Oak Park Unity Temple Wins National Preservation Award

OAK PARK, IL — The beloved Frank Lloyd Wright-designed Unity Temple in Oak Park is the winner of the 2019 Richard H. Dreihaus Foundation National Preservation Award, according to an announcement made this past week by the National Trust for Historic Preservation. The local treasure, which underwent a $25 million renovation, was among three projects nationwide to receive the award.

“We are pleased to partner with the Driehaus Foundation again to celebrate three thoughtful, creative, and innovative projects that exemplify the transformative power of preservation,” said Paul Edmondson, president and CEO of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. “This year’s recipients vividly demonstrate the wide variety of historic places that can be restored and re-activated to serve their communities and the partnerships that make this work possible."

The projects chosen as award winners were the iconic Longfellow Bridge in Boston, which handles more than 28,000 motor vehicles and 100,000 transit riders a day; and South Street Landing in Providence, Rhode Island, which is a former power plant with more than 300,000 square feet of space. The South Street Landing building, which was left abandoned for 17 years, is now a shared use space for local universities and an economic driver in the revitalization of the surrounding area, according to a news release.

Built in 1908, Unity Temple is one of Frank Lloyd Wright’s most celebrated buildings. This National Historic Landmark and UNESCO World Heritage Site is widely regarded as one of the first works of “modern” architecture, according to the news release.

After decades of deterioration and deferred maintenance, the building was placed on the National Trust’s 11 Most Endangered Places in America list in 2009. Funding from the Alphawood Foundation, coupled with the congregation’s grassroots fundraising efforts, ensured the sensitive restoration of the building.

"The recent $25 million restoration returns this internationally significant work of architecture to its original appearance and gives new life to a building that both continues to serve its original purpose as a house of worship and has become a tourist destination for Frank Lloyd Wright enthusiasts from all over the world," according to a news release.

Established in 2012, the Richard H. Driehaus Foundation National Preservation Awards have honored distinguished individuals, nonprofit organizations, public agencies, and corporations whose skill and determination have added to the richness of their communities by preserving their architectural and cultural heritage.

As the most sought after of all National Trust awards, the initiative recognizes efforts in landmark preservation, historic restoration, skilled craftsmanship, and educational and advocacy campaigns, according to the press release.

“We are thrilled to support the National Trust award and honor the preservation talent that is celebrated every year,” said Anne Lazar, Executive Director of The Richard H. Driehaus Foundation. “The winners this year from Oak Park, Providence, and Boston are such fine examples of respecting the past, acknowledging the present and enriching the future.”

The winners were selected by an external jury. Jurors include Lucas Grindley, Executive Director at Next City in Philadelphia; Jorge Otero-Pailos, New York-based artist and Director and Professor of Historic Preservation at the Columbia University Graduate School of Architecture, Planning, and Preservation; Julianne Polanco, State Historic Preservation Officer in the California Office of Historic Preservation in Sacramento; and John Sprinkle, Bureau Historian at the National Park Service in Washington, D.C.

“From our work at Next City, I know that amplifying solutions helps send them from one city to the next city,” said 2019 Jury member, Lucas Grindley, Executive Director at Next City. “These awards are another way to give powerful examples to those of us working to help cities meet their full potential. None of us is alone in this work. Although it can feel like the finish line is far away, these buildings are proof that change is happening all over the country.”

This year’s Richard H. Driehaus Foundation National Preservation Awards winners will be honored as part of PastForward 2019, the nation’s largest historic preservation conference, at the National Preservation Awards Ceremony on Friday, October 11 at the Downtown Sheraton in Denver, Colorado.