State preservation architects receive AIA award for outstanding and innovative programs

PEORIA - From the wildly successful "Got Mesker?" campaign to the "Build your own Main Street" downloadable models, architects with the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency (IHPA) have found innovative ways to increase commitment to local historic preservation.  Those efforts have been recognized by the American Institute of Architects (AIA) Illinois chapter, which presented IHPA with the President's Award at the AIA Honor Awards ceremony held November 2 in Peoria.

 

            "It is an honor to recognize the work they are doing to create sustainable communities in Illinois," said AIA Executive Vice President Mike Waldinger.

 

            The award was presented for IHPA's programs and information pieces that give meaning to the importance of historic preservation, fresh and creative approaches to conveying messages, and significant involvement and results on a statewide level.  Some of the IHPA programs considered during the AIA award nomination process include:

·                    The "got mesker?" campaign to help communities identify stamped steel decorative building components on their local buildings.

·                    The Upstairs/Downtown training program to help communities turn the upper floors of historic downtown buildings into livable spaces.

·                    The "Build Your Own Main Street" models of actual historic structures in Illinois communities that can be downloaded and assembled.

·                    The comprehensive web-based archive of historic rehabilitation design projects performed for Illinois Main Street communities.

·                    The free presentations and workshops offered by IHPA architects to communities interested in preserving their heritage.  

 

            A total of 19 awards selected from 53 nominations were presented by the AIA, a state membership organization representing more than 3,800 architects and architectural interns.  The 2006 Honor Awards are named after some of the greatest architects in the state's history, such as Louis Sullivan, Daniel Burnham, Frank Lloyd Wright and Mies van der Rohe.

 

            The IHPA architects receiving the award included Michael Jackson, FAIA; Carol Dyson, AIA; Anthony Rubano, Assoc. AIA; Anna Margaret Borntrager, Assoc. AIA, and Darius Bryjka, Assoc. AIA.  They provide free technical advice to historic owners who want to perform restoration and rehabilitation work on their historic properties.  The architects also provide a variety of free architectural services to designated Illinois Main Street communities.  Illinois Main Street is a joint program of the Office of Lieutenant Governor Pat Quinn and IHPA.

 

            For more information about IHPA architectural services, visit www.Illinois-History.gov or www.IllinoisMainStreet.org.