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HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION
Phone: (708) 788-2660 ext. 3225
BerwynHPC@gmail.com

The Berwyn Historic Preservation Commission was formed in 2007 when the City enacted an ordinance designed to preserve Berwyn’s historic and architectural heritage for future generations.

The Commission’s mission is to foster the city’s unique heritage with an eye toward its future development. The Commission endeavors to: a) identify, preserve, and enhance Berwyn’s distinctive buildings with local and national designation; (b) conserve and improve properties designated as historic landmarks or located in historic districts; (c) enhance the attractiveness of the City to all, thus providing economic benefits to the entire City; (d) promote civic pride; and (e) provide practical guidance and preservation advocacy through education to the community.

If you are interested in nominating a property to be designated as a Berwyn Historic Landmark, please download the nomination form and the instructions form located below. If you have any questions about the nomination process or any historic preservation issue, please feel free to contact the Commission at the phone number or email address above. We look forward to working with all Berwyn residents to sustain and improve our City.

pdf  Nomination Form
pdf  Form Instructions

Board Members
• Lori Thielen, Chair
• Rebecca Houze, Ph.D., Secretary
• Jamie Franklin
• Christina Martinez-Sahagun
• Robert Sellars
• Douglas Walega
• Jeromie Winsor

Lori Thielen is the president of the Berwyn Historical Society and chairs the Historical/Memorabilia Committee for the City’s Centennial Project. She also directed the development and implementation of Historic Berwyn’s Bungalow Tours and the Holy Ground Tours, which involved researching and touring all 23 churches in Berwyn.

Lori continues to work closely with all levels of City Government and State agencies, like the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency and Landmarks Illinois. She worked with graduate students from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago’s Historic Preservation Program to create the City of Berwyn’s Preservation Plan document, and she led the verification project to identify Frank Lloyd Wright’s American System Built homes in Berwyn. Lori also co-authored the National Register Nominations for the Berwyn National Bank, the First United Methodist Church and the Berwyn Health Center building.

Lori is also a charter board member of the Berwyn Main Street Foundation, which is in the process of competing for a Main Street designation, a preservation-based economic tool for the Cermak Road business corridor.

Lori is the owner and operator of Serendipity Antiques in Berwyn’s Historic Depot District.
     
     
Rebecca Houze, Ph.D. is Associate Professor of Art History at Northern Illinois University, where she teaches classes on the history of architecture, graphic design, and the decorative arts. Her own research on Central European design in the late nineteenth and twentieth centuries has twice taken her to Vienna and Budapest, where she was awarded two Fulbright fellowships, and lived for a year while writing her doctoral dissertation. After receiving her Ph.D. in Art History from the University of Chicago in 2000, Rebecca has embarked on many research projects both at home and abroad. Her academic articles have appeared in numerous journals, including the Journal of Design History, Design Issues, and Studies in the Decorative Arts.

She was drawn to Berwyn because of its rich Central European heritage and unique architecture, and has lived in a 1920s American Foursquare home in north Berwyn with her husband and two boys for the past seven years.
     

Jamie Franklin is a partner at the law firm of Meites, Mulder, Mollica & Glink in Chicago, where she represents plaintiffs in all types of complex litigation. Jamie has a law degree from the University of Chicago Law School and a degree in art history and cultural anthropology from Duke University. She has a lifelong interest in architecture and historic preservation issues.

Jamie and her fiancé Michael Solway moved to Berwyn in 2006 and are currently renovating a house in the Depot District.

Christina Martinez-Sahagun is the Director of Housing Development for a Chicago based not-for-profit development corporation.  In this capacity, she is responsible for initiating and evaluating new development/acquisition opportunities for affordable rental housing for the organization. She also serves on the Latina Leadership Council of the Chicago Foundation for Women. Most recently, she was asked to serve on the Board of Directors of Kid’s Café, the only kitchen serving 60-80 hot meals each weekday to children living in the Back of the Yards neighborhood of Chicago.

Christina holds a Master Degree in Urban Planning from the University of Illinois, Chicago, with a concentration in community economic development. She possesses over eleven years of experience working on affordable housing development and preservation projects throughout Chicago. 

Christina has lived in Berwyn since 2001 with her husband and two young children.
     
Robert Sellars is a principal at Florian Architects, a Chicago architecture firm that has won local and national recognition for single and multi-family residences, retail stores and showrooms, and exhibition and entertainment environments. Conceptually, the firm is focused on communicative aspects of the built environment, stylistic versatility, innovative design solutions, and creative approaches to adaptive re-use.

Prior to becoming an architect, Robert was a writer and researcher specializing in government documents in Washington, DC. In addition to his MArch degree from UIC, Robert has a BA from the University of Michigan (Ann Arbor) in English Literature and Philosophy. He is originally from Flint, MI.

Robert and his wife Josephine are parents of triplet boys and a daughter.  They have resided in a Berwyn bungalow for the past 7 years.
     

Douglas R. Walega, AIA, NCARB is principal and founder of Douglas R. Walega, Architect, PC, established in 1994 and located in Berwyn. He is a member of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) and certified through and a member of the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB). He is a lifelong area resident of Berwyn, and as such, feels a strong commitment to the community and historic preservation. He is a charter member of the Berwyn Historical Society, serving as its President from 1988 to 1989. He is also a member of the Kiwanis Club of Berwyn, serving as President from 1997 to 1998. He is a current board member of the Berwyn Development Corporation. He was awarded the Pav YMCA in Berwyn Annual Robert W. Teeter Award for outstanding community service in 2006.

Doug is a graduate of Illinois Institute of Technology with a five year professional Bachelor of Architecture degree along with a minor in City & Regional Planning. Professionally, he has consulted on and has executed numerous architectural facade renovations and redevelopment projects in Berwyn.
     
Jeromie Winsor has a Master's in Urban Planning & Policy from the University of Illinois-Chicago, and works as a consultant for URS Corporation in Chicago. Jeromie has been a resident of Berwyn since 2005.