HR1047 93RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR1047 LRB093 22221 HSS 51208 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The Ninety-third General Assembly of the State of Illinois has begun taking an active role in improving the State Capitol grounds by creating the position of Architect of the Capitol, its Board, and its Capitol Historic Preservation Board; and

WHEREAS, Former House Clerk Tony Leone has taken upon himself, without any State or local funding, the renovation of an historically significant Springfield landmark, the residence of George Pasfield, located adjacent to the State Capitol Visitor's Center and bordering the west boundary of the Capitol Complex; and

WHEREAS, Mr. Leone's efforts have become a catalyst for other developers and property owners to begin a mixed use reinvestment in this once declining neighborhood, bringing a part of the central city back to a bright future; and

WHEREAS, Mr. Leone has also taken it upon himself to research the history of the Pasfields, a family of early settlers of Springfield who brought with them the entrepreneurial spirit that helped Abraham Lincoln spearhead the effort in 1837 to have the Capitol of Illinois relocated to Springfield; and

WHEREAS, Tony Leone is to be commended for his historical research which reminds us that it was George Pasfield Jr., the builder of the 1896 Pasfield House, who served as President of the Capitol Grounds Purchase Association whose purpose was to enlarge the State House grounds and to erect the Centennial Memorial Building; Mr. Pasfield along with John W. Bunn donated the largest share of the monies given by the people of Springfield for this purpose; and

WHEREAS, Tony Leone is to be commended for performing the research to allow the City of Springfield to designate the entire 40 acre estate and residence once occupied by three generations of the Pasfield family as the Pasfield House Historic Area; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-THIRD GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that the Pasfield House Historic Area be recognized as part of the Springfield and the State Capitol's history, and that the 1896 Pasfield House remain a tribute to the Pasfield family's contributions to Springfield and the State of Illinois; and be it further

RESOLVED, That restructuring and renovation efforts such as those undertaken at the Pasfield House and initiated by Tony Leone be recognized for its beauty; and be it further

RESOLVED, That we commend Tony Leone, the proprietor of the Pasfield House, and his architect, Bruce Ferry, for their imaginative efforts to transform a deteriorated structure, bringing a revitalization to the neighborhood directly west of the Capitol Complex; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to Tony Leone as an expression of our esteem.