Quincy Art Center Designated as Local Landmark
Quincy Art Center Earns Landmark Status, Preserving a Piece of the City’s Architectural History
QUINCY, Ill. The Quincy Art Center at 1515 Jersey St. has officially been designated as a local landmark, adding another historic Quincy property to the city’s growing list of protected architectural treasures.
The Quincy Preservation Commission presented a plaque recognizing the designation during a ceremony Oct. 7 at the Art Center. Representatives of the commission joined Quincy Art Center Director Sandra Hitt and Vince Udry, president of the Art Center’s Board of Directors, for the presentation.
The Quincy City Council approved the landmark designation in July 2025.
As part of the designation, several exterior architectural features of the property will receive protection and would require review and consent from the Quincy Preservation Commission and/or Quincy City Council before being altered or removed.
Those features include the board and batten siding with scalloped detail, the narrow weathervane tower and weathervane, Eastlake trim on the tower, dormers with small panes, carriage house doors and wooden shutters. The building also carries a notable architectural pedigree.
The original structure was designed by Joseph Silsbee, a Harvard and Massachusetts Institute of Technology-trained architect whose draftsman apprentice was Frank Lloyd Wright.
University of Illinois Professor Frederick Koeper once described the building as a “charming design free of any commitment to a particular architectural style.”
The Quincy Art Club, established in 1923, made its first home in the building in 1932.
The interior was remodeled in 1946 in a design by Charles Behrensmeyer, creating the Elizabeth M. Sinnock Gallery. A 1990 addition was designed to complement the original carriage house by borrowing forms and shapes from the historic structure.
The Quincy Preservation Commission has been working to recognize and protect historically significant properties since it was formed in 1982.
Recent landmark designations have included the Charles Henry Bull Carriage House at 1636 Hampshire, the Lorenzo Bull House at 1550 Maine, St. Boniface Church at 641 Maine and the Bert Gardner House at 2325 Maine.
More than 140 properties throughout Quincy have been designated as local landmarks and are protected by city ordinance, either individually or as part of a local historic district.
When reviewing applications for landmark status, the Preservation Commission considers factors including a property’s historical, cultural, artistic, social or economic significance, association with important people or events, architectural characteristics, craftsmanship and connections to notable architects, builders, designers or artists.
The designation of the Quincy Art Center adds another layer of protection to a property that has served as a home for the arts in Quincy for generations while preserving architectural features that make the building distinctive.
