Tuesday, April 28, 2009 10:15 PM CDT
Two area buildings on list of endangered Ill. landmarks
By ROB STROUD, Staff Writer
rstroud@jg-tc.com
SPRINGFIELD — A former Marshall hotel where Abraham Lincoln once slept and the Shelbyville building that is the largest surviving Chautauqua auditorium of its kind are among the 10 most-endangered Illinois landmarks.
Landmarks Illinois, a nonprofit historic preservation group, released its latest annual listing on Tuesday, a list that includes Marshall’s Archer House and Shelbyville’s Chautauqua Auditorium.
Marshall founder Col. William B. Archer built the house in 1841 along the National Road, now old U.S. Route 40, and it is one of the oldest hotels in Illinois. Archer served in the state legislature and was a friend of attorney Lincoln, who stayed in the hotel after presenting cases at the nearby courthouse.
After 164 years of continuous operation, the hotel closed in 2005 when owner Charlene Brandenstein became ill.
Damian Macey, chairman of the Marshall Historic Preservation Commission, said Brandenstein died a couple of years ago without a will. Macey said he is worried that someone could purchase the hotel through unpaid property taxes and possibly demolish the historic structure.
Macey said Brandenstein did a beautiful job of restoring the hotel in the 1990s, but there is now quite a bit of exterior maintenance that needs to be done. Still, he said the interior and furnishings are in good shape and ready for the hotel to reopen.
“By being listed on the endangered list the hotel has tremendous exposure, not just locally, but throughout the United States. We hope this might help the property get a buyer,” Macey said. Prospective buyers are asked to call Marshall’s economic development office at 826-8084.
The Chautauqua Auditorium was built in 1903 with 20 sides, a 150-foot diameter, and a radial roof truss system. The group reports it can hold 6,000 people, making it the largest surviving Chautauqua auditorium of its kind. The Chautauqua Movement promoted education and entertainment through communal events.
Wayne Gray, chairman of the Chautauqua Auditorium Preservation Committee, said the building has hosted gatherings throughout its history, including speeches by former President William Howard Taft and presidential candidate William Jennings Bryan and concerts by Dolly Parton and Barbara Mandrell.
The preservation group reports a century of deterioration and the need for a roof replacement pose serious structural challenges for the auditorium in Forest Park. An initial restoration bid was estimated at $1.75 million.
Gray said the help of private, state or federal grants will be needed to help restore the auditorium. He said its inclusion on the most-endangered list will help grant application efforts by giving the auditorium recognition statewide and nationwide.
“One of the first things we felt we had to do is tell our story. Our story is out there now and it is a really interesting story,” Gray said. Information on how to help is available at the Chautauqua Auditorium Preservation Commission’s Web site, www.shelbyvillechautauqua.com.
Other Illinois sites on the list include:
n The Davenport, Rock Island and Northwestern depot in Moline was built in 1900 and was in active use for more than 30 years. It also was an office building and served as a visitor center in Moline until last year. Its future is in limbo because it stands in the way of a new Interstate 74 off-ramp.
n The Shawneetown Bank in Old Shawneetown was built in 1839. The building was restored as a state historic site in the 1970s but has been closed to the public for much of the time since then.
“This is a remarkable list of endangered sites throughout Illinois,” said Jim Peters, president of Landmarks Illinois. “Our efforts will focus on working with communities, organizations and leaders at each of these sites in an effort to carry out a positive solution for their preservation.”
The group has been identifying similar properties for 15 years and says less than 20 percent of the sites they’ve spotlighted have been lost to demolition.
More information is available on the Web at www.landmarks.org.
Kurt Erickson contributed to this report
Contact Rob Stroud at rstroud@jg-tc.com or 238-6863.
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