News

Presidential papers to visit suburban Chicago

The Illinois State Historical Society's noted Block Collection of U.S. presidential documents will be headed to suburban Chicago this fall and will be supplemented on display by rare pieces of presidential history from a local collector and ISHS director, Lawrence Hansen. The Block Collection includes many signed documents from presidents dating as far back as James Madison; as well as, Illinois' own Abraham Lincoln and Ulysses S. Grant.

The Historical Society of Oak Park and River Forest, 217 Home Ave., in Oak Park, will open the exhibit on Wednesday, October 4 during a special lecture beginning at 7:30 p.m. Guest speaker, Dan Guillory, will talk about the importance of these documents and his extensive study of the collection. The late Joseph and Lucille Block were Chicago residents whose extensive presidential collection was donated to the Illinois State Historical Society and the Chicago History Museum. The Block Collection is being loaned by the Illinois State Historical Society to a select group of sites in Illinois. The stop in Oak Park is the only location scheduled in the Chicago area for 2006.

The October 4th opening event is FREE to members of both The Historical Society of Oak Park and River Forest and The Illinois State Historical Society. Cost is $5 for the general public. The Presidential Papers exhibit can also be seen during regular tour hours from 12:30-3:30 Thursdays-Sundays or to groups of 10 or more by appointment.

Dome home makes landmark list

The R. Buckminster and Anne Hewlett Dome Home located at 407 S. Forest in Carbondale was one of fifteen properties in Illinois listed in the National Register of Historic Places in February by the National Park Service. This designation places the Fuller's dome home on the nation's most prestigious list of places with historical significance.

"A National Register listing is an honor bestowed upon our most significant historic places," said Robert Coomer, director of the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency (IHPA), which administers the National Register program in Illinois. "These fifteen properties make us justifiably proud of our heritage in Illinois."

Fuller and his wife lived in the dome from 1960 -1971. It is the only home Fuller ever owned, the only geodesic dome he ever called home and is the structure in the United States most closely associated with Fuller and his work. While living in the Carbondale dome, Fuller authored eleven of his twenty-nine books, was awarded nine of his twenty-nine patents, and received twenty-three honorary degrees. He was awarded both his Gold Medals for architecture while residing in the dome house. It was while he lived in the Carbondale dome that Fuller completed the U.S. pavilion at the Montreal World's Fair, his most known work.

Cornelius Crane, President of RBF Dome, the not-for profit owner of the Dome, stated "The listing on the National Register is an important step in the effort to have the Fuller Dome Home preserved and eventually opened to the public as a home museum. The fact that the Dome was listed early is an indication of the significance of this property on a national level."

The RBF Dome Board is in the process of applying for National Landmark status, the highest listing reserved for the most important properties in the country. "The National Landmark designation will place the Dome as one of the nation's historic treasures and open up additional grant funding to complete the restoration project" said Crane.

For more information on the Fuller property in Carbondale and RBF Dome's efforts to preserve the property visit the RBF Dome website at www.buckysdome.org.

ILLINOIS HERITAGE 4