National Trust for Historic Preservation Presents National Preservation Honor Award to William, Gayle and Carl Cook
Family Intervenes to Put National Landmarks Back in Business
Posted October 23, 2008 | Contact pr@nthp.org or 202-588-6141
Today, the National Trust for Historic Preservation presented William, Gayle and Carl Cook its National Preservation Honor Award. The family was one of 21 national award winners honored by the National Trust during its 2008 National Preservation Conference in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
The Cook family—Bill, Gayle and son Carl—are successful medical device manufacturers from Bloomington, Indiana, who share a passion for historic preservation. In the mid-1990s, they began helping the Historic Landmarks Foundation of Indiana rescue the collapsing West Baden Springs Hotel and the French Lick Springs Hotel. Their unparalleled commitment not only saved these two historic treasures from the wrecking ball, but their efforts also brought prosperity back to the community while bolstering the statewide preservation movement.
When it opened in 1902, southern Indiana's West Baden Springs Hotel made headlines with its breathtaking soaring, 110-feet high domed atrium. Once the social playground of the wealthy elite, sports heroes, politicians and even gangsters like Al Capone, the hotel was forced to close when it was hit hard by the stock market crash of 1929 and the Great Depression. For more than 70 years it languished until it made news again in 1991 when part of the long-neglected structure collapsed.
Unwilling to let the building die, the Historic Landmarks Foundation of Indiana purchased the hotel and enlisted the help of the Cook family, who initially invested $35 million to stabilize it. When no buyer stepped forward, the Cooks acquired the hotel themselves and meticulously restored it to its original gilded glory—with no guarantee of ever recovering their investment.
All the while, one mile down the road, the larger and continuously operating French Lick Springs Hotel, built in 1901, spiraled in inexorable decline. In 2003, at the Cooks urging and with grassroots support, the state legislature passed a bill allowing for a casino near the landmark hotels. By 2005, the Cooks were spearheading a renaissance for the entire area, purchasing the French Lick Springs Hotel and pursuing the casino contract themselves.
The restoration and preservation paid off and the Cook family continues to skillfully combine profit with philanthropy. Not only did they pour a total of $450 million into restoring the French Lick and West Baden Springs hotels, they turned the resorts and casino into a profitable enterprise. They now put more than half of those profits back into charitable funding grants for historic preservation and education in Indiana.
"People saving places, that's ultimately what preservation is about," says Richard Moe, president of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. "Thanks to their unflagging enthusiasm and unwavering resolve, the Cook family has set an impressive example for the revitalization of National Historic Landmarks throughout the country."
The National Preservation Awards are bestowed on distinguished individuals, nonprofit organizations, public agencies and corporations whose skill and determination have given new meaning to their communities through preservation of our architectural and cultural heritage. These efforts include citizen attempts to save and maintain important landmarks; companies and craftsmen whose work restores the richness of the past; the vision of public officials who support preservation projects and legislation in their communities; and educators and journalists who help Americans understand the value of preservation. The winners of the National Preservation Awards will appear in the November/December issue of Preservation Magazine and online at www.PreservationNation.org/magazine.
To download high resolution images of this year's National Preservation Award winners, visit http://press.nationaltrust.org/
The 2008 National Preservation Award Winners:
Louise DuPont Crowninshield Award: Mark Michel and Jane Blaffer Owen—Both Mark Michel and Jane Blaffer Owen have expertly combined vision, action and leadership to launch highly ambitious initiatives that protect some of the nation's most precious—and fragile—historic treasures.
John H. Chafee Trustees Award for Outstanding Achievement in Public Policy: Andrew Potts, Washington, DC—From the corridors of the Capitol to corporate offices, Andrew Potts has provided informed, impassioned advocacy to save buildings and bring neighborhoods back to life.
Trustees Award for Organizational Excellence: Gifford Park Association, Elgin, IL—The all-volunteer Gifford Park Association creatively and innovatively revamped its historic neighborhood. Today, Elgin is a proud showplace for preservation and stands as a model for what vision and hard work can achieve.
Trustee Emeritus Award for Excellence in the Stewardship of Historic Sites: Edison & Ford Winter Estates, Fort Myers, FL—A recently completed $10 million effort rescued the side-by-side winter estates of two of history's most inventive and influential geniuses, transforming the site into a premier education center and community resource.
NT/HUD Secretary's Award for Excellence in Historic Preservation: Curley School Project, Ajo, AZ—The pride and joy of a small mining town when it opened in 1919, the Curley School was forced to close its doors when hard times hit in the 1980s. Reclaiming the building was a risky proposition, but an array of public and private partners came together to reopen the School as the centerpiece of a community-wide revitalization effort.
National Trust /ACHP Award for Federal Partnerships in Historic Preservation: V-Site Restoration Project, Los Alamos, NM—A small cluster of buildings, the V-Site was where the world's first plutonium bombs were assembled during World War II. After the War ended, the buildings stood empty and threatened with demolition until an innovative preservation partnership ensured that time would stand still in a place where the world changed forever.
THE 2008 NATIONAL PRESERVATION HONOR AWARD WINNERS:
Arkansas Heritage SITES, Arkansas State University, Jonesboro, AR—This innovative program has made significant progress in protecting the cultural assets of the rural Arkansas Delta while sparking economic revitalization, heritage tourism and spinoff business development in nearby communities.
William, Gayle and Carl Cook, Bloomington, IN—In the mid 1990s, the Cook family began helping the Historic Landmarks Foundation of Indiana rescue the collapsing West Baden Springs and French Lick Springs Hotels. Thanks to this never-say-die family, two historic treasures have been saved and economic prosperity has returned to the community.
Crow Canyon Archaeological Center, Cortez, CO—Dedicated to the research of the ancestral American Indian experience, the Center's pioneering collaboration with American Indian tribes and innovative outreach efforts continue to broaden understanding of ancient cultures and teach the importance of preserving fragile archaeological sites.
Ford Assembly Building, Richmond, CA—In an exemplary preservation turn-around, the building that once manufactured exhaust-spewing internal-combustion engines now houses a number of "green" businesses and a popular entertainment venue, all of which are revitalizing the local economy.
General Services Administration's Modern-Era Buildings Initiative, Washington, DC—When local preservationists protested the GSA's plan to alter part of a 1965 federal building in Denver, CO, the organization decided to take a serious look at its portfolio of Modern-era buildings. The result was a comprehensive initiative that laid a strong foundation for the stewardship of federally owned buildings from the 1950s, 60s and 70s.
Heritage Foundation of Franklin & Williamson County, Franklin, TN—Among the largest and most successful preservation groups in the country, this grassroots organization has fought for 40 years to protect the county's rural legacy from urban sprawl.
Kansas Army National Guard, Topeka, KS—In America's heartland, the National Guard has added historic preservation to the long list of services it provides. The preservation plans the Guard drew up while surveying its 49 armories, registering the qualified ones, and restoring two are landmark documents that have since been distributed in other states as models of their kind.
Museum at Eldridge Street, New York, NY—When it opened in 1887, the Eldridge Street Synagogue was an island of grandeur on Manhattan's Lower East Side. But as the congregation moved away, the synagogue fell into disuse and the termites and pigeons took over. Now, a 20-year effort has returned the building to its original glory.
Oak Court, Dallas, TX—Over the years, a number of insensitive alterations dimmed the luster of this modernist masterpiece but a meticulous restoration has returned the residence, including its iconic floating dining room table, to the grandeur that won critical raves a half-century ago.
Partners for Sacred Places, Philadelphia, PA—Partners for Sacred Places, the only national organization dedicated to the preservation and effective use of historic religious buildings, has helped thousands of congregations nationwide preserve their sites, thereby creating a new movement within the preservation field.
Pasadena City Hall, Pasadena, CA—More than 70 years of heavy use and the ever-present threat of earthquakes put Pasadena's City Hall at serious risk. After a 10-year, $117.5 million renovation to strengthen the landmark against future seismic activity while restoring its historic features, City Hall gleams anew.
Roma Visitors' Center and Plaza, Roma, TX—In 1976, a misguided remodeling destroyed much of the 2-block long plaza located along the banks of the Rio Grande, but an innovative project has rejuvenated the heart of this Texas border town and the plaza is a dynamic gathering place for citizens and visitors once again.
TWA Corporate Headquarters Building, Kansas City, MO—An exemplary rehabilitation has brought viable new life to a building that was once slated for demolition. This preservation triumph in America's heartland celebrates the recent past while pointing the way to a sustainable future.
Union Station, Springfield, IL—Over the years, passing time and changing lifestyles turned Springfield's Union Station into an eyesore. But now, preservation has returned this treasured landmark to its rightful role as a downtown anchor and focus of community pride.
Washington Mills Building No. 1, Lawrence, MA—In a region dotted with historic mills, Washington Mills stands out. As the city's first major housing development in over 20 years, the building has been transformed into loft-style, mixed-housing apartments, bringing new life and the promise of spin-off development to the depressed community.
The National Trust for Historic Preservation, a privately-funded nonprofit organization, works to save America’s historic places to enrich our future. www.PreservationNation.org
