Carolyn Oxtoby, who was key to the development and preservation of downtown Springfield, died Jan. 12. She was 92.
A real estate developer, she co-founded the Downtown Springfield Heritage Foundation that raises money for neglected properties. Often referred to as the "patron saint of downtown Springfield, Oxtoby also helped bring about several projects like the Hoogland Center for the Arts. She was among those who bought the Lincoln-Herndon Law Office Building, adjacent to the Old State Capitol, and restored it. It is now owned by the state.
”I learned a lot doing the law office,” she told the Illinois Times in 2010. “We hired then state historian Jim Hickey to research and authenticate the building using what sources were available, including the Library of Congress. The state owns it now, and they know a lot more now about how the building was actually configured in Lincoln’s time. We put our time and resources into it, but our priority when we took it on was saving it.”
Oxtoby's work spanned decades. She helped found the Springfield Children's Museum in the 1970s and served as its first president.
Oxtoby was profiled in a 2007 NPR Illinois series titled "Twelve women who changed Springfield."
She was given a Lifetime Achievement Award from the preservation group Landmarks Illinois in 2010 for her efforts.
In the 2010 Illinois Times article, a fellow preservationist, Jerry Jacobson, praised her. “She was a pioneer to start preservation here in the capital city of Illinois. Her leadership is just outstanding."
Born in Springfield, Oxtoby attended Mount Holyoke College in Massachusetts. She then returned to the city and married Robert Boynton Oxtoby in 1956. He preceded her in death.
According to her obituary, Oxtoby did not wish to have a funeral ceremony. Those wishing to celebrate her life may do so by donating to The Downtown Springfield Heritage Foundation, PO Box 5568, Springfield, IL 62705.
