Preservation grants support business and nonprofit group in Southern Illinois communities of Alto Pass and Carbondale

Rendleman Orchards, Inc., in Alto Pass and Artspace 304 in Carbondale receive funding through the Landmarks Illinois Banterra Bank Preserve Southern Illinois Grant Program

CHICAGO, April 08, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Landmarks Illinois, in partnership with Banterra Bank, has provided funding to two preservation efforts in Southern Illinois through the Preserve Southern Illinois Grant Program.

The matching grants were awarded to Rendleman Orchards, Inc., in Alto Pass and Artspace 304 in Carbondale. Representatives from Landmarks Illinois and Banterra Bank will be in Alto Pass on Tuesday, April 9 and in Carbondale on Thursday, April 11 to present the recipients with their grant checks. Members of the public and press are welcome to attend the public events. Details on the check presentations and grant recipients are below.

*Migrant House, Rendleman Orchards, Inc. - Alto Pass
*Rendleman Orchards, nestled in the rolling hills of the Shawnee National Forest, has been in operation since the 1870s. The family farm contains original outbuildings like the former Migrant House that provided critical accommodations for those who worked on the farm during harvest seasons.

The $2,500 grant through the Landmarks Illinois Banterra Bank Preserve Southern Illinois Grant Program will help Rendleman Orchards’ effort to restore the Migrant House, which is currently unhabitable so that it can feature pieces of the farm’s history to educate and inspire visitors. 

*607 S. Illinois Ave., Artspace 304 - Carbondale
*Artspace 304, a nonprofit dedicated to cultivating the arts in Southern Illinois, is restoring a historic building at 607 S. Illinois Ave. in Carbondale’s downtown commercial district to serve as its secondary location for its programming. The new, interactive space will contain a gallery, artist studios and classrooms as well as a large retail area to sell locally made artwork.

The organization will use the $2,500 grant through the Landmarks Illinois Banterra Bank Preserve Southern Illinois Grant Program to remove and replace an existing fence surrounding the building’s front patio to create a more welcoming entrance. 

*Grant Check Presentations – April 9 & 11
*Landmarks Illinois and Banterra Bank will host check presentations with the recent grant recipients this week. A check presentation at Rendleman Orchards, Inc., 9680 IL Rt. 127 in Alto Pass, will take place on Tuesday, April 9 at 4 p.m. The Artspace 304 check presentation will take place Thursday, April 11 at 2:30 p.m. at 607 S. Illinois Ave. in Carbondale.

*About the grant program
*The Landmarks Illinois Banterra Bank Preserve Southern Illinois Grant Program provides monetary assistance to preserve or rehabilitate historic structures in downtowns and other commercial corridors of Southern Illinois to support economic development. Since 2022, the grant program has provided funding to preservation projects in the Southern Illinois communities of Elizabethtown, Golconda, Johnston City, Murphysboro and Sesser, in addition to the recent grant projects in Alto Pass and Carbondale. Visit our website to learn more.

*About Banterra Bank
*Founded in Southern Illinois, Banterra Bank approached Landmarks Illinois with the grant program concept, because they saw a need for preserving the region’s historic downtown buildings and supporting small business development in the area. Banterra began as a single bank in Ridgway, Illinois in July of 1975. Today, Banterra has more than $3 billion in assets and is ranked in the Top Eight Percent of U.S. Charter Banks and Top Five Percent for Illinois Charter Banks by asset size. Banterra has 40 locations in Arizona, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Missouri and Utah, as well as a specialty lending division that serves customers nationwide. For more information, call 866-BANTERRA (226-8377) or go to www.banterra.bank.

*About Landmarks Illinois
*We are People Saving Places for People. Landmarks Illinois is a membership-based, historic preservation nonprofit organization serving the people of Illinois. We inspire and empower stakeholders to save places that matter to them by providing free guidance, practical and financial resources and access to strategic partnerships. For more information, visit www.Landmarks.org.


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· Migrant House at Rendleman Orchards

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