FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 28, 2019
Media Contact:
Kaitlyn McAvoy
Communications Manager, Landmarks Illinois
312-922-1742
kmcavoy@landmarks.org
Landmarks Illinois Announces 2019 Richard H. Driehaus Foundation Preservation Award Recipients
CHICAGO – Landmarks Illinois has named this year’s recipients of the Landmarks Illinois Richard H. Driehaus Foundation Preservation Awards. The nine award-winning preservation projects, and the people who made them possible, will be honored at a ceremony in Chicago the evening of Friday, Oct. 18, 2019.
Now in its 26th year, the Landmarks Illinois Richard H. Driehaus Foundation Preservation Awards is an annual program that calls attention to the exceptional efforts of people who preserve important and historic places in their Illinois communities.
“While incredibly rewarding, historic preservation is not always easy – it takes dedication, a strong vision, creative thinking and investment,” said Bonnie McDonald, President & CEO of Landmarks Illinois. “Our annual awards program aims to shine a spotlight on the people who are doing this important work and to celebrate their significant achievements.”
Awards this year are given in the categories of advocacy, adaptive use, stewardship, rehabilitation and restoration. In addition to an award, recipients receive a $1,000 prize. The 2019 Landmarks Illinois Richard H. Driehaus Foundation Preservation Award recipients are listed below. Visit our website to read more details on each project and to hear from project leaders on why this work is important to them and their communities.
Ford House, Aurora: Award for Stewardship
Owner Sidney Robinson is recognized for his 30+ year stewardship and maintenance of the iconic, Bruce Goff-designed Ford House and for his dedication to its preservation. Robinson has restored the original features of the 1950 home – a local and national landmark – and made arrangements in his estate to have a preservation easement on the house donated to Landmarks Illinois.
Rise Above It Bakery & Café, Carterville: Award for Rehabilitation
After restoring her own 1921 bungalow and establishing the Carterville Heritage Museum, Jennifer Spence restored and transformed a downtown Carterville building into a thriving bakery where community residents as well as visitors to the small, southern Illinois town can gather. The rehabilitation preserved historic artifacts of the original building, including salvaged architectural pieces, and has sparked a new sense of pride in Carterville’s historic downtown.
Eris Brewery and Cider House, Chicago: Award for Adaptive Use
An innovative team of dedicated people successfully transformed a long forgotten, 107-year-old former Masonic Temple into a thriving brewery and restaurant, creating a unique destination for residents and visitors of the Northwest Side Chicago neighborhood of Irving Park. The extensive restoration project, which included sustainable design and energy systems to reduce the company’s environmental footprint, celebrates many of the building’s original features like hand riveted steel beams, brick walls and light fixtures. The preservation effort has made it possible for people to gather, eat and drink in the historic space.
Lofts on Arthington, Chicago: Award for Rehabilitation
The locally and nationally landmarked 111-year-old former Catalogue Printing building at the old Sears, Roebuck & Co. headquarters on Chicago’s West Side has been transformed from a vacant and deteriorating space into 181 affordable housing units. The adaptive reuse of this building owned by Mercy Housing Lakefront not only provides affordable quality housing for 400 residents in need, including children, but also created approximately 350 construction jobs and 11 permanent jobs.
Turner Hall, Galena: Award for Rehabilitation
The City of Galena and The Galena Foundation teamed up to restore the National Register-listed landmark so it could once again serve as a vibrant community center. Since 2013, the city-created Turner Hall Committee had been working to develop a master plan for the project and carried out an extensive rehabilitation that included both exterior and interior work. Today, it serves as a venue for theater, music, dance, dinners and other community events.
Stellwagen Farm, Orland Park: Award for Restoration
The Village of Orland Park and the Stellwagen family led a meticulous restoration of numerous outbuildings at the only remaining farmstead in Orland Park. Historic photographs and period materials from Europe were used, as well as a tremendous amount of research, to restore the farm to as close as how it looked when Mathias Stellwagen established it for his family in 1860. The farmstead successfully celebrates its history and provides an educational public space for the community.
Denkmann-Hauberg Estate, Rock Island: Award for Advocacy
The Friends of Hauberg Civic Center Foundation was established as a nonprofit group to support and restore the once threatened Denkman-Hauberg Estate. The group has since led an impressive restoration of the 1911 Spencer and Powers Prairie Style Mansion and adjacent gardens designed by famed landscape architect Jens Jensen. The project has increased accessibility to the estate, which is an integral part of Rock Island’s local history, and serves as a rental venue and hosts tours and gardening clubs.
Illinois Governor’s Mansion, Springfield: Award for Rehabilitation
Former First Lady Diana Rauner and the Illinois Governor’s Mansion Association (IGMA) spearheaded the much needed rehabilitation of one of Illinois’ most visible and significant landmarks, built in 1855. When the Rauners moved in to the Governor’s Mansion in 2015, it had suffered significant deterioration, water damage and mechanical failures. Rauner, her family and IGMA led the privately funded renovation of the mansion’s interior and exterior – a project that stands as a perfect example of preservation stewardship for the benefit of the public.
Illinois Historic Preservation Tax Credit Advocacy Effort, Statewide: Award for Advocacy
Thanks, in large part, to the nearly decade-long efforts of AIA Illinois’ Mike Waldinger, his board and a significant number of volunteer lobbyists, Illinois now has a statewide historic preservation tax credit program, a vital incentive for preservation, job creation and private investment in the state. The legislation creating the 25% tax credit was signed into law in July 2018.
About the Awards Ceremony
Landmarks Illinois will celebrate recipients of the 2019 Landmarks Illinois Richard H. Driehaus Foundation Preservation Awards over a two-night event. Beginning on Thursday, Oct. 17 from 5:30-6:30 p.m., Landmarks Illinois will host a pre-ceremony panel discussion featuring preservation professionals and select 2019 award recipients. The panel will focus on the positive impact the 2019 award-winning preservation projects have had on the people who spearheaded them and those who work, live and spend time in these historic spaces. The public is invited to this panel discussion to hear stories of people saving important places in their Illinois communities. The panel takes place at the Chicago Architecture Center, 111 E. Wacker Drive. Tickets are $10.
On Friday, Oct. 18, from 6-9 p.m. Landmarks Illinois will hold its annual Richard H. Driehaus Foundation Preservation Awards Ceremony at the Claudia Cassidy Theater and GAR Rotunda at the Chicago Cultural Center, 78 E. Washington St., Chicago. The popular annual celebration is open to the public. Tickets are $45-$50 for Landmarks Illinois members and $60 for non-members.
Register for both events by visiting our Events page on our website, www.Landmarks.org. You can also register by calling Landmarks Illinois at 312-922-1742.
About Landmarks Illinois
Landmarks Illinois is a membership-based nonprofit organization serving the people of Illinois. We inspire and empower stakeholders to save places that matter to them by providing free guidance, practical and financial resources and access to strategic partnerships. For more information, visit www.Landmarks.org.
###
2019 Award Recipients