Architectural Services

Projects reviewed range from small residential restorations under the state tax freeze to multi-million-dollar historic rehabilitations that meet federal requirements for tax incentive programs.  Architects—as representatives of the National Park Service, the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation, or the Illinois State Historic Preservation Office—provide on-site assistance for many of the projects under review. More than 200 individual site inspections are made each year. Preservation projects should be designed to meet the Secretary of the Interior's Standards for Rehabilitation. The Standards contain the principles of historic preservation as well as specific "do's and don'ts" about individual building techniques. The staff's familiarity with historic buildings enables them to suggest techniques and treatments for meeting the Standards for Rehabilitation.

Providing technical assistance to the public is another important responsibility of the architecture staff. Staff architects give presentations on interpreting the Standards for Rehabilitation and other technical preservation issues. Since 1993, architecture staff has provided design, education and training for the Illinois Main Street program.

• Upstairs Downtown
• Mid-Century Main Street: Working With Commercial Resources From the Recent Past
• Basic Building Maintenance
• Starting Early: Creating Child Friendly Downtowns
• Build Your Own Main Street/Lincoln Sites
• Preservation and Green Design
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