SUSAN S. BENJAMIN is an architectural historian with a career that spans over 30 years in a broad variety of preservation activities. Ms. Benjamin practices as Benjamin Historic Certifications, LLC. Between 1992 and 2003 she was a founder and partner in Historic Certification Consultants.

National Register: Ms. Benjamin has researched and prepared many nominations for listing individual buildings and historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places. She prepared the first multiple property listing in Illinois, for Highland Park, as well as one for Maywood. Other nominations have included boundary extensions to districts in Hyde Park-Kenwood, Lakeview, and Sheffield in Chicago, a thematic nomination of 50 apartment buildings in Evanston, and individual structures, including the Adlai Stevenson Farm in Libertyville, the Edward L. Ryerson Area Historic District in Deerfield, the Deerpath Inn, Mrs. Kersey Coates Reed House and the Edward H. Bennett Estate in Lake Forest, the A.G. Becker Estate in Highland Park, the Oak Lawn School, the Hotel Waukegan and Karcher Hotel in Waukegan, the Paul Schweikher House in Schaumburg, as well as the Mandel Brothers Warehouse, the Marshall Field Garden Apartments, the Fairbanks Morse Building, the Oliver Building, Quigley Preparatory Seminary, and the Midwest Athletic Club in Chicago.

Local Landmarks: She has written numerous local landmark nominations for homes designed in a variety of architectural styles. These include houses by early builders as well as by prominent architects including Howard Van Doren Shaw, Philip Maher, Samuel Marx, Mayo and Mayo, Bertrand Goldberg, James Nagle and many others. Following the designation, tax incentives were often acquired for the property owners.

Tax Incentives: Preparing the necessary documentation for landmark property owners seeking the Illinois Property Tax Assessment Freeze or Historic Preservation Federal Income Tax Credit is a large part of her business. For over fifteen years, Ms. Benjamin has obtained a property tax assessment freeze for numerous homeowners throughout the metropolitan area, especially on the North Shore. Clients have also included the developers of the condominiums at the Mayfair Regent on Lake Shore Drive, the former Mandel Brothers Distribution Warehouse at 3256 N. Halsted Avenue, and former army buildings that have been converted into private residences and condominiums at Fort Sheridan

Preservation Projects: While a partner in Historic Certification Consultants, she worked with LR Development, preparing the “Historic Resource Management Plan” for the redevelopment of Fort Sheridan. In that capacity, she wrote a history of the fort and gave several lectures and tours on the fort’s significance. With Ms. Benjamin writing the text, Historic Certification Consultants also assembled a brochure, “A History of Ryerson Woods”, published by the Friends of Ryerson Woods.

In her capacity as an architectural historian, she has prepared Historic Resource Assessments for the City of Lake Forest for Elawa Farm, Grove School and several individual residences. She has also written a Historic American Engineering Record report for Frank Lloyd Wright’s Ravine Bluffs Development Bridge in Glencoe, Illinois, for the Village of Glencoe.

Talks, Tours and Miscellany: Ms. Benjamin frequently gives lectures and tours on Chicago and North Shore architecture and landscapes. Her many venues have included the Chicago Architecture Foundation, Landmark Preservation Council of Illinois’ statewide conference, the Renovation and Restoration Conference in Chicago, Lake Forest Preservation Foundation, the Highland Park and Winnetka Historical Societies, Rotary clubs in Wilmette and Highland Park, the Cliff Dwellers Club, the Lake Forest Garden Club, the National Trust for Historic Preservation, the Association for Preservation Technology and others. She has prepared oral histories for the Architecture Department of the Art Institute of Chicago. Many programs on WTTW, HGTV and other stations have included interviews with her. Her TV appearances include two segments of "Home Again" with Bob Vila. She is frequently quoted in North Shore Magazine, in the Pioneer Press, the Chicago Tribune and other publications. Ms. Benjamin is currently writing a book on North Shore houses with architect Stuart Cohen for Acanthus Press. She has been an Adjunct Professor at Barat College in Lake Forest, Illinois, teaching historic preservation and has team taught at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago on “Preserving the Recent Past.” Working with a retired Highland Park school teacher, she assembled material to introduce preservation into the community’s third grade curriculum.

Volunteer Activities: Her volunteer participation includes serving as an honorary board member of the David Adler Cultural Center and on the Board of Advisors of the Mayslake Landmark Conservancy. She has been a member of the Board of Directors of Landmarks Preservation Council of Illinois, the Highland Park Associates of the Art Institute of Chicago and the Highland Park Historical Society. She served as first chairman of the Highland Park Historic Preservation Commission and remains an advisory member.

Education: Ms. Benjamin holds a BA in Art History from Brown University and an MA in Art History from the University of Minnesota.

PUBLICATIONS:

North Shore Chicago: Houses of the Lakefront Suburbs, Acanthus Press, Fall, 2004, publication.

David Adler: The Elements of Style. The Art Institute of Chicago and Yale University Press, 2002. Wrote essays on the Mrs. Carolyn Morse Ely House and the Mr. and Mrs. David Adler House.

An Architectural Album: Chicago's North Shore, Junior League of Evanston, 1988. (editor).

Winnetka Architecture: Where Past is Present, A Guide to Timeless Styles. July, 1990 (editor).

North Shore Home and Decor. "Wright Among us on the North Shore", April, 1992, "Historic Inn Nominated for Registry", April 28, 1992.

Eleven Magazine. “Can Chicago Preserve Its Architectural Heritage,” November, 1996; "Ocean View,” June, 1991; "Building from History,” May, 1990; "Building a Tradition: The North Shore's Architectural Heritage,” November, 1989.

Inland Architect. "Underage Landmarks", January, 1988.

Historic Illinois. "Chicago's Fairbanks, Morse and Company Headquarters", June, 1989, "Highland Park's A. G. Becker Estate", April, 1987, "Evanston's Suburban Apartment Buildings", February, 1985.