Outstanding preservation efforts in the Illinois communities of Aledo, Chicago, Nauvoo, Paris, Towanda and Waukegan are the recipients of the 2021 Landmarks Illinois Richard H. Driehaus Foundation Preservation Awards. The nine award-winning preservation projects and people who made them possible will be honored at an in-person & virtual ceremony the evening of October 22 at the historic Davis Theater in Chicago.
“Our 2021 award-winning projects are models for what preservation can and should be: the creative, inclusive and sustainable reuse of our built environment promoting local job creation and community driven economic development,” said Bonnie McDonald, President & CEO of Landmarks Illinois. “The courageous and visionary people behind these innovative projects deserve recognition for transforming places to serve as equitable housing, accessible art and education centers, and lively gathering spaces that bring awareness to Illinois’ diverse history.”
MERCER COUNTY CARNEGIE LIBRARY, ALEDO: AWARD FOR ADAPTIVE REUSE
Former Aledo residents Crista and William J. Albertson transformed the historic library building in the National Register-listed Downtown Aledo Historic District into a coworking facility for the in-demand services of technology education, recruiting and employment. The project serves as a model for future economic development projects in the rural community.