The Music Institute of Chicago has received a $2,500 matching grant to help pay for masonry repairs for the century-old former church building that houses the Evanston East campus, according to a news release.
The museum was one of about a dozen named as Preservation Heritage Fund grant recipients during the first six months of 2017, according to a release from Landmarks Illinois, a Chicago-based nonprofit organization that its website indicates is dedicated to saving historical buildings and resources through partnerships.
The Music Institute’s Evanston campus building at 1490 Chicago Avenue was designed in 1912 as a First Church of Christ Scientist by architect Solon S. Beman, according to the Landmark Illinois website. The Music Institute moved in following a three-year renovation in 2003.
Funding specifically was requested “for the restoration and cleaning of the stone urns at the main entrance” of the music institute, according to the website.
The Preservation Heritage Fund grant program was established in 2004 and specifically helps projects with a focus on “engineering, architectural and feasibility studies, stabilization, legal services, survey and National register Nominations and preservation ordinance support,” according to the release. The grants are awarded four times each year.
“Landmarks Illinois’ grant recipients during the first half of the year show the diverse range of creative reuse and rehabilitation projects happening in Illinois,” said Bonnie McDonald, president and CEO of Landmarks Illinois.
The Music Institute’s Evanston campus houses teaching studios, rehearsal rooms and the Nichols Concert Hall in downtown Evanston, according to the institute’s website.
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