Organization:Heritage Restoration and Design Studio
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| Type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Construction |
| Founded | August 1, 2004 |
| Headquarters | Peoria , Illinois |
Area served | United States |
Key people | Michael Berlinger, Kathryn Berlinger, Stephen Berlinger |
| Services | Interior renovation, woodworks, glassworks, statuary carving |
| Owner | Michael Berlinger |
| Website | www |
Heritage Restoration and Design Studios Inc., or Heritage Restoration, is a family-owned interior restoration and renovation company located in Peoria, Illinois.[1]
Background
Heritage Restoration has performed restorations in several United States historic or national landmarks,[2] such as the woodwork in architect Frank Lloyd Wright's Unity Temple[3] and the clock tower of the Livingston County Courthouse in Pontiac Illinois.[4] The company has been owned by the Berlinger family for six generations.[5]
History
Heritage Restoration and Design originated in 1820 in Bavaria, Germany when Alois Berlinger formed a small stone carving and construction company called Steinhauer Berlinger.[5] By the family's third generation Alois’ grandson, Edmund Berlinger, expanded the company by purchasing land that contained natural sandstone deposits.[5][6] He then established a quarry and began mining resources that the company needed for its stone works.[4][5] Edmund's tenure as head of the company saw Steinhauer Berlinger expand into the markets of interior plastering and whitewashing.[5]
The Berliger family's fourth generation consisted of Edmund's three sons; Alois, Gustav and Herman.[6] They added interior finishing and precast concreting into their company's brand.[5] Alois married Helga Lehmeier who merged her family's woodworking and glassworking skills into the Steinhauer business.[4][5] Alois and Helga decided to immigrate to the United States,[4] as the economy of post-World War 2 Germany was not ideal for their new family.[5] In 1965, Alois Helga and their two children, Michael and Willibald, set sail from Bremerhaven aboard the S.S. Berlin.[5]
On June 19, 1965, Alois and his family arrived at Chicago where he started a small painting company.[4][5] After a time, Alois decided to form the American branch of Steinhauer Berlinger.[5] He named his new company the Berlinger Decorating Company.[4] At the age of eight, Alois eldest son Michael became involved with the business, serving as both a translator and workman.[2][5] The inclusion of Michael brought the fifth generation of Berlingers into the company.[4] In the decade that followed, the Berlinger Decorating Company shifted its focus onto restoration work combined with woodworking, painting, and stonework expertise.[1][2][5]
During the 1970s the company decided to move to Peoria, Illinois to set up a permanent base of operations.[2] As the business became more settled in its new location, Michael Berlinger succeeded his father as head of the company.[5] He shifted its focus further into historical restoration and preservation.[2][5] In the early 2000s Berlinger Decorating Company rebranded as Heritage Restoration and Design Studios Inc.[5][6] In the years that followed, Michael's four sons Stephen, Christopher, Joseph and Anthony joined the company, forming the sixth generation of Berlingers to inherit the business.[5]
Notable projects
- Natural History Building of the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign.[2]
- Livingston County Courthouse in Pontiac, Illinois.[4]
- Third District Appellate Courthouse in Ottawa, Illinois.[4]
- Unity Temple in Chicago .[3]
- Reddick Mansion in Ottawa, Illinois.[7]
- Dickeyville Grotto in Dickeyville, Wisconsin.[8]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Renken, Leslie (2018-10-10). "Long missing, Jesus' hand is restored at Springdale Cemetery" (in en). Journal Star. https://www.pjstar.com/news/20181010/long-missing-jesus-hand-is-restored-at-springdale-cemetery.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 Grimson, Robert (2017-11-09). "Family Tradition". Bradley Hilltopics (Bradley University) (Fall 2017): 35. https://issuu.com/bradleyuniversity/docs/ht17fa-20171011-issuu-small/36.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 McDonald, Martha. "Restoring Frank Lloyd Wright’s Unity Temple" (in en-us). https://www.traditionalbuilding.com/projects/wrights-unity-temple-restored.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.6 4.7 4.8 Shelton, Sheila (1991-10-19). "Craftmanship goes into repairs at Livingston County Courthouse.". The Daily Leader.
- ↑ 5.00 5.01 5.02 5.03 5.04 5.05 5.06 5.07 5.08 5.09 5.10 5.11 5.12 5.13 5.14 5.15 5.16 Rice, John (2017-07-11). "Unity Temple woodwork rehabber has local roots" (in en-US). Forest Park Review. http://www.forestparkreview.com/News/Articles/7-11-2017/Unity-Temple-woodwork-rehabber-has-local-roots-/.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 "About Us". Heritage Restoration and Design Studio. https://www.heritagerd.com/about-us.
- ↑ Bader, Brent (27 February 2019). "Reddick Mansion to begin $1.2M restoration in spring" (in en). http://www.mywebtimes.com/articles/2019/02/26/65f3683298a54fc7b087d055d936cdb1/index.xml.
- ↑ Wackershauser, Dan (2022-09-28). "The Grotto Gets a Restoration". The Platteville Journal: pp. 1. https://cloud.heritagerd.com/index.php/s/m5KApfpmp7YFzTN.
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