Workers began placing personalized bricks on the west end of the Bicentennial Plaza – a REALTOR® Community Partnership in Springfield as they work toward the Aug. 26 dedication.

This first installment includes a total of 185 personalized bricks being installed immediately north of the Illinois REALTORS® building, including the names of 93 of our past presidents. To be part of the next installation, supporters can make their brick donation online.

By donating, your name or personalized message will be laser engraved on 4-by-8-inch pavers installed on the walkway of the plaza. The bricks are tax-deductible as part of the Real Estate Educational Foundation (REEF) Bicentennial Education Fund. REEF is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that promotes the work of real estate education in Illinois

The money raised through the brick donations will defray the costs for the plaza’s educational interpretive panels: “Abraham Lincoln’s Vision for America.” Dedicated to Lincoln’s vision for America as a country with opportunity and equality for all, the plaza will showcase the people who lived and worked to advance that vision, and contains a special marker commemorating the 50^th anniversary of the Fair Housing Act.

The area around Bicentennial Plaza has sites linked to Abraham Lincoln, who historians say would have often used the Jackson Street Corridor while he lived in Springfield. The tree-lined public space will revitalize the corridor, providing opportunities for REALTOR® and civic community events. It will also provide a public pathway from the Abraham Lincoln National Historic Site to the Governor’s Mansion and the Illinois Capitol.