You helped us raise more than $60K to save places in Illinois!

Thank you to everyone who donated to our 2023 Year-End Appeal! Thanks to a generous matching challenge gift from Anne Voshel through the Van Dam Charitable Foundation, we were able to raise more than $60,000, which goes directly to our work helping people across Illinois save the places that matter to their communities.

What can we do with $60,000?

• Fund 92% of Landmarks Illinois' Preservation Heritage Fund grant program, which provides funding to more than a dozen preservation projects each year.

• Completely fund our two regional grant funds: the Timuel D. Black, Jr. Grant Fund for Chicago’s South Side and the Landmarks Illinois Banterra Bank Preserve Southern Illinois Grant Program, both of which provide financial resources to underserved areas.

• Cover the cost of advocacy program needs, including for our annual Most Endangered Historic Places in Illinois and travel expenses for Regional Advocacy Manager Quinn Adamowski who meets with advocates across the state to provide resources and expertise to local preservation efforts.

Thank you again for your generous support! We thank Anne Voshel — a dedicated Landmarks Illinois member for over 30 years serving on the former President’s Committee, Board of Directors and the Emeritus Board — for encouraging others to give through this challenge.

Miss your chance to donate? It's not too late!

Preserving the remaining Mesker buildings in Illinois

"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. 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."

McDonald also attended numerous events and conferences this month to promote "The Relevancy Guidebook" and its findings. On January 17, McDonald was a panelist at the Climate Action Museum’s program, “Is Historic Preservation a Barrier to Building Decarbonization?” McDonald joined Passive House Institute – United States (PHIUS) Co-Founder and Executive Director Katrin Klingenberg and moderator Doug Farr, Founder and Principal of Farr & Associates, for a conversation about the role historic places can play in climate change mitigation strategies. McDonald called upon data and examples from the “Fighting Climate Change Through Preservation” essay in "The Relevancy Guidebook."

McDonald is also serving as the keynote speaker today at the 2024 Saving Places Conference in Boulder hosted by Colorado Preservation, Inc., the statewide preservation nonprofit organization. McDonald’s keynote focuses on transforming preservation practice to be relevant, just and accessible, ideas detailed in her book. McDonald was joined by fellow keynote speakers, Monica Rhodes and Ann Beha, FAIA, who are innovators and inspirational thinkers on preservation.

Download the "The Relevancy Guidebook" and its Executive Summary for free at the Landmarks Illinois website.

Evanston plans to issue RFP for Harley Clarke Mansion

On January 22, the Evanston City Council authorized city staff to issue a formal Request for Proposals (RFP) for the Harley Clarke Mansion. The Harley Clarke RFP will follow an exploratory Request for Expressions of Interest (REI) for the adaptive use and rehabilitation of the historic property that was issued in 2023. The responses to the REI will inform the RFP parameters. 

Landmarks Illinois Advocacy Manager Kendra Parzen gave a statement at the council meeting in support of moving forward with the RFP. Landmarks Illinois has been advocating for the reuse of the Harley Clarke Mansion since 2016 when it was included on our list of the Most Endangered Historic Places in Illinois. Those interested in responding to the RFP should keep an eye on our communications for updates. Click below to read Parzen's statement from the Evanston City Council Meeting.

Landmarks Illinois meets with owners of historic theater in Chicago's Little Village

Earlier this month, Landmarks Illinois Director of Reinvestment Suzanne Germann and Advocacy Manager Kendra Parzen visited the historic Apollo's 2000 Theater in the Little Village neighborhood. Germann and Parzen spoke with the theater's owner, the Galindo family, to discuss how Landmarks Illinois can support their vision to designate the theater a Chicago Landmark. In December 2023, Parzen spoke at a Commission on Chicago Landmarks public meeting in support of designating the historic theater a Chicago Landmark.

Constructed in 1917 as the Marshall Square Theatre, the Beaux-Arts building is a rare remaining example of a transitional early twentieth-century movie theater in Chicago. Its beautifully ornamented exterior and interior spaces communicate its historic and architectural worth. In addition to the architectural significance, Parzen stated, the theater, "is also equally deserving of recognition for its more recent history as a venue for Latin music and other programming tailored to the Latino community in Little Village."

Read Parzen's full statement below.

A tribute to David Bahlman, Landmarks Illinois' former President

Landmarks Illinois and the entire preservation community lost a friend and former leader, David Bahlman, late last year. Bahlman served as Landmarks Illinois President from 1999-2008 and led the organization through many high-profile preservation battles, including those at Old Cook County Hospital in Chicago and the Farnsworth House in Plano. In this tribute, a few of those who worked with Bahlman share fond memories of him and stories of his lasting legacy on the preservation field.

Skyline Council hosts Trivia Night Jan. 16

Thank you to everyone who came out to participate in Skyline Council's Trivia Night earlier this month at Great Central Brewing! Thank you to our night's sponsors: LS Contracting Group, Inc.; Raths, Raths & Johnson, Inc.; and Bauer Latoza Studio.

Congratulations to the night's winning teams!

First place: SGW Architecture & Design

Second place: Bauer Latoza Studio

Third place: SGH Architects

Check out photos from the event below!

Landmarks Illinois staff try glass blowing at Firebird Community Arts

Landmarks Illinois thanks Firebird Community Arts for hosting our staff outing on Friday, January 26. Staff members each got to make their own glass paperweight under the supervision and direction of Firebird teachers.

Firebird Community Arts empowers and connects people through the healing practice of glassblowing and ceramics. The nonprofit organization located in East Garfield Park serves those who have been impacted by structural or individual trauma, including violently injured youth, veterans, formerly incarcerated individuals, undocumented and immigrant populations and Chicago Public School students on the South and West Sides. The City of Chicago also announced this week it would award Firebird a $2.5 million Community Development Grant to build a new studio space.

Firebird also creates custom awards for our Landmarks Illinois Influencers honored at our Preservation Forward fundraising event.

Stay up to date with all of Landmarks Illinois' news. Visit our Preservation News Blog & our Press Room at our website!