BY CATHERINE O’CONNOR Exciting new plans will soon be taking shape at 312 E. Adams St., a three-story building that was donated to the Downtown Springfield Heritage Foundation late last year by the previous owner, Gerry Hughes. The Foundation has just announced that Martin Haxel and his wife, Laurie, were the winning bidders, responding to […]
Catherine O’Connor
Catherine O'Connor has held administrative, communications, education and advocacy roles in state government, regional and national organizations including the State’s Historic Preservation Agency, National Alliance of Preservation Commissions, American Institute of Architects Illinois, Benedictine University, The Nature Conservancy’s Emiquon Corps of Discovery and Friends of the Sangamon Valley. Her work focuses on exploring social and cultural context, making our history and environment more accessible and relevant through storytelling.
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A force awakens in Lincoln
By Catherine O’Connor The historic train station in the city of Lincoln is experiencing the latest of several makeovers in its 105-year lifespan. Improvements as part of the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) High Speed Rail (HSR) track upgrade on the Chicago-St. Louis corridor have led to a depot renovation project now underway that will […]
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The future of our past: the business of historic preservation
By Catherine O’Connor [fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”yes” overflow=”visible”][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”] This is the final segment of Springfield Business Journal’s critical look at historic preservation as a community revitalization tool, and it reveals a positive direction for the future. […]
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Cultural shift: Wardrobe brings social consciousness back into fashion
By Catherine O’Connor The Wardrobe may be one of Springfield’s best kept secrets. Tucked away in a quaint former neighborhood gas station that was transformed in the 1960s into a cozy gallery-like shop, the store is an outstanding example of building adaptive reuse. A step inside reveals a quiet, understated microcosm of the boutique universe […]