SPRINGFIELD, Ill., March 21 /PRNewswire/ -- The American Institute of Architects, Illinois Council (AIA), will announce on Wednesday its "150 Illinois Great Places." Located in towns and cities across the state, these places have been identified by leading architects as contributing to their communities' quality of life. The Great Places commemorate AIA's 150th anniversary, and will showcase the best of the best in Illinois. The recognition program was designed to broadly include the "built environment," which includes civil, landscape and engineering places, as well as architecture. Each place will receive a plaque commemorating its impact on the community experience, and will be featured on the organization's Web site. Launching March 21 as well, the Web site ( http://www.illinoisgreatplaces.com/ ) will showcase each Great Place as a basis for public education and special events throughout this year. The list includes schools, churches, offices, court houses, museums, and planned communities. Though half of the places are historically designated, many others were built in the late 20th century. Renowned architects such as Frank Lloyd Wright and Mies van der Rohe are recognized, as are urban planners, landscape architects, urban designers and local builders.
