2024 awards ceremony honors people saving places

Landmarks Illinois hosted the 2024 Landmarks Illinois Richard H. Driehaus Foundation Preservation Awards on October 18 at the historic Apollo’s 2000 in Chicago’s Little Village neighborhood. Since 1994, the Landmarks Illinois Richard H. Driehaus Foundation Preservation Awards has honored individuals, organizations, projects, and programs whose work demonstrates a commitment to historic preservation. A generous grant from the Richard H. Driehaus Foundation enables Landmarks Illinois to present awards annually in various categories.

This year, the program called attention to rehabilitation and adaptive reuse projects in Alto Pass, Carterville, Chicago, Elgin, Rockford and Woodstock.

(The project team behind Lawson House receive their 2024 preservation award. Credit: David T. Kindler)

Saving the remaining 'Meskers'

“Mesker” buildings feature facades made of galvanized steel and cast iron produced by the Mesker Brothers Iron Works of St. Louis, Missouri, and the George L. Mesker & Company of Evansville, Indiana. Some Mesker facades are more ornamental than others, featuring embossed cornices and window hoods. All were ordered through catalogs and shipped by rail to building owners in the late 1800s and early 1900s.

At one time, Illinois had more than 6,500 of these iconic Main Street buildings. Finding out where these Meskers were built and how many still stand today has been a nearly two-decade-long quest led by Darius Bryjka, a Project Reviewer at the Illinois State Historic Preservation Office with the Illinois Department of Natural Resources.

Read our feature story on Bryjka’s diligent endeavor to document Illinois’ “Meskers,” which first appeared in our January 2024 edition of The Arch newsletter.

(Pictured: A row of Mesker buildings at 202-212 W. State St. in Geneva. Credit Darius Dryjka)

2024 Preservation Snapshots Lecture Series

Landmarks Illinois hosted a series of six Preservation Snapshots Lectures this year, each focusing on a different preservation topic or project. Learn about the new Emmett Till and Mamie Till-Mobley National Monument in Chicago (pictured) or how local advocates in Geneva are working to save on the city’s oldest surviving commercial structures. Watch them all at our YouTube channel!

Connecting people to critical pro bono services

Landmarks Illinois is able to expand its impact helping people save places statewide thanks to the donation of professional services by our board members and other providers. These construction and design firms donate services such as building condition assessments, cost estimates and zoning analysis.

Among the donated services we received this year were from: White & Borgognoni Architects, Bulley & Andrews, JAQ Corp., Studio GWA, Klein & Hoffman, Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, Inc., Revive Architecture, Lyon Strategies and DLA Piper. We thank these firms for the generous donation of their expertise and time during 2024!

In 2024 we…

Connected 13 preservation projects to donated services totaling $257,385 in value.

Interested in providing pro bono services to help save Illinois’ historic places?

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.

CHICAGO SUPPORTERS: Did you see us on the CTA this year? 

This spring, we launched our first-ever public advertising campaign, which aimed to highlight our work and the work of our partners in preservation. Our signs, like the one pictured, were featured at certain L stations in the Loop and on Red and Green line trains. It is part of an overall effort to raise our public profile, connect more people with our free resources and shine a light on people saving places in our communities. We also highlighted our partners’ work on social media.