Bensenville Area Historical Association- BAHA

05/31/2026

The letter was published throughout Rockford today in print. This represents a significant milestone for the organization and increases our visibility.

05/29/2026

Our letter to the City of Rockford and UW Health was published in the Rockford Register Star today.

"To the City of Rockford and the Historic Preservation Commission, this loss is a glaring failure of local governance and regulatory oversight."

05/27/2026

May 26, 2026
Dear Editor,
I’m profoundly disappointed with UW Health SwedishAmerican Hospital over their short-sightedness of demolishing the Civil War-era Briggs Mansion located at 1244 East State Street. The leveling of this 163-year-old architectural masterpiece on May 26 is a permanent stain on the community, and a sobering reminder of how easily our local history can be erased by corporate indifference and administrative complacency.
Built in 1863 by C.C. Briggs, who was a fierce abolitionist and instrumental community builder, this mansion was far more than mere timber and brick. It survived the Civil War, held deep ties to the regional Underground Railroad network, and stood as an irreplaceable testament to nineteenth-century craftsmanship and local heritage.
UW Health purchased this historic gem under the guise of future campus expansion, only to immediately rush through a demolition permit within weeks. This is corporate citizenship at its worst. Claiming the building is “not listed on a historical registry” is an insult to the intelligence of this community. It was your responsibility as a leading community entity to exercise stewardship over an obvious historical asset, explore options for creative reuse, and incorporate this magnificent Italianate-style landmark into your medical campus—much like the preservation of the Lake-Peterson House. Instead, you treated one of Rockford’s oldest homes as a disposable pop can, sacrificing irreplaceable history.
To the City of Rockford and the Historic Preservation Commission, this loss is a glaring failure of local governance and regulatory oversight. Allowing an outside institution to bypass public discourse, ignore the outreach of the Historic Preservation Commission, and bulldoze our cultural identity without a mandatory demolition-delay ordinance is unacceptable. Rockford continues to cannibalize its own soul—first with the Chancery building, then the Elks Club, and now the Briggs Mansion. When we erase the craftsmanship and the historical contributions of those who built this community, we degrade the character of Rockford as a whole.
Progress and healthcare expansion are necessary, but they should never demand the total erasure of our heritage. You have traded a monumental, 163-year-old symbol of American and Rockford history for a patch of dirt.
I urge that the Rockford City Council immediately reform its preservation ordinances to implement strict, multi-party demolition-delay processes so that predatory acquisitions like this can never happen again. This community is tired of watching its history reduced to rubble.
With severe disappointment,
Bensenville Area Historical Association

05/27/2026

This is what we at BAHA are striving to prevent happening in our villages and town. We cannot lose what makes our towns what they are. The history of them is very important.

The Briggs Mansion, a Civil War-era landmark in Rockford, began to be demolished Tuesday morning after being purchased by UW Health, which cited the building's deteriorating condition and absence from

05/15/2026

Attention Bensenville it has come to our attention that the green st school building is in rough shape and in need of restoration. We are working on finding the owner and the funding to do right by the historical building and the community. Our goal is to turn it into a village history museum and the new site for the Bensenville log house. If anyone has any information please reach out. Thanks

05/09/2026

Please join us in supporting our local community and its great history.

🌟 Join us in Creating Change! 🌟At Bensenville Area Historical Association, we know that change starts with people like you. Every act of kindness, every dollar, and every moment of your time brings us closer to achieving our mission. Together, we can help save our local history.How you can hel...

05/08/2026

Please feel free to join our Elmhurst neighbors in their preservation promenade walking tour fundraising event.

Step Back in Time: Historic Elmhurst Walking Tour Fund RaiserJoin us for a 90-minute guided, eight-block walking tour through one of Elmhurst’s most historically significant neighborhoods. Explore 27 historic homes and two churches in the Emery and Struckmann Neighborhood -- one of the city’s ea...

04/06/2026

This is my open letter to the Art Institute of Chicago on the official stance from BAHA. Its up to everyone to form together to help save all history from meeting the wrecking ball.

The Board of Trustees and Leadership
The Art Institute of Chicago
111 South Michigan Avenue
Chicago, IL 60603
RE: URGENT OBJECTION to the Destruction of Louis Sullivan’s Chicago Stock Exchange Elements
To the Board of Trustees and Leadership,
I am writing to express my profound outrage and absolute opposition to any plans involving the further destruction, neglect, or dismantling of the surviving elements of Louis Sullivan’s 1894 Chicago Stock Exchange.
As a world-renowned institution that claims to be a steward of art and human history, the Art Institute has a moral and civic obligation to protect the architectural soul of this city. Louis Sullivan did not just build offices; he pioneered a uniquely American language of architecture. The Stock Exchange Trading Room, currently housed within your walls, is not merely an "exhibit"—it is a sacred remnant of a masterpiece that was already tragically mutilated by the wrecking ball in 1972.
To allow further degradation or the disposal of Sullivan’s intricate terracotta, stencil work, or structural ornamentation is an act of institutional vandalism. It is a betrayal of the public trust and a slap in the face to the preservationists who fought to save these fragments from the landfill decades ago.
History will not look kindly on an arts organization that prioritizes modernization or administrative convenience over the physical preservation of its own city's heritage. You do not own these artifacts; you hold them in trust for the people of Chicago and the world.
I demand that the Art Institute publicly reaffirm its commitment to the permanent preservation of all Sullivan-designed elements in its possession and provide a transparent plan for their continued protection. The architectural world is watching, and we will not stay silent while Chicago’s history is erased.

Sincerely,
Zachary Squires- President of the Bensenville Area Historical Association
154 W Park Ave
#1167
Elmhurst, IL 60126

03/05/2026

Support our efforts to conserve the storied past of America's premier city.

STOP the Demolition of the Chicago Stock Exchange Trading Room!

03/05/2026

The nonprofit organization advocates for the preservation of local architecture.