HR1047 LRB093 22221 HSS 51208 r

1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2     WHEREAS, The Ninety-third General Assembly of the State of
3 Illinois has begun taking an active role in improving the State
4 Capitol grounds by creating the position of Architect of the
5 Capitol, its Board, and its Capitol Historic Preservation
6 Board; and
 
7     WHEREAS, Former House Clerk Tony Leone has taken upon
8 himself, without any State or local funding, the renovation of
9 an historically significant Springfield landmark, the
10 residence of George Pasfield, located adjacent to the State
11 Capitol Visitor's Center and bordering the west boundary of the
12 Capitol Complex; and
 
13     WHEREAS, Mr. Leone's efforts have become a catalyst for
14 other developers and property owners to begin a mixed use
15 reinvestment in this once declining neighborhood, bringing a
16 part of the central city back to a bright future; and
 
17     WHEREAS, Mr. Leone has also taken it upon himself to
18 research the history of the Pasfields, a family of early
19 settlers of Springfield who brought with them the
20 entrepreneurial spirit that helped Abraham Lincoln spearhead
21 the effort in 1837 to have the Capitol of Illinois relocated to
22 Springfield; and
 
23     WHEREAS, Tony Leone is to be commended for his historical
24 research which reminds us that it was George Pasfield Jr., the
25 builder of the 1896 Pasfield House, who served as President of
26 the Capitol Grounds Purchase Association whose purpose was to
27 enlarge the State House grounds and to erect the Centennial
28 Memorial Building; Mr. Pasfield along with John W. Bunn donated
29 the largest share of the monies given by the people of
30 Springfield for this purpose; and
 

 

 

HR1047 - 2 - LRB093 22221 HSS 51208 r

1     WHEREAS, Tony Leone is to be commended for performing the
2 research to allow the City of Springfield to designate the
3 entire 40 acre estate and residence once occupied by three
4 generations of the Pasfield family as the Pasfield House
5 Historic Area; therefore, be it
 
6     RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
7 NINETY-THIRD GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
8 the Pasfield House Historic Area be recognized as part of the
9 Springfield and the State Capitol's history, and that the 1896
10 Pasfield House remain a tribute to the Pasfield family's
11 contributions to Springfield and the State of Illinois; and be
12 it further
 
13     RESOLVED, That restructuring and renovation efforts such
14 as those undertaken at the Pasfield House and initiated by Tony
15 Leone be recognized for its beauty; and be it further
 
16     RESOLVED, That we commend Tony Leone, the proprietor of the
17 Pasfield House, and his architect, Bruce Ferry, for their
18 imaginative efforts to transform a deteriorated structure,
19 bringing a revitalization to the neighborhood directly west of
20 the Capitol Complex; and be it further
 
21     RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
22 presented to Tony Leone as an expression of our esteem.