HPC Speaker Series
March 27, 2025
6:30 p.m. in Room 201 at Village Hall
Frank Heitzman, AIA
Join us for a presentation on incentives for historic homeowners to remodel or restore rather than tearing down and building new. Heitzman will discuss his participation in a roundtable on the topic hosted by the Glen Ellyn HPC. He will also present two of his projects, the restoration of the building at 111 N. Marion St. in downtown Oak Park and the graceful installation of a residential elevator in the 1889 house at 213 S. Euclid Ave., designed by William J. Van Keuran.
(PDF, 735KB)
Previous Speaker Series events:
John H. Waters, Preservation Programs Director, Frank Lloyd Wright Building Conservancy
Presentation on Frank Lloyd Wright Building Conservancy’s work in the Chicago area, around the United States and outside the country.
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Click here to view presentation document(PDF, 11MB)
Thomas Kus, Chair of Historic Preservation Commission, City of Maywood
Presentation titled “Neighbors in Preservation” featuring an overview of Maywood’s historic preservation efforts, and what Maywood and Oak Park share in common. Highlights of Maywood’s successes, challenges and how to make historic preservation work for both communities will be discussed.
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Click here to view presentation document(PDF, 7MB)
Alyssa Frystak,Director of Research and Data Analytics at PlaceEconomics
Discussion about PlaceEconomics and data-driven arguments to address some misconceptions about historic preservation, including issues such as affordable housing, neighborhood diversity, density, property values and other topics.
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Susan Benjamin, Benjamin Historic Certifications & Andrew Elders, Director of Historic Tax Credits at Ryan
Andrew Elders discussed the role of a National Register of Historic Places district and how that can facilitate the utilization of Historic Tax Credits for commercial redevelopment of historic buildings. His presentation will address how buildings qualify for the program, and what it takes to have a successful tax credit project. Susan Benjamin will be discussing local historic districts and how they can be leveraged by homeowners to take advantage of the State of Illinois' Historic Property Tax Assessment Freeze for home renovations.
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March 2024
Bonnie McDonald, President & CEO of Landmarks Illinois
Discussion about “The Relevancy Guidebook,” providing ideas and models from innovators to make preservation a more relevant, just and accessible solution for the problems we face in a changing world.
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February 2024
Frank Lipo, Executive Director of The Historical Society of Oak Park and River Forest
Presentation and discussion about the history of the Black community in Oak Park from the 1880s until today, focusing on social history, discrimination in housing, and the ongoing struggle to build and support a more diverse community since 1968. Focus placed on the preservation of places where this history happened.
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