AIA Illinois names new Executive Vice President

AIA Illinois is proud to announce Eric Klinner, CAE has been enthusiastically selected as its new Executive Vice President. Klinner, previous Managing Director of AIA Illinois since 2006 and Executive Director of the Prairie Chapter for the past six years, brings extensive experience and knowledge of the organization to the position, as well as association management to this pivotal role.

“I am excited and honored for the opportunity to take on the role of Executive Vice President at AIA Illinois,” Klinner said. “I am eager to work with our dedicated team and passionate members to propel AIA Illinois to new heights. Together we will foster creativity, advocacy, and growth within our association and the community our members serve.”

Klinner’s tenure at AIA Illinois is already marked by significant accomplishments. As Executive Director of AIA Prairie Illinois, he helped lead the chapter to its successful formation. He also previously served as the President of the Illinois Society of Association Executives and on the Association Forum Certified Association Executive (CAE) Working Group to help fellow executives earn their CAE. He continues to serve on the American Institute of Architects Disaster Assistance Committee.

“As President of the AIA Illinois Board of Directors, I am honored to announce Eric Klinner, CAE as the new AIA Illinois Executive Vice President,” said Leanne Meyer-Smith, President, AIA Illinois Board of Directors. “Eric’s integrity, commitment and knowledge of the position elevated him above all others, and he was unanimously selected. Eric’s loyalty to our organization and its members is exemplary. I am excited for Eric to assume this leadership role and look forward to hearing his ideas to strengthen our strategic plan, serve our mission and to ensure a strong future for AIA Illinois.”

“I would also like to thank our consultant Helene Dreiling, FAIA of Three Aspens Co., Jim Maciejewski, AIA, Chair of our EVP Search committee and the entire EVP Search Committee for their work over the past six-plus months to review and interview candidates,” Meyer-Smith said.

About AIA Illinois AIA Illinois is the state component of the national American Institute of Architects. From its Springfield headquarters within eyesight of the Illinois Statehouse, it represents more than 4,200 members working to build livable communities from Cairo to Chicago.

Legislative Session Wrap-Up | 2023

The Illinois General Assembly wrapped up their work for the spring session in the early morning hours of Saturday, May 27. Overall, it was a successful session for AIA Illinois and our priorities!

The Historic Preservation Tax Credit was due to sunset on Dec.31, 2023. While there is strong support in the legislature for the Historic Preservation Tax Credit, budget items are always tough to get passed. Not only was the tax credit extended for another five years through Dec. 31, 2028, the annual amount available was increased from $15 million to $25 million/year. A big win!

Another success was passing a bill to establish a minimum statewide building code. This issue has been under consideration for decades without success, due to opposition from municipalities. This year, a coalition of environmental, building code and design/construction groups came together to push this issue forward. There was more momentum this year due to the fact that there are hundreds of millions of dollars in federal emergency management funding that Illinois is missing out on because of our lack of a statewide building code. This bill, Senate Bill 2368, has passed both chambers and is awaiting action by Governor Pritzker.

Two bills were filed on Energy Savings Contract Organizations (ESCOs). The first is an initiative of AIA, House Bill 2119. We have pursued this legislation for the last several years and have met strong resistance from school associations along with the ESCOs. Unfortunately, that bill did not move forward.

A second ESCO bill was filed on behalf of an ESCO. This bill sought to take ESCOs outside the debt limitation cap for school districts. While this bill moved through the House, the Senate did not take any action on it. AIA Illinois was opposed, so we were pleased to see the Senate hold this bill.

Finally, AIA Illinois supported the all-gender equitable access restroom act, HB 1286. We were pleased that this bill passed both the House and Senate and is now awaiting the Governor's signature. This legislation allows a multi-occupancy restroom to be designated for use by a person of any gender.

Thank you to our great team at Nekritz Amdor Andersson Group and all of our partners and citizen architects who helped with these and all of our other legislative initiatives.

Walter Thomas Bailey

Illinois’ first black licensed architect

---

Walter Thomas Bailey was born on January 11, 1882, in Kewanee, Illinois. He attended Kewanee High School and in 1904 became the first African American to graduate from the School of Architectural Engineering at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He was also the first licensed African American architect in the state of Illinois.

Bailey would go on to work at an architectural firm owned by Henry Eckland in Kewanee after graduation. Bailey also worked for Spencer & Temple in Champaign, Illinois where he assisted in the planning of the Colonel Wolfe School.

Colonel Wolfe School

---

Later in 1905, Walter Bailey was appointed as the head of the Mechanical Industries Department at the prestigious Tuskegee Institute (currently known as Tuskegee University).

He was able to accomplish this just one year after graduating from the University of Illinois. Bailey would work on several commissions across the United States, often working on commissions for the Knights of Pythias, which includes the Pythias Temple in Chicago.

First Church of Deliverance

---

Walter Bailey’s last major project was designed in Art Moderne style and is located in Chicago, Illinois. First Church of Deliverance was a project that stands as a rare example of a Streamline Moderne design used for a house of worship. First Church of Deliverance was built in 1939 and designated a Chicago Landmark in 1994.