Preservation News Roundup: November 2021

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.

Additional Landmarks Illinois news

• The Landmarks Advocacy Team hosted 16 meetings with staff and elected officials of the Illinois congressional delegation during the week of November 1. With assistance from preservation advocates across the state, Landmark Illinois staff discussed and advocated for HR2294, the Historic Tax Credit Growth and Opportunity Act, and for HR3600, the Route 66 National Historic Trail Designation Act. Both bills were co-sponsored by U.S. Reps. Darin LaHood and Rodney Davis. Advocacy efforts led to additional co-sponsors of HR2294: U.S. Reps. Bobby Rush, Raja Krishnamoorthi, Marie Newman and Mike Kelly. If you would like to advocate, contact your federal legislator and urge them to support these bills.

• Legislation to make Route 66 a National Historic Trail is progressing in Congress. The bill, sponsored by U.S. Rep. Darin LaHood of Illinois, would give the National Park Service authority to assist and support states and local communities in preserving, promoting and capitalizing on economic development from Route 66. Landmarks Illinois called attention to iconic Route 66 sites in Illinois on its 2017 Most Endangered Historic Places in Illinois.

• Landmarks Illinois’ new Regional Advocacy Manager Quinn Adamowski was busy meeting preservation partners throughout the state this month. On November 18 and 19, Adamowski had in-person meetings with Tom Garza of PACA in Champaign, Ayn Owens from History of the Heartland in Decatur, Nathan Watson of CL Enterprises in LaSalle, Bob Eschbach, the former mayor of Ottawa and current Landmarks Illinois Board Member in Ottawa, and Matt Keutzer, Ryan Keutzer and Michael Zearing of studio K Architecture and David Gugerty of the Bureau County Historical Society in Princeton.

• Landmarks Illinois Chair Sandra Rand presented at the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s PastForward conference this month. Rand was part of the “Resources for Racial Equity in Preservation” presentation. Conference registrants can watch sessions from the conference here. Non-conference registrants can also access certain recordings here.

• New legislation calls for the National Register-listed New Philadelphia historic site in Pike County to become a national park. The site honors the first town platted and registered by a black man before the Civil War (1836), Frank McWorter. Landmarks Illinois awarded the New Philadelphia Association a grant earlier this year through our Barbara C. and Thomas E. Donnelley II Preservation Fund for Illinois to help enhance the augmented virtual reality program at the site.

• In case you missed it: Watch our Preservation Snapshots Lecture held Nov. 3, “Big Box Preservation,” which shared insight into the innovative project to transform a vacant Kmart store in Waukegan into Cristo Rey St. Martin College Prep. The project was honored at our 2021 Landmarks Illinois Richard H. Driehaus Foundation Preservation Awards, earning the night’s special Richard H. Driehaus Award for Innovation. Thanks to our lecture speakers from Cristo Rey & architecture firm JGMA!

• Landmarks Illinois held a special walking tour November 9 of the Pullman Historic District on Chicago’s South Side. The tour included stops at the Pullman National Monument & Visitor Center, the historic Greenstone United Methodist Church (which Landmarks Illinois has for years provided resources to help preserve, including a grant in 2021 through our Timuel D. Black, Jr. Grant Fund for Chicago’s South Side) and the 2021 Landmarks Illinois Richard H. Driehaus Foundation Preservation Award Winning Pullman Artspace Lofts.

• Landmarks Illinois President & CEO Bonnie McDonald, Director of Reinvestment Suzanne Germann, Regional Advocacy Manager Quinn Adamowski and Board Member Jean Follett attended a rededication ceremony at the Edith Farnsworth House in Plano on November 17. The event, held in honor of Farnsworth’s 118 birthday, marks the Farnsworth House – a former Landmarks Illinois Most Endangered site and current easement property – officially being named the Edith Farnsworth House to recognize the significant role Dr. Edith Farnsworth played in the design and creation of the nationally recognized home.

• Landmarks Illinois President & CEO Bonnie McDonald also moderated a panel discussion at Wrightwood 659 in Chicago at a two-part virtual program “Put the City Up, Tear the City Down.” The panel discussion focused on the “future of preservation in Chicago with a focus on equity, heritage, and community engagement.” Panel participants were architect Juan Gabriel Moreno, Chicago Commissioner of Planning and Development Maurice Cox and preservation advocate for the Muddy Waters House Chandra Cooper together in conversation. Watch the discussion here.

• On November 4, Landmarks Illinois President & CEO Bonnie accepted a “Fortnightly Founders Award for Women of Vision, Effort and Impact” from the Fortnightly of Chicago. The award is given to people who are making a difference in Chicagoland. McDonald was honored for her transformative thinking about preservation. See photos here.

• Landmarks Illinois Director of Reinvestment Suzanne Germann participated in a lecture hosted by Unity Temple Restoration Foundation at Unity Temple in Oak Park on November 18. The lecture was led by biologist Dr. Richard Condit and focused on his father Carl W. Condit’s book, The Chicago School of Architecture (1964). Germann discussed how preservation advocates value historic buildings and how they make decisions about what is worth preserving and advocating for.

• The National Trust for Historic Preservation featured a guest article written by Landmarks Illinois Communications Manager Kaitlyn McAvoy on the new Landmarks Illinois Women Who Built Illinois database. The article, “Four Women Who Built Illinois,” focuses on four of the more than 100 women featured in the comprehensive database highlighting female in design and development fields and their contributions to the state’s built environment between 1879 and 1979.

Download the full Preservation News roundup below!

November 2021 Preservation News Roundup