Logan County Courthouse to receive grant

[February 16, 2011]  CHICAGO -- Four Illinois counties -- Coles, Edgar, Effingham and Logan -- will receive nearly $200,000 in funding this year from the Richard H. Driehaus Courthouse Grant Program to help restore their historic county courthouses.

The Logan County Courthouse features a large central dome with four prominent clock faces. Although the clocks still function, the bell has not rung in years due to the deterioration of the bell stand, which sits on the courthouse roof. The county has been awarded a matching grant to help restore the bell, bell stand and clock faces on the courthouse, as well as additional funding for an exterior lighting plan.

The Classical Revival-style courthouse was built in 1903-05.

Other courthouse grant projects this year:

• Coles County, Charleston -- This Romanesque Revival-styled building, designed by Cornelius Rapp, was constructed in 1900. The colossal stone structure, which features a slender central tower, is the centerpiece of Charleston's downtown courthouse square. The county will be awarded a matching grant to restore all four clock faces and repair the tower's bell, as well as additional funding for an exterior lighting plan.

• Edgar County, Paris -- This southeastern Illinois county was awarded a matching grant last year to help restore "Lady Justice," a 10-foot-tall zinc statue that stands atop the courthouse's 150-foot-tall central tower. Although the statue has been restored, additional funding was required to complete the project, which included significant structural repairs to the tower and repainting the sheet metal-clad tower to match the color of the sandstone building. The courthouse, which dates to 1893, was designed by Henry Elliott.

• Effingham County, Effingham -- This 1870 Italianate-style structure, which is located on the town square, was vacated in 2007 when a new courthouse was constructed. Although the county still owns the building, it has been leased to the Effingham County Cultural Center and Museum Association. The association has been awarded a matching grant to help reconstruct the building's original bell-shaped cupola.

"We are delighted to be able to help support these exceptional projects, which help restore some of the most beautiful buildings in our state," says Jim Peters, president of Landmarks Illinois, a statewide nonprofit organization that helps promote the preservation of historic structures.

This is the second year of the statewide county courthouse grant program, which is a four-year, $1 million effort funded by philanthropist Richard H. Driehaus. Eligible projects are for restoration of significant exterior courthouse features, including clocks, bell towers, cupolas and distinctive ornament, as well as new, cutting-edge exterior lighting technologies. Last year's grants were awarded for courthouse projects in Edgar, Henry and Morgan counties.

Applications for the next round of courthouse grants are due no later than Sept. 1. Courthouses, or former courthouses, must be listed or "eligible for listing" on the National Register of Historic Places. Program guidelines and application forms are available at www.landmarks.org.

[Text from Landmarks Illinois file received from the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency]