Landmarks Illinois has announced the winners of the 2025 Landmarks Illinois Richard H. Driehaus Foundation Preservation Awards. The annual program awards program has honored exceptional preservation efforts in Illinois since 1995.
This year’s nine winning projects are located in Belvidere, Charleston, Chicago, Granite City, Millstadt, Tinley Park and Waukegan. Award-winning projects range from turning vacant schools and libraries into affordable housing and museums, committed grassroots advocacy efforts, detailed window restorations and the thoughtful revitalization of Illinois’ cultural landmarks.
“Our 2025 award winners highlight the power of preservation to address community needs,” said Bonnie McDonald, President & CEO of Landmarks Illinois. “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. Our award recipients deserve our recognition not only for the countless hours they poured into these projects but for ensuring places of our past live on and continue to enhance our future.”
All 2025 winners will be honored at a public awards ceremony on November 7 in Chicago. Details on the winning projects and the ceremony are below.
2025 AWARD RECIPIENTS
Pearl Place Apartments – Belvidere
2025 Landmarks Illinois Richard H. Driehaus Foundation Preservation Award for Preservation
Gorman & Company led the large-scale restoration of a popular and much-needed affordable housing development in Belvidere. Located in the adaptively reused historic Garfield School, the restoration made it possible for the building to continue serving as affordable housing for seniors and veterans, rather than being converted to market-rate apartments.
Coles County Courthouse Window Project – Charleston
2025 Landmarks Illinois Richard H. Driehaus Foundation Preservation Award for Environmental Sustainability Coles County undertook a two-year effort to replace 384 deteriorating windows on its historic courthouse, significantly improving the energy efficiency of the 125-year-old building. The project also enhanced the overall appearance of the prominent landmark and inspired other local preservation and economic development initiatives.
Friends of Historic Second Church – Chicago
2025 Landmarks Illinois Richard H. Driehaus Foundation Preservation Award for Stewardship
For nearly 20 years, the volunteer-led Friends of Historic Second Church has provided exemplary stewardship for the historic Second Presbyterian Church in Chicago’s South Loop, raising $4 million for preservation projects, leading tours that promote the building’s history and achieving National Historic Landmark status for the church interior.
National Public Housing Museum – Chicago
2025 Landmarks Illinois Richard H. Driehaus Foundation Preservation Award for Adaptive Reuse & the Richard H. Driehaus Legacy Award
The National Public Housing Museum has adaptively reused the last remaining building of the Jane Addams Homes, a historic site of public housing on Chicago’s Near West Side. The monumental effort to reactivate the long-vacant yet culturally significant three-story building has created an inspiring civic and cultural destination dedicated to sharing true stories of public housing in the U.S.
Pui Tak Center-Chinese Christian Union Church – Chicago
2025 Landmarks Illinois Richard H. Driehaus Foundation Preservation Award for Cultural Heritage Conservation
The Pui Tak Center and the building’s owner, the Chinese Christian Union Church, have led numerous large-scale restoration projects at the popular gathering space in Chicago’s Chinatown neighborhood. A recent $1 million project to repair masonry, terra cotta and the building’s unique canopy is part of a larger effort to ensure the building, its history and the largely untold stories of Asian Americans remain a part of the community for generations to come.
Edison Ave Art Lofts – Granite City
2025 Landmarks Illinois Richard H. Driehaus Foundation Preservation Award for Adaptive Reuse
Rise Community Development and its partners creatively reused the historic former Tri-County YMCA to create a mixed-use development featuring affordable housing and community art space. The development provides in-demand community services, like housing for veterans, all while celebrating the original character of the nearly century-old local landmark.
Friends of the Old Millstadt Water Tower – Millstadt
2025 Landmarks Illinois Richard H. Driehaus Foundation Preservation Award for Advocacy
Local group, Friends of the Old Millstadt Water Tower, led a successful, years-long advocacy campaign to save one of their community’s oldest and most notable landmarks: the old tin man-style water tower built in 1931. The group’s sustained grassroots effort led to a fully restored water tower that the whole town is proud of.
Banging Gavel Brews – Tinley Park
2025 Landmarks Illinois Richard H. Driehaus Foundation Preservation Award for Adaptive Reuse
The historic Karl Vogt Building has been reactivated into Banging Gavel Brews, a lively community gathering space, brewery, taproom and restaurant. The adaptive reuse of Tinley Park’s only National Register-listed property has revived the local downtown area, showing how thoughtful historic preservation can enrich quality of life and support economic development.
Waukegan History Museum at the Carnegie – Waukegan
2025 Landmarks Illinois Richard H. Driehaus Foundation Preservation Award for Rehabilitation
A long-vacant, architecturally significant library in downtown Waukegan has been painstakingly restored to create a vibrant museum that celebrates the building’s unique and original features. The Waukegan History Museum at the Carnegie, now home to the Waukegan Historical Society, gives people the chance to learn about and engage in local history while experiencing a piece of important early 20th-century architecture.
Learn more about our 2025 award winners on our website.
AWARD CEREMONY EVENT DETAILS
The 2025 Landmarks Illinois Richard H. Driehaus Foundation Preservation Awards Ceremony will take place from 6 to 9 p.m. on Friday, November 7, 2025, at Theater on the Lake, 2401 N. Lake Shore Dr. in Chicago. The event will feature a sit-down awards ceremony followed by a cocktail reception.
The event is open to the public. Tickets are $60 for Landmarks Illinois members and $75 for non-members. A student rate of $20 is also available with proof of a student ID. Former winners of the Landmarks Illinois Richard H. Driehaus Foundation Preservation Awards are highly encouraged to attend and can also receive a discounted ticket.
Guests who wish to join remotely can view a live, virtual presentation of the ceremony for free with registration. To learn more or to purchase tickets, visit our website.
