Nine outstanding preservation efforts from across the state will be honored next month by Landmarks Illinois, a statewide group that advocates for the protection of historic properties.
This year’s award winners tell a unique story about Illinois’ history – a story that stretches from an immigrant religious colony in the western Illinois prairie to a historic brewery on the edge of northern Illinois’ Rock River. An iconic mansion built in the 1880s is juxtaposed with a converted public housing project opened in the 1980s, along with a modest one-room dome home in southern Illinois and a 241-room luxury hotel on Michigan Avenue. This year’s winning projects and people represent the state’s diversity, but they are all linked by a common goal: to honor Illinois’ heritage and preserve its historic treasures.
“This has been an extraordinary year for preservation in Illinois,” said Bonnie McDonald, president of Landmarks Illinois. “Increasingly, building owners and developers are recognizing that the preservation and reuse of notable architecture not only enhances the beauty of the state, but also can significantly improve the vibrancy and livability of our neighborhoods, fostering civic pride, community involvement, and additional reinvestment.”
Each winner will receive a Richard H. Driehaus Foundation Preservation Award—which includes $500 and a distinctive trophy – at a special ceremony on October 17 at Venue One in Chicago. The award-winners are:
Bishop Hill Heritage Association, Bishop Hill – Stewardship
The Bishop Hill Heritage Association (BHHA) was founded in 1962 to preserve and promote the history of the Bishop Hill Colony, a utopian commune settled by Swedish immigrants in 1846. BHHA has been a faithful steward of four buildings in the historic district. Over the last five years, the association has undertaken extensive renovations of most of these buildings, including the 1853 Colony Store, the 1854 Steeple Building, and the 1855 Dairy Building. In total, BHHA has raised and invested more than $700,000 in rehabilitating these three historic buildings.
About Landmarks Illinois
Landmarks Illinois helps people save places. Formed in 1971, Landmarks Illinois serves as the state’s leading voice for historic preservation by promoting the reuse of buildings as a strategy for economic development and sustaining healthy communities, while expanding the public’s understanding and stewardship of the built environment. Landmarks Illinois is the only not-for-profit organization inspiring local action statewide to catalyze incremental and transformational community change through historic preservation.About the Awards
Since 1994 Landmarks Illinois has been aided by a generous grant from the Richard H. Driehaus Foundation to honor those whose work demonstrates a commitment to excellence in historic preservation.
This year’s awards jury was:
• Amber Bailey, Loyola University Masters Candidate
• Lee Brown, Teska Associates, Inc.
• Jake Goldberg, Goldberg General Contracting
• Tiffany Hamel Johnson, Chicago Urban League
• Bonnie McDonald, Landmarks Illinois
• Chelsea Medek, Klein and Hoffman
• Alice Novak, University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign
The awards ceremony, which includes cocktails and appetizers, will be held Saturday, Oct. 17 at Venue One, 1034 W. Randolph, and is open to the public. The program begins with a panel discussion at 3 p.m. followed by the awards presentation at 4:30 p.m. and a cocktail reception at 6 p.m. Tickets are available at $40 for members and $50 for non-members. To make a reservation visit our website at landmarks.org/awards.htm or contact Landmarks Illinois at 312-922-1742.
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