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Pictured above: Greater Auburn Gresham Development Corporation receives its award for the Auburn Gresham Healthy Lifestyle Hub at the awards ceremony.

 Former Landmarks Illinois Director of Advocacy Lisa DiChiera with Jean Nihoul, Former Curator & Culinary Operations Manager at MOFAD; and Charla Draper, Publicist and former Ebony Food Editor, in the test kitchen in New York.

Landmarks Illinois wins national award for saving the Ebony Test Kitchen

Landmarks Illinois has received an Advocacy Award of Excellence from Docomomo US for its years-long effort to save the Ebony Test Kitchen. Landmarks Illinois and project partners, including the Skyline Council of Landmarks Illinois, will be honored at a public ceremony in New York City on November 2.

Docomomo announced the award, as well as all recipients of the 2023 Modernism in American Awards, last month via a press release:

"An Advocacy Award of Excellence is given for the outstanding efforts to save the historic Ebony Test Kitchen. Used for decades by Ebony Magazine food editors, the Test Kitchen is a significant part of the legacy of Johnson Publishing Company, the nation's foremost African American publisher during its prime. Originally housed within the Publishing Company’s headquarters, itself a Chicago Landmark designed by John Moutousammy, the first Black architect to have a building on Michigan Avenue, the Test Kitchen got its signature funky aesthetic with the help of Palm Springs-based interior designers William Raiser and Arthur Elrod.

"In 2018, as the building faced redevelopment, Landmarks Illinois secured the Test Kitchen's future by purchasing it for $1. With the aid of dedicated volunteers and the Skyline Council, it was documented, dismantled, and stored until the following year when it went on loan at the Museum of Food and Drink (MOFAD), which reconstructed two rooms, refurbished the kitchen, and reproduced key elements, including its iconic wallpaper, for the exhibition African/American: Making the Nation’s Table. 

"In June 2023, Landmarks Illinois announced the donation of the Ebony Test Kitchen to the Smithsonian's National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC). The Test Kitchen will become part of the museum's permanent collection, ensuring its pivotal role in Black, culinary, and architectural history endures."

Learn more below.

Watch a short video on Landmarks Illinois' efforts to save the Ebony Test Kitchen.

Top photo: (pictured left to right) Quinn Adamowski, Landmarks Illinois, Scott Evans, Paula Maloney, Murphysboro Main Street; Jennifer Spence, Banterra Bank, Terry Crain, Murphysboro Main Street.

Bottom photo: (pictured left to right) Starla Waters, Banterra Bank Banking Center Manager, Johnston City; Anthony Spiller of Andresen’s Café, Quinn Adamowski, Landmarks Illinois; Jennifer Spence, Banterra Bank.

Illinois Historic Sites Advisory Council supports Gillson Park National Register nomination

On Friday, October 27, the Illinois Historic Sites Advocacy Committee (IHSAC) voted unanimously in favor of recommending Gillson Park in Wilmette to the National Register of Historic Places. The Gillson Park nomination for the National Register will next be considered by the National Park Service. Kendra Parzen, Landmarks Illinois Advocacy Manager, attended last week’s IHSAC meeting in Springfield to speak in support of listing Gillson Park in the National Register.

Landmarks Illinois called attention to Gillson Park along Lake Michigan on our 2022 Most Endangered list as the Wilmette Park District was considering making changes to the historic, Prairie-style park that would have altered the design, removed greenery and added more roads and parking — much to the dismay of many locals. Landmarks Illinois also sponsored the Gillson Park National Register nomination, prepared by Julia S. Bachrach, landscape historian, and Malcolm Cairns, FASLA. Both Bachrach and Cairns will be leading a Preservation Snapshots program on Gillson Park this week. Register for the virtual program, “Gillson Park and Wilmette Harbor, a Fascinating and Remarkably Intact Historic Landscape” by clicking here. The program is free for Landmarks Illinois members!

Also, we ask Wilmette residents and Landmarks Illinois members to please get in touch with the Wilmette Park District to voice your support for the preservation of Gillson Park.

Among the additional National Register nominations considered by IHSAC last week was one for Downtown Joliet’s Historic District and the Illinois Chapter of the Black Panther Party. Regional Advocacy Manager Quinn Adamowski was at the IHSAC meeting to support the Joliet nomination, and Landmarks Illinois Programs Manager Leila Wills presented the nomination for multiple properties associated with the Illinois Chapter of the Black Panther Party, for which Wills serves as Executive Director. Parzen submitted a letter on behalf of Landmarks Illinois in support of the multiple property listing for the Black Panther Party. IHSAC voted to recommend both nominations for inclusion in the National Register. 

Landmarks Illinois weighs in on Thompson Center atrium and facade demolition

Earlier this month, the City of Chicago granted permits to demolish the exterior and atrium of the James R. Thompson Center in the Loop. The iconic, Post Modern building designed by Helmut Jahn, was included on Landmarks Illinois' Most Endangered Historic Places in Illinois four times since 2017, repeatedly calling for its reuse. In 2022, Google announced it would purchase the building and reuse it as office space for the company.

Landmarks Illinois President & CEO Bonnie McDonald provided the following statement to the Chicago Sun-Times, which reported on the demolition permit plans.

“Since we have not seen a current rendering or received details about the demolition permit application for the Thompson Center, we cannot comment on specifics. However, understanding the known concerns about the energy efficiency of the building’s current non-insulated windows, some level of exterior demolition does not come as a surprise. While we realize losing the existing windows would change the character of the building and add to the waste stream, we also recognize the need and opportunity to make historic buildings more energy efficient – something Landmarks Illinois supports. We take in the big picture that the building is being reused, and that is a win.”

Read the full article below.

Additional Landmarks Illinois preservation news

• Will County has awarded a contract to demolish the architecturally significant former Will County Courthouse in Joliet, named to Landmarks Illinois' 2022 Most Endangered list. The demolition contract is reported to cost nearly $1.5 million. American Demolition Corporation of Carol Stream is expected to begin tearing down the building in November.

• The Forest Preserve District of Kane County voted on October 10 against proceeding with the demolition of the Barn at Mill Creek in the Greenway Forest Preserve, also known as the R C Judd/ Bob Johnsen Starline Barn. The 1920s dairy barn design reflects the 100 years that dairy drove and dominated Kane County’s agricultural abundance and rural life. The district had previously proposed demolishing the barn if a new use and funding source for restoration work was not determined by March 2024. Landmarks Illinois Advocacy Manager Kendra Parzen submitted a statement opposing the March deadline and demolition. Read it here.

• Landmarks Illinois President & CEO Bonnie McDonald will be moderating a panel discussion on at the City of Chicago's City Civics Day. The panel discussion is called, “Connecting with Chicago’s Cultural Histories." The event is free to attend. Learn more here.

• Neighborhood organizations in Lincoln Park convened a joint event on October 24, “Conversations on Historic Preservation in the Lincoln Park Community.” The event was co-hosted by Lincoln Central Association, Mid-North Association, Sheffield Neighborhood Association, RANCH Triangle and Wrightwood Neighbors Association. Landmarks Illinois Advocacy Manager Kendra Parzen gave an introduction to the benefits of historic preservation and available financial incentives and programs. The goal of the meeting was to empower residents to have informed conversations about preservation and development in Lincoln Park.  

• On October 10, Bonnie McDonald presented to the Evanston Preservation Commission about The Relevancy Project, her work with Landmarks Illinois to identify ways to make preservation relevant to more people. Watch the presentation here beginning at 2:38 min (total presentation is approximately 50 minutes). The commissioner’s questions were a helpful reflection on the project.

• Preservation can be transformative for communities, even when it is incremental. In 2015, Jacksonville, Illinois, had a downtown turnaround project that won a Landmarks Illinois Richard H. Driehaus Foundation Preservation Award. Among those who led that initiative was Jacksonville Main Street Director Judy Tighe, who has continued inspiring downtown revitalization. This included Rabbi Rob and Lauren Thomas, who have purchased and begun restoring four downtown buildings. Rabbi Rob grew up in and recently returned to Jacksonville and is bringing his IT and business expertise to invest in downtown housing and support small entrepreneurs. Landmarks Illinois Regional Advocacy Manager Quinn Adamowski and President & CEO Bonnie McDonald visited with Rabbi Rob in Jacksonville on October 12 to celebrate the Thomas’ work and connect them with additional preservation resources. Kudos to Rabbi Rob and Lauren for investing in the people and places that make Jacksonville unique.

Stay up to date with all of Landmarks Illinois' news. Visit our Preservation News Blog & our Press Room at our website!

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