10 winners selected for this year’s Mayor’s Awards for Preservation in Elgin
Full Circle Communities will receive a Mayor’s Award for Preservation for restoring and adaptively reusing the historic 1912 Larkin Home for Children located at 1212 Larkin Ave. in Elgin. – Original Credit: (Full Circle Communities / HANDOUT)
Elgin Courier-News Staff
April 18, 2023
The 2023 Mayor’s Awards for Preservation are to be presented to 10 recipients at a ceremony Tuesday, May 2, that can be viewed on the city of Elgin’s YouTube channel.
Bestowed annually upon the recommendation of the Elgin Heritage Commission, the winners are chosen from submitted nominations and recognize those who have preserved and promoted the city’s heritage by actions benefitting Elgin architecture, neighborhoods and culture, a news release said.
With descriptions provided by the city, this year’s recipients are:
• Hummingbird Group: For their sensitive rehabilitation of 120 Tennyson Court.
• Full Circle Communities: For their restoration, adaptive reuse and sympathetic planned development of the historic 1912 Larkin Home for Children located at 1212 Larkin Ave.
• Illinois Firefighter Memorial Plaza: For the construction of a sensitive memorial plaza that recognizes past, present and future firefighters located at the Elgin National Watch Historic District’s Fire Barn Museum.
• Friends of the Lords Park Zoo: For their continued dedication to offering free public programs at the zoo every summer and for their hard work to officially designate the zoo’s interior as Tefft’s Farm Zoo in June 2022.
• Mark and Ernestine Rekowski: For their continued preservation over 20 years of ownership of the historic 1929 Lucille Apartments located at 400 Douglas Avenue within the Spring-Douglas Historic District.
• Matthew Martin: For providing pro-bono architectural services for the Nancy Kimball Cobblestone Home and for his volunteerism as chairman of the Elgin Historic House Tour.
• Mike and Corey Lago: For their sensitive rehabilitation of 160 Lovell St.
• Preservation of Affordable Housing: For their extensive rehabilitation of the 1899 Abby C. Wing School located at 260 Center St.
• Greg Hulke: For promoting and organizing the complete restoration of the Gilbert Snow Mausoleum constructed in 1919 at Bluff City Cemetery.
• Trish LaFleur: For her years of volunteering as the graphic designer for the Gifford Park Association, leading the design and updates to their website as well as the time-consuming task of creating the annual Historic House Tour booklets.
A Bungalow Thematic Historic District plaque will be presented to:
• Jordan Kappmeyer and Angelina Diana; 54 S. Liberty St.
Eight heritage building plaques will be presented to Elgin homeowners who have researched the history and architecture of their historic homes this year. This year’s recipients are:
• Christina Pila; 663 Preston Ave.
• Daniel and Rebecca Brant; 425 Ball St.;
• Reynaldo Rodriguez; 421 Division St.;
• Mark and Ernestine Rekowski; 400 Douglas Ave.;
• Rudy and Lillian Galfi; 1013 Douglas Ave.;
• Jon and Beth Small; 499 River Bluff Road;
• Chloe Burkhart; 320 North St.;
• Carol Rauschenberger and Sam Rauschenberger; 861-863 W. Highland Ave.
Since the program’s establishment in 1986, more than 500 plaques have been presented, the release said.
For more information, please contact Historic Preservation Planner Christen Sundquist at 847-931-6004.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/elgin-courier-news/ct-ecn-elgin-preservation-awards-announced-st-0412-20230418-qxqays6hvvfhnpw6ldszf3d3se-story.html
