City of Lincoln awarded Landmarks Illinois grant for the Tropics sign

[June 29, 2017]  LINCOLN - Landmarks Illinois today announced $31,500 in grant funding for a dozen historic preservation projects in Illinois through its Preservation Heritage Fund and Barbara C. and Thomas E. Donnelley II Preservation Fund grant programs.

The grants were awarded between January and June of 2017 and range from $1,000 - $5,000 each. Grant recipients will use the funding for restoration and repair projects at historic sites and buildings across the state, including a nationally recognized historic carpenter shop in Bishop Hill, a garden designed by renowned landscape architect Jens Jensen in Chicago, and iconic Route 66 signage in Lincoln.

“Landmarks Illinois’ grant recipients during the first half of the year show the diverse range of creative reuse and rehabilitation projects happening in Illinois,” said Bonnie McDonald, President & CEO of Landmarks Illinois. “Community members across the state are taking action to save special places, and Landmarks Illinois is proud to provide the funding that, in many cases, kick starts these local preservation efforts.”

Landmarks Illinois’ Preservation Heritage Fund grant recipients during the first six months of 2017 are (in alphabetical order by project location):

• Belleville Historical Society: Creating ADA accessible restroom at Blazier House in Belleville

• Bishop Hill Heritage Association: Phase 1 of the restoration of the Carpenter Shop in Bishop Hill

• Bolingbrook Historic Preservation Commission: Ground Penetrating Radar of Boardman Cemetery in Bolingbrook

• Urban Juncture Foundation: Structural repairs to the Forum in Chicago

• Music Institute: Masonry Repairs at the Music Institute of Chicago building in Evanston

• Forest Preserve District of Cook County: Structural repairs to the Sagawau Farmhouse in Lemont

• City of Lincoln: Restoration of the Tropics Route 66 neon sign in Lincoln

• Maeystown Preservation Society: Repairs to the Maeystown Stone Bridge in Maeystown

• Save the Massac: Structural repairs to the west wall of the Massac Theatre in Metropolis

• Central Illinois Landmarks Foundation: Relocation of the LeTourneau House in Peoria

• City of Wilmington: Reroof of Old City Hall in Wilmington

[Kaitlyn McAvoy
Communications Manager, Landmarks Illinois]