Sagawau Farmhouse In Lemont Receives Funding For Repairs

LEMONT, IL — The Sagawau Farmhouse in Lemont will receive structural repairs due to a grant from Landmarks Illinois. According to a release from the organization, the farmhouse, owned by the Forest Preserve District of Cook County, was chosen as one of the projects that will receive funding from an annual grant program.

According to Landmarks Illinois' website, the farmhouse is a two-story, wood-frame structure dating from the mid-1850s located in the forest preserve in Lemont. The YWCA assumed ownership of the farmhouse in 1936, and it was used for a girls' summer camp. It was also part of the interracial camp from 1934 until 1952 and is the only remaining structure from the YWCA period of use.

According to the website, the Forest Preserve has owned the property since 1952, using it as a ski lodge and nature center. The Forest Preserve is working with Loyola University students on a National Register of Historic Places nomination. However, it is in need of structural repairs due to water infiltration.

Landmarks Illinois is a nonprofit that has a Preservation Heritage Fund that provides monetary assistance to significant structures or sites in Illinois that are under threat of demolition, in imminent deterioration, in need of stabilization, in need of structural or reuse evaluation, or need to be evaluated for landmark eligibility, according to a release from the organization.

The grants were awarded between January and June of 2017 and range from $1,000 - $5,000 each. Grant recipients will use the funding for restoration and repair projects at historic sites and buildings across the state, according to the release.

“Landmarks Illinois’ grant recipients during the first half of the year show the diverse range of creative reuse and rehabilitation projects happening in Illinois,” Bonnie McDonald, President & CEO of Landmarks Illinois said in a release. “Community members across the state are taking action to save special places, and Landmarks Illinois is proud to provide the funding that, in many cases, kick starts these local preservation efforts.”

Other grant recipients include:

• Belleville Historical Society: Creating ADA accessible restroom at Blazier House in Belleville
• Bishop Hill Heritage Association: Phase 1 of the restoration of the Carpenter Shop in Bishop Hill
• Bolingbrook Historic Preservation Commission: Ground Penetrating Radar of Boardman Cemetery in Bolingbrook
• Urban Juncture Foundation: Structural repairs to the Forum in Chicago
• Music Institute: Masonry Repairs at the Music Institute of Chicago building in Evanston
• City of Lincoln: Restoration of the Tropics Route 66 neon sign in Lincoln
• Maeystown Preservation Society: Repairs to the Maeystown Stone Bridge in Maeystown
• Save the Massac: Structural repairs to the west wall of the Massac Theatre in Metropolis
• Central Illinois Landmarks Foundation: Relocation of the LeTourneau House in Peoria
• City of Wilmington: Reroof of Old City Hall in Wilmington

For more information, visit www.Landmarks.org.

Photo provided by Landmarks Illinois.