Citizens want to be proud of where they work and live. Successful historic preservation efforts offer a sense of identity and interconnectedness so necessary to fostering that pride.

Quality of life is important to every citizen, but it is vital to attracting new corporate citizens.

Historic preservation has been shown to be a key ingredient in stabilizing older communities and bringing together citizens.

Studies show that the primary desire of adults is a sense of stability. Historic buildings can provide that sense and provide a tangible link with the past that all can experience.

What is the Sangamon County Landmark Program?

The Sangamon County Landmark Program provides for the designation and protection of the county’s significant historic resources. The Sangamon County Board voted to establish this program. For owners of designated properties, the application for a building/demolition permit means that there is an additional step of review by the Historic Preservation Commission before the Building Department grants a permit.

What are the benefits of listing on the County Register?

• The County provides a bronze plaque to the owner for placement on or near the site as the owner prefers.
  
• The building is afforded protection through the zoning and building permit processes from incompatible nearby development and from demolition.
  
• Property owners benefit directly when they take advantage of the state’s Property Tax Assessment Freeze or the Federal Income tax Credit program, both of which are outlined in the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency (IHPA) brochures.

The County Register of Historic Places Does NOT:

The County Register does not interfere with a private owner’s property rights, nor does it:

• prevent private property owners from making changes or force owners to make improvements to their property
  
• limit the use of listed buildings or require owners to erect or purchase plaques
  
• require that properties be accessible to the public or open to the public

Criteria for Evaluating a Place

Properties eligible for listing on the County Register of Historic Places include buildings, districts, sites, structures, and objects that are significant to local, state, and national history through the integrity of their location, design, setting, materials, feeling, and association. A building, district, or site must meet one of the following criteria:

• be associated with events that have made a significant contribution to the broad patterns of history
  
• be associated with the lives of significant persons in our past
  
• be distinctive for its type, period, or method of construction; or represent the work of a master, or possess artistic value; or, in the case of a district, be representative of a significant and distinguishable entity whose components may lack individual distinction
  
• yield important information about the area’s history or prehistory
  

What is the Process to Designate a Landmark?

The designation of a County landmark is a 3 step process:

Step 1:		The nomination of an historic building, district, site, structure, or object of local, state, or national significance to the Sangamon County Register of Historic Places with the consent of the property owner(s).
Step 2:		Designation of the nominated property as a landmark by the Sangamon County Board and listing on the Sangamon County Register of Historic Places.
Step 3:		Protection of the landmark through provisions in the Sangamon County Historic Preservation Ordinance adopted by the Sangamon County Board on May 13, 2003.

Who oversees the Sangamon County Register of Historic Places?

The County Register of Historic Places is overseen by the Sangamon County Historic Preservation Commission. The Commission is made up of nine volunteer citizens appointed by the Chairman of the County Board. They represent a number of interests and disciplines and come from all parts of the County. Staff support for the Commission is provided by the Springfield-Sangamon County Regional Planning Commission.

How is a property nominated to the County Register of Historic Places?

Interested parties must complete and sign a Landmarking Application. Staff assistance is available if desired. The nomination is submitted to the Preservation Commission which contacts owners for consent, reviews it, and holds a public hearing. The Commission then makes its recommendation to the County Board.

How is a property designated a landmark?

Only the County Board can designate a landmark in unincorporated Sangamon County. It does so after receiving an application and a recommendation from the Preservation Commission.

Are there fees associated with landmark status?

There are no fees required to nominate a property to the County Register, no fees to designate a property a landmark, and a property listed on the County Register is not charged a fee over time to remain on the register.

Additional Information

For more information about Sangamon County’s Historic Preservation Commission and the Sangamon County Register of Historic Places, write or call:

Preservation Planner
Springfield-Sangamon County Regional Planning Commission
200 South 9th Street – Room 212
Springfield, IL 62701

Phone: (217) 535-3110
or
Email