What we’re working on: fall 2026

The Henderson Architects’ mixer has been extra-busy since April 2026, the last time we caught you up with all the progress around the Metro East and Missouri-Illinois regionally. As ever, we tip our hard hats to our partners, who helped bring all the plans and teamwork involved in stewarding residences, memorials, libraries, churches, schools, landmarks, and discovery-center experiences into reality.

Below are some of the highest of our highlights as we look toward even brighter skies in 2027.

NOTED

In September 2026, we learned that the West End Service Station in Edwardsville has been honored with the 2026 Landmarks Illinois Richard H. Driehaus Foundation Preservation Award for Stewardship. Henderson partnered with many allies to ensure this historic station could persist. The win is for Edwardsville, the region and its people, and visitors. These team members made the station’s restoration possible in this year marking the centennial of Route 66: City of Edwardsville, including the mayor, aldermen, administrator and others; Great Rivers & Routes Tourism Bureau President/CEO, Cory Jobe; Creative Options Graphic Design, Inc, Sherrie Hickman; Millennium Construction Company, Mark Kabureck; the Illinois Office of Tourism Illinois Department of Commerce & Economic Opportunity; and Enjoy Illinois.

COMPLETED

A rooftop solar array put Glen Carbon village’s commitment to leaving a better world for the next generations front and center. This addition also ensures economic viability in a time of chaotic fossil-fuel availability and costs.

  • Glen Carbon Centennial Library
    • In the early fall of 2026, we completed an exterior refresh that added sustainability to this beloved, award-winning community resource. A rooftop solar array put the village’s commitment to leaving a better world for the next generations front and center. This addition also ensures economic viability in a time of chaotic fossil-fuel availability and costs. View some of the project photos on our Instagram and at the library’s site.
  • Firemen’s Park—Maryville, Ill.
    • Around 1,000 community members painted Maryville in shades of joy as the new Pavilion opened on May 23 with a concert taking the stage. The American Legion Post 917 sponsored this stage and pavilion, which brought entertainment and community to the region all summer and fall long, including in the Memorial Day and 250-Year celebrations. We have another mini-gallery here of opening night.
  • NMMA (National Memorial of Military Ascent)—Grafton, Ill.
    • On June 6, 2006, an all-around historic day commemorating the 82nd anniversary of the Allied landings on Normandy Beach (1944), the NMMA formally opened to the public. Local and state visitors were abuzz, admiring the life-size bronze sculptures artfully staged climbing the arduous bluffs, which were cast by the pros at Carolina Bronze. Just as it takes a village to raise a child, it took a village to complete Phase I of this military memorial that will serve as both a commemoration and as an educational tool for many years to come so that the sacrifices of our military and their families are never forgotten. Just a fraction of that team is: Carolina Bronze Sculpture, Inc.; the City of Grafton; SWT Design; Sheppard, Morgan & Schwaab Civil Engineers; and Reed Burkett Lighting Design. You may view our NMMA gallery on Instagram or find our more about donating to the museum-like experience at their home site.
  • Lewis and Clark Confluence Tower renovation—Hartford, Ill.
    • The Lorax might’ve spoken for the trees, but who speaks for the rivers? Now, in our waterway-wealthy region, there’s a new spot perched high in the canopy that can both speak for and tell stories of our region’s history. It’s the Lewis & Clark Confluence Tower, which officially opened on May 14, 2026. Some 180 feet above the meeting of the Mississippi and Missouri rivers, with three tiers of observation towers, you can scope out the lush floodplains and imagine what it might’ve been like to be on that historic journey of the Corps of Discovery starting off from near modern-day Hartford in May 1804. It boasts an outdoor amphitheater at its base, a garden stocked with plants documented by Meriwether Lewis, exhibits, walking trails, and playgrounds.
    • For hours and other information about the tower, go to the Rivers and Routes site.

These team members’ work made the dream work:
Interior Renovation: HAA
Interpretive Panels and Mural: Taylor Studios
Civil Engineer: Shepherd Morgan and Schwaab
Landscape Design and Play Structure: RVI Planning (formerly Hitchcock Design Group)
MEP Engineering: Boyt Engineering

UNDER CONSTRUCTION

  • Byway Discovery Center (BDC)—Godfrey, Ill.
  • The Olive Residence
    • A custom home addition to a simple farmhouse that has been in the family for generations. The design combined two modest bedrooms along with the addition to create a primary suite on the main floor.

IN DESIGN

  • Schulte Supply—Edwardsville, Ill.
    • We are scheduling bidding on this well-known local industrial-construction supply business, which will bring a new headquarters location to Edwardsville.
  • Modjeski and Masters—Edwardsville, Ill.
    • This office expansion is in for a permit, and we hope to share good news with you soon.
  • JD Streett—Glen Carbon, Ill.
    • A convenience store and gas station will be arriving in Glen Carbon on IL 157 in the next year or so, but for now it’s in the permit stage. More to come.
  • American Legion Post 199—Edwardsville, Ill.
    • We are in the fruitful design stages for this bar and site redesign, with renderings being produced to aid in fundraising. As a reminder of this important organization’s historic birth, it was “founded by an Act of Congress after World War I, The American Legion fiercely advocates for the unique needs of every generation of veterans, service members, and their families who pledge to protect our nation.” If you’d like to give to their cause, visit them here.
  • IBS Here Inc.—Various Locations
    • This one’s another that we’re really jazzed about. As we work with this innovative developer to bring affordable homes to the mass market, we continue to be excited for the possibilities this program provides. Our goal combines sustainability, mass production advantages, and energy efficiency with statewide and regional distribution. One of our first tiny home projects, it goes to show that smaller doesn’t mean simpler or in any way “less than”!
  • The Mayer Residence
    • Also in design is this custom contemporary home, from the ground up. This will be a meticulous step-by-step design, modern farmhouse in style, in concert with the Owners unique program. And, like Hannibal from the A-Team, we will love it when the plan comes together.
  • YWCA of Southwestern Illinois—Alton, Ill.
    • Currently in design here are interior renovations, including restroom upgrades to expand accessibility for disabled users, which will be excellent improvements to this community building that very we’re proud to contribute to. This nonprofit has the worthy mission of “empowering women and eliminating racism . . .meeting our clients where they are most vulnerable and providing the compassion and services that place them on a path to self-sufficiency and prosperity.” They, too, could make good use of your generosity.
  • The Buckhorn Farm Lodge—Jersey County, Ill.
    • In the past, we’ve enjoyed creating lodges tailored to the needs of hunting and camping enthusiasts. This one is no different, where we’re hard at work designing a custom hunting lodge and grounds for our client in southern Illinois. Deer hunting and the camaraderie that accompanies the hunt are high priorities in this program. The clean, straightforward modern style combined with low-maintenance finishes are just a few of the highlights of this fantastic project. Enjoy these conceptual renderings.

Where will Henderson see you in 2027?

Sign Up For News & Updates

    Contact Us
    Back to top