Indiana Landmarks saves history, restores 'sense of place'

EVANSVILLE, Ind. (AP) - There are few places in the state where Indiana Landmarks has not tried to save a historic structure.

The nonprofit has made headlines in Evansville recently for its efforts to restore the Owen Block building - but that is just one of dozens (or more) places Indiana Landmarks has worked to rehabilitated. The group has eight regional offices around the state each with active projects, in addition to their state headquarters in Indianapolis. In Evansville alone, Landmarks is also restoring the old Downtown Greyhound Station, and it recently began a project to save the Peters-Margedant House on Evansville's Eastside.

"Saving historic places is what we do," Indiana Landmarks President Marsh Davis told the Evansville Courier & Press (http://bit.ly/1Cgttt5 ).

And it's been doing it for decades.

The Indiana Landmarks organization was formed in 1960 in Indianapolis by a group of business owners with the idea of saving historic places, Davis said.

"At that time they saw the world was changing fast and we were losing historic places," Davis said. "So a group of business and community leaders came together and said, 'Let's save some stuff for our kids.'"

It has grown steadily ever since.

In the late 1960s, the organization received an endowment from a prominent business owner in Indianapolis that allowed the group to expand across the state. As that endowment has grown, so have the group's operations.

The top three leaders of the organization each earn salaries in excess of $100,000, and the group spends more than $2 million annually to cover the remaining salaries, according to its 2012 tax forms, the most recent available. The group's net assets in 2013 surpassed $68 million.

The rest of the group's money - the funds that cover individual projects - comes from private donations. It seldom receives government money, Davis said.

That means the group is free to independently choose projects across the state.

Saving historic structures is never just about the structure itself, Davis said. Restoring historic places can bring to life an entire neighborhood, or even town.

"People want to live in places where there's a distinct sense of place," Davis said.

Like with the Owen Block, Landmarks often gets involved in projects that already have strong community support.

"We can't do it alone," Davis said. "We need local support."

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Information from: Evansville Courier & Press, http://www.courierpress.com