Elgin neighborhood wins national recognition

With an honor like this at the age of 29, one wonders what the Gifford Park Association might do for its 30th.

The National Trust for Historic Preservation will present the Elgin group tonight with its Trustees Award for Organizational Excellence.

"It's an incredible honor to receive such an award," said Gifford Park Association President Joe Kjellander. "They're basically holding our organization up nationally as an example of how things should be done."

It was one of 21 award winners during the 2008 National Preservation Conference in Oklahoma. The only other Illinois organization to win one is in Springfield.

Gifford Park members found out about the award a few months ago but could only tell their members.

On Wednesday, they said the group's longevity and 100 percent volunteer base were key in forming the city's first historic district, conducting the group's annual house walk, salvaging and auctioning items from demolitions and launching projects such as the "Great Unveiling," in which vinyl or aluminum siding is removed from an older home as the first big step of a rehabilitation project.

"It's like winning the World Series or getting an Academy Award," said longtime member Pat Miller. "It's a top group to get an award from."

Fran Cella, another association member, was charged with applying to the National Trust and summarizing the group's efforts in 600 words or less.

She recalled decades ago when gangs ruled the area, historic homes were being carved up into apartments and other noteworthy buildings met the wrecking ball with regularity.

"A small group of neighbors got together and said: 'We're not going to take it anymore,'" Cella recalled. "It's really been getting an entire infrastructure for historic preservation started in the city. We started things and the city adopted them and are funding them on their own."

Added Richard Moe, president of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, in a prepared statement: "Thanks to the Gifford Park Association, a neighborhood in trouble has become a showplace for preservation and rebirth. More importantly, it serves as an exemplar of how determined citizenry can use preservation for neighborhood revitalization."