The Illinois Terminal Interurban Station in Decatur has been named to Landmarks Illinois’ 2021 Most Endangered Historic Places in Illinois. History of the Heartland nominated the site in January for consideration on the annual list of top threatened historic and culturally significant places, published by the statewide historic preservation advocacy organization. At the time of the nomination, the building at 1065 N. Van Dyke St. was for sale. The property was subsequently removed from the market as the current owners, Faith Community Assembly, continue to look for another church property for its home.
The Illinois Terminal Interurban Station is the second site in Decatur named to Landmarks Illinois’ Most Endangered Historic Places in Illinois in the program’s 26-year history. The Culver House was included in the 2000 Most Endangered Historic Places in Illinois. The annual advocacy program provides awareness about threatened historic Illinois structures and the need for their repair, rehabilitation, restoration and/or reuse. History of the Heartland looks forward to working with the Church to provide continued preservation and improvements on the historic property.
“This former train station has been an asset in Decatur for nearly a century and we want to work with residents to ensure it is rehabilitated to continue to serve the community,” said Bonnie McDonald, Landmarks Illinois President & CEO. “We thank the History of the Heartland for bringing attention to this endangered place. We are grateful to all of the local advocates around the state who work tirelessly to preserve beloved historic places in their hometowns.” History of the Heartland officials met with the current Ministry staff about potential repurposing ideas for the building. Dr. Kenneth Gogins, stated he “always wanted the building to be maintained and saved for historical value and a valuable asset to the neighborhood and the community.”
One possibility is that of the Ministry’s educational program, Faith Community Educational Institute. This program is an outreach of the Church under the direction of Norma Gogins. FCEI allows people 19 years and older to go through a 20-week education module and obtain their high school diploma. The program has enabled nearly 1,000 students to get their high school diploma since 2006. Possibly the school could claim the space for its learning center.
“History of the Heartland looks forward to assisting in this project. Perhaps we can encourage some joint partnerships among our consortium to assist in the awareness campaign,” says Chairman, Bret Robertson. “Trains have a strong history in the shaping of our City and the Interurban Rail Service story is not widely known.” The terminal will host an open house on May 17th, 5-7pm as a part of historic preservation week. The open house is free and the public is encouraged to attend.
“Our historical preservation week was created to shine a spotlight on our many historic venues. The entire week is filled with family activities for everyone to enjoy and educate themselves about the history of Decatur,” concludes Robertson.
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