Arts & Entertainment
3 Chicago Preservation Projects Recognized in Annual Statewide Awards Program
From left: Pui Tak Center, the National Public Housing Museum and mural restoration for Second Presbyterian Church. (Courtesy of Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates / Ryan Barayuga / John Cramer)
Nine preservation projects in Illinois, including three in Chicago, are being recognized as part of an annual awards program highlighting “exceptional preservation efforts,” the preservation nonprofit Landmarks Illinois announced Wednesday.
The Landmarks Illinois Richard H. Driehaus Foundation Preservation Awards recognized preservation projects this year with awards for environmental sustainability, stewardship, adaptive reuse, cultural heritage conservation and more.
The awardees in Chicago are the National Public Housing Museum; Chinatown’s Pui Tak Center and the building’s owner, Chinese Christian Union Church; and the volunteer group Friends of Historic Second Church working to preserve the South Loop’s Second Presbyterian Church.
The National Public Housing Museum is receiving an award for adaptive reuse, along with the Richard H. Driehaus legacy award. The museum, which opened in April, uses the last remaining building of the Jane Addams Homes, a historic site of public housing on the Near West Side.
Pui Tak Center and the building’s owner, Chinese Christian Union Church, are receiving the award for cultural heritage conservation. The church led numerous large-scale restoration projects for the Chinatown gathering space, including a recent $1 million project to repair masonry, terra cotta and the building’s unique canopy, according to a Landmarks Illinois news release.
The volunteer group Friends of Historic Second Church is receiving the award for stewardship for its efforts to preserve Second Presbyterian Church in the South Loop. The group helped raise $4 million for preservation projects, achieved National Historic Landmark status for the church interior and leads tours to promote the building’s history, according to a news release.
Other winning preservation projects are Banging Gavel Brews in south suburban Tinley Park for adaptive reuse; Waukegan History Museum at the Carnegie in Waukegan for rehabilitation; Pearl Place Apartments in Belvidere for preservation; Coles County Courthouse Window Project in Charleston for environmental sustainability; Edison Ave Art Lofts in Granite City for adaptive reuse; and Friends of the Old Millstadt Water Tower in Millstadt for advocacy.
Read more about the winning projects here.
This year’s winners will be honored at a public awards ceremony Nov. 7 at Theater on the Lake in Chicago. Winners also receive a $1,000 prize.
“Our 2025 award winners highlight the power of preservation to address community needs,” Landmarks Illinois President & CEO Bonnie McDonald said in a news release. “They inspire us and others across the state to think boldly about how our built environment can adapt to serve people today while sparking local economic development and fueling pride of place.”
Contact Eunice Alpasan: [email protected]
