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The Preservation Services Division of the Illinois Historic Preservation
Agency is home to the State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) for Illinois.
Each state and territory has a SHPO, an office authorized by the National
Historic Preservation Act of 1966. The SHPO is charged with administering
federal and state preservation programs and laws, including: overseeing
the nomination of sites to the National Register of Historic Places; conducting
surveys of historic and archaeological resources; reviewing federal and
state undertakings (such as road projects) for their impact on cultural
resources; working with local governments in developing local historic
preservation programs in preparation for designation as Certified Local
Governments; administering rehabilitation tax incentives for qualified
historic buildings; providing Main Street design services; and providing
education, training, and technical assistance to the public in historic
preservation matters.
May 1, 2012
May is Preservation Month: “Discover
America’s Hidden Gems”
Each year, the National Trust for Historic Preservation selects
a theme for preservation month as a promotional tool for local
communities and preservation organizations across the country.
This year’s theme, Discover America’s Hidden Gems,
invites communities to recognize special resources in their
communities. Landmarks
Illinois, as the state-wide advocacy organization for
preservation in Illinois, has created a special Facebook page
for you to reveal your own “hidden gems.” Please
share your stories about “Hidden Gems” in Illinois.
A “hidden gem” recommendation from the IHPA staff:
The Cloud State Bank in McLeansboro IL.
Designed by the architecture firm of Reid & Reid
of Evansville, Indiana, the building features elaborate
ornamentation and complexity beyond the confines of the
florid Second Empire style it was designed in. Among the
more prominent details are “blocked” or banded
columns, a segmental central pediment, round-headed windows,
use of red brick and white stone, richly ornamented frieze
and several cornices, outward-splaying chimneys, and a
Mansard roof pierced by dormers and topped by a “bull’s
eye” clock tower covered with zinc shingles and
crowned with wrought iron work. Inside, an ornate vault,
which at one point was the only enclosed room in the entire
bank, still remains. Of added importance is that the iron,
tin and zinc work were executed by the company of J.B.
Mesker & Son of Evansville, Indiana, whose sons later
created their own companies, George L. Mesker & Company
and Mesker Brothers Iron Works, and popularized galvanized
sheet-metal cornices and entire building facades throughout
America’s small towns, including McLeansboro. Built
entirely by private funds, the building has served the
public almost continuously since its completion. Few small
towns in Illinois can boast of such a monumental and elegant
commercial building. The Cloud State Bank was listed on
the National Register of Historic Places in 1978. |
April 22, 2012
Celebrate
Earth Day – April 22nd; New evidence: Old is the New
Green.
 This
spring, the National Trust for Historic Preservation released
a major technical report on Building Reuse, which provides
in-depth information on the environmental benefits of
reusing existing buildings. The study, entitled “The
Greenest Building: Quantifying the Value of Building Reuse,”
applies modern Life Cycle assessment (LCA) methodologies
to this topic. The study compares the reuse of an existing
building with the construction of a comparable new building
for six different building types in four different weather
zones. The results vary somewhat, but the overall conclusion
is that it takes decades for a new building to save enough
resources, particularly energy resources, to make up for
the resources required to construct it in the first place.
If anything, the study methodology errs on the side of
new buildings, so that critics of building preservation
can’t pick at the details. The historic preservation
community has needed this study for years, as the topic
was last explored back in 1980. Kudos to the National
Trust, the Preservation Green Lab, and the consulting
team for this timely and impressive report. “The
greenest building really is the one that already exists!” |
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| April 15, 2012
Preservation Tax Incentive in Illinois - 2000
- 2012 $ 2.3 Billion Dollars invested
Historic properties in Illinois received more than $ 2.3
billion dollars in reinvestment from 2000 to today for owners
who utilized the federal rehabilitation tax incentives. In
2011, Illinois was first in the nation with more than $ 365
million in certified rehabilitation expenditures. This investment
was stimulated by $ 460 millions in federal tax credits. Based
upon recognized national models, this investment created more
than 37,000 jobs. The attached report highlights some of the
projects from around the state. Historic
Rehabilitation projects in Illinois 2000 - 2012 |
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April 15, 2012
Federal Tax Credit Projects in Illinois 2000 –
2012
The Richardson Building in Rockford - a tax credit
success story
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Richardson Building Project
201 W. State Street
Rockford Illinois
Project Cost $ 1,000,000, completed 2006
Roll over the picture to the left to view the results of
the restoration.
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The striking transformation of the Richardson Building provides
visual proof of the impact of the tax credit program in stimulating
reinvestment and improving buildings and places. This downtown Rockford
Building received an “architectural slipcover” in the
1960s, during an era in which old buildings were seen as something
to “be covered up” rather than celebrated. Using a historic
preservation approach, the original quality of this building has
been revealed and enhanced. The upper floor includes new residential
units while the first floor continues to serve modern retail uses.
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It is reasonable to ask, "Why preserve?" when faced with the decision
of what to do with an older property. The thought of starting fresh when
faced with the problems of an older home or building is attractive in
our modern society. The downside of this tendency, however, is that we
lose part of our history every time we raze an old building. Without the
old structures, cities take on a different character; neighborhoods lose
their identity; we more easily forget those who went before us. Each time
an old building is torn down, one of our cultural roots let go.
When we preserve and restore our historic resources-buildings,
sites, structures, objects, and landscapes-we gain a lot:
We maintain our community's appearance and character, which
gives it an identity and a personality all its own.
We give our children a glimpse of the architecture of their
forefathers and mothers.
We save the artistic workmanship so evident in older structures.
We "recycle" structures into other uses: how many other
purposes can you think of for old train stations?
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