Landmarks Illinois awards first grants through its new funding initiative, the Charles Leeks Grant Fund for Chicago’s West Side

Matching grants will support community-driven historic preservation across 10 West Side neighborhoods

Chicago, Nov. 10, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Landmarks Illinois is proud to announce the first recipients of the Charles Leeks Grant Fund for Chicago’s West Side, a new initiative that supports West Side preservation projects that build community and spur economic growth.  

Austin Coming Together and the Lawndale Christian Health Center each received a $10,000 grant to support preservation efforts at the J.J. Walser House in Austin and the Castle Carwash in North Lawndale, respectively.  

“The Charles Leeks Grant Fund for Chicago’s West Side honors the enduring legacy of the late Charles Leeks, a visionary community development advocate who believed historic preservation could advance social justice and equitable, neighborhood-led reinvestment,” said Frank Butterfield, Landmarks Illinois President & CEO. “ACT and LCHC exemplify the organizations this grant fund aims to support: Local stewards investing in their historic neighborhoods to spark economic development and celebrate the character of the West Side.”   

Grant Program Details & Eligibility 
The Landmarks Illinois Charles Leeks Grant Fund for Chicago’s West Side provides grants ranging from $500 to $10,000 each, which are awarded on a 3:1 matching basis. 

• Eligible Applicants: Commercial property owners, business owners and nonprofit organizations—including community organizations, faith-based groups and educational institutions—who own or hold legal control over an eligible property. Priority consideration will be given to projects involving sites of architectural or cultural importance and/or sites identified on Landmarks Illinois’ “Most Endangered” lists.  

• Eligible Projects: Financial assistance can be used for engineering, architectural and feasibility studies; stabilization; rehabilitation; legal services; and historic surveys or National Register nominations. 

• Geographic Focus: Projects must be located within one of 10 officially recognized West Side Community Areas: Austin, Belmont Cragin, East Garfield Park, Hermosa, Humboldt Park, Lower West Side, Montclare, North Lawndale, South Lawndale and West Garfield Park. 

• Application deadlines: Grant applications are reviewed and awarded twice a year. Application deadlines are January 1 and July 1. Nonprofit and for-profit entities are encouraged to apply for funding by the upcoming January application deadline.  

The Landmarks Illinois Charles Leeks Grant Fund for Chicago’s West Side is possible thanks to a grant from the Richard H. Driehaus Foundation. Learn more at Landmarks.org/grants/CharlesLeeks. 

More about the grant recipients 
The first two recipients of this new grant fund are:  

• Austin Coming Together (ACT): The member-based community organization received a $10,000 grant to support pre-development work needed to stabilize the Frank Lloyd Wright-designed J.J. Walser House in Austin. Included on Landmarks Illinois’ 2025 Most Endangered Historic Places in Illinois list, the national and local landmarked house has suffered significant deterioration while sitting vacant. ACT acquired the home in June and plans to restore and reuse it as a publicly accessible community space that celebrates local history, draws activity to Central Avenue and gives visitors a fuller understanding of the neighborhood. Landmarks Illinois has provided additional support in recent years through technical assistance, preservation consultation and facilitating pro bono building condition assessments. 

• Lawndale Christian Health Center (LCHC): The community-based nonprofit healthcare organization received a $10,000 grant to complete priority repairs at the unique Castle Car Wash on the historic Route 66 in North Lawndale. Originally constructed in 1925 as a gas station, it was later transformed into a castle-inspired structure offering a variety of car services. The building reflects the creativity and kitsch synonymous with the Mother Road and remains a valued, iconic local landmark but has long sat vacant and needs significant repairs. LCHC wants to restore the building for future public use and sees this project as a way to promote local historic preservation and encourage the appreciation for other neighborhood buildings. Landmarks Illinois helped facilitate a recent building condition assessment to help with overall repair plans. 

More about Mr. Leeks’ Legacy 
Charles Leeks came to the West Side in 1999 as the founding Director of Neighborhood Housing Services of Chicago’s North Lawndale Program, where he helped promote and expand homeownership in the area. Leeks recognized that the historic architecture of the West Side—which he famously likened to visual “jazz”—played a prominent role in neighborhood identity, pride and empowerment.  

His influential work includes co-creating the Learning from North Lawndale exhibit at the Chicago Architecture Center and founding the Historic Chicago Greystone Initiative, which catalyzed over $3 million in grant and loan investments across Chicago’s South and West Sides. 

“Charles saw unique opportunities to leverage history, the arts and architecture to promote social justice, drive equitable reinvestment and support historic preservation,” said Matt Cole, who worked with Charles to develop and implement the award-winning Chicago Greystone Initiative. “More broadly, Charles believed that sharing and exploring the rich social and cultural heritage of North Lawndale and the West Side could help both strengthen local pride of place and counter negative depictions of the area in the media.” 

About Landmarks Illinois  
Landmarks Illinois is a membership-based, historic preservation nonprofit organization founded in 1971. Our mission is to accelerate the preservation and reuse of significant places statewide to foster healthy, livable and thriving communities. Through advocacy, funding, technical expertise and public engagement, we position preservation as an accessible, equitable and effective tool to support strategic, community-driven revitalization. For more information, visit www.Landmarks.org. 

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Attachments

• Charles Leeks
• Castle Car Wash

Kaitlyn McAvoy
Landmarks Illinois
312-995-9679 
kmcavoy@landmarks.org