• Landmarks Illinois hosted a walking tour July 22 of select public artworks currently under review by the Chicago Monuments Project. Landmarks Illinois President & CEO Bonnie McDonald, who co-chairs the Chicago Monuments Advisory Committee, led the roughly two-mile guided tour in downtown Chicago that provided an overview of some of the 41 monuments the advisory committee identified earlier this year as problematic for how they represent history or perpetuate false narratives in ways that many people find offensive or inappropriate for memorialization. See photos of the tour here.

• Erica Ruggiero, Principal at McGuire Igleski & Associates, Inc. and Skyline Council of Landmarks Illinois Service Subcommittee Chair, will lead a virtual presentation July 31 on former Landmarks Illinois Most Endangered site, the Central Manufacturing District in Chicago. Guests will learn about the history and preservation efforts of this industrial landmark. Register for the event here.

• Two Illinois preservation efforts were awarded grant funding from National Park Service’s African American Civil Rights Grant Program this month: The Forum in Chicago (a Landmarks Illinois 2018 Most Endangered site & 2007 Preservation Heritage Fund grant recipient) & the City of Rock Island are among the latest recipients of the grant program. NPS announced it has awarded $15,035,000 million to 53 projects in 20 states. The Forum was awarded a $500,000 grant to help stabilize the building's main hall space so it can be reactivated while a larger phased rehabilitation is undertaken. The City of Rock Island received a $33,500 grant for its Rock Island Survey and Research Project.

• Despite attempts to save and preserve the David C. Cook Building in Elgin, demolition of the historic building began this month, with the roof partially removed. Local advocates, led by Northeast Neighborhood Association, held a rally July 21 in their continued efforts to voice support for structure's preservation and to urge the City of Elgin to purchase the property. A July 28 City Council vote on the potential purchase failed 5-4. Landmarks Illinois included DC Cook Building on its 2008/09 Chicagoland Watchlist. Earlier this year, the Elgin City Council nominated the 1901 building for potential landmark status, but did not proceed with designation due to lack of owner consent, leaving it unprotected.

• Landmarks Illinois is helping the Frank Lloyd Wright Building Conservancy advocate for a preservation-minded buyer for the unprotected Frank Lloyd Wright-designed Bagley Home in Hinsdale that is for sale and at risk of demolition. The Bagley House, built in 1894, is for sale by @properties to a limited audience, and all offers were starting to be reviewed on July 26, 2021. Landmarks Illinois will update our audience as we receive updates on the home. Learn how you can help advocate for the home here.

• Landmarks Illinois issued a letter of support this month for local landmark designation for the Second Church of Christ, Scientist in Evanston, built in 1946. The Evanston City Council’s Planning and Development Committee will vote August 9 on forwarding a landmark recommendation to the full City Council for the Perkins & Will-designed building. Evanston residents in support of landmarking the historic church can sign this petition here and and reach out to their alderperson here.

• The Chicago Architecture Center's exhibit "Helmut Jahn: Life + Architecture" opened this month and features Most Endangered site, the James R. Thompson Center in Chicago. Landmarks Illinois included the Post Modern building on its 2021 Most Endangered Historic Places in Illinois, announced in May, and previously included it on its 2017, 2018 and 2019 Most Endangered lists. Landmarks Illinois also commissioned a National Register nomination for the building. The Illinois Historic Sites Advisory Council, the official state-appointed body to recommend places in Illinois for listing in the National Register of Historic Places, voted in favor of the nomination in June. Hear Landmarks Illinois Advocacy Director Lisa DiChiera interviewed on WLS about the National Register designation effort.

• Landmarks Illinois President & CEO Bonnie McDonald was on Preservation Maryland's podcast, PreserveCast. Check out the episode in which Bonnie talks about Landmarks Illinois' 50th Anniversary in 2021, the organization's new Guiding Principles and her James Marston Fitch Charitable Foundation fellowship.

• Landmarks Illinois was among many who submitted letters and made public statements to the Commission on Chicago Landmarks this month in favor of landmarking the Halsted & Willow Gateway in Chicago, a 2014 Most Endangered Historic Places in Illinois site. The commission held a public hearing on the potential landmarking of the group of buildings in Lincoln Park on July 12. The Commission on Chicago Landmarks will vote on final landmark recommendation at its August 5th meeting. Learn how to make a public statement or submit a letter or email of support here.

• Preservation advocates in Peoria have formed a new group, the Madison Preservation Association, to fundraise and restore the historic Madison Theatre in Peoria, a former Landmarks Illinois Most Endangered property and Preservation Heritage Fund grant recipient. The theater is included on the National Register of Historic Places and has sat empty for nearly 20 years. The restoration committee plans to hold open house tours in August at the theater as well. Stay tuned to Landmarks Illinois' social media for future updates.