DPD to Recommend 12 Adopt-a-Landmark Grants Totaling $4.3 Million

November 22, 2021

Funding Would Support Planned Preservation Projects Citywide

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A Pullman church, a Kenwood synagogue and two homes associated with the Great Migration of Black Americans to Chicago are among 12 recipients that are tentatively selected for Adopt-A-Landmark grants, Department of Planning and Development (DPD), Commissioner Maurice Cox announced today.

Valued at more than $4.3 million, the tentative grant awards are the largest to be allocated in support of planned restoration projects since the Adopt-A-Landmark program debuted in 2016.

“Under the leadership of Mayor Lightfoot, this round of grant awards is focusing on neighborhood-scale buildings and structures that help define who we are as a city,” Commissioner Cox said. “Whether it’s for a house of worship, a corner commercial building, or a neighborhood tavern, the grants will help preserve these structures for generations of neighborhood residents to come.”

Financed by downtown construction projects through the Neighborhood Opportunity Bonus system, the awards are made available to individual Landmarks and Landmark District buildings on an annual basis. The tentative selections will be presented by DPD staff to the Commission on Chicago Landmarks at its Thursday, Dec. 2 meeting.

The awardees include: 

Additional details about each grant finalist will be posted on the DPD website after the Landmarks Commission’s December meeting. 

The selected recipients and their respective projects will be subject to additional review and approval by the Commission’s Permit Review Committee and the full Landmarks Commission. Grants that exceed $250,000 will also require review and approval by City Council. 

The 12 projects were selected from 16 applications received by DPD staff this summer. Awards were determined based on project viability, neighborhood needs, project scope, and other factors. 

Additional grant applications received this summer remain under consideration by DPD staff. 

Previous projects recommended for Adopt-a-Landmark grants include the On Leong Merchants Association in Chinatown, the Norwegian Lutheran Memorial Church in Logan Square, and an artist loft development in Pullman. 

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