In recognition of his lifelong commitment to defending and raising awareness of Madison, Indiana’s historic architecture, local attorney and civic leader Merritt Alcorn has been selected to receive Indiana Landmarks’ 2025 Williamson Prize for outstanding leadership in historic preservation.

Today, downtown Madison qualifies as one of the largest contiguous National Historic Landmark districts in the country, known for its streets of nineteenth and twentieth-century buildings. But decades ago, the status the city now celebrates was not a foregone conclusion.

As a young attorney in the 1970s, Merritt Alcorn played a key role in early advocacy efforts, cultivating appreciation for the city’s heritage and making a case for protecting Madison’s character-defining landmarks.

Three years after Alcorn joined nonprofit Historic Madison’s board of directors, the National Trust for Historic Preservation selected the city in 1979 as one of three pilot communities for Main Street America, a new program intended to spur downtown revitalization. Alcorn supported the emerging organization’s work to foster preservation of commercial buildings and locally owned businesses.

Alcorn helped craft a local historic district ordinance to provide guidelines and protection for the downtown’s remaining buildings, a measure that passed in 1981 despite considerable political opposition. In the ensuing years, the ordinance did its work by attracting private investment and helping maintain Madison’s intact downtown, which planted seeds for the National Historic Landmark district designation in 2006.

In the 1990s, Alcorn’s law firm rehabilitated a dilapidated nineteenth-century factory complex on 6th Street for use as its offices. By revitalizing a key historic building on the road into downtown, the firm provided the first large-scale example of how a local industrial landmark could be repurposed for new use, setting the stage for future development of similar sites. The rehabilitation earned an adaptive reuse award from the American Bar Association.

“Most communities would have demolished the property and called it a day, but Merritt and his partners significantly invested in this place and made it available for community events,” notes John Staicer, executive director of Historic Madison. “That summarizes and symbolizes in brick and stone the commitment Merritt has had to historic preservation.”

Alcorn chaired Historic Madison’s board of directors for 20 years, helping the organization navigate the acquisition, restoration, and reuse of landmark properties including the Shrewsbury-Windle House and St. Michael the Archangel Church. He’s also supplied pro bono legal aid to draft historic preservation covenants and easement documents to protect the character of properties the group sold.

“This was all a labor of love for me, and this award validates my family, Historic Madison, this community, and all those who have worked to bring about Madison’s transformation,” says Alcorn. “Madison is about place, and people are willing to put a value on that.”

Alcorn is an alum of DePauw University and the University of Louisville School of Law.

He will be honored as part of Indiana Landmarks’ annual meeting and awards presentation in Indianapolis on September 6.

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About the Williamson Prize:
In naming this individual award, Indiana Landmarks honors the impactful career of J. Reid Williamson, Jr., president of Indiana Landmarks from 1973 to 2005. A change agent for the organization and the state, Reid Williamson advanced the preservation movement by stressing the importance of local preservation organizations and by using restoration as a tool to revitalize entire neighborhoods and towns. Under his leadership, Indiana Landmarks created regional offices to serve the entire state, and grew in membership, staff and endowment. The Williamson Prize includes a $1,000 cash award and the Williamson Prize sculpture by late Evansville artist John McNaughton.

Indiana Landmarks revitalizes communities, strengthens connections to our diverse heritage, and saves meaningful places. With nine offices located throughout the state, Indiana Landmarks helps people rescue endangered landmarks and restore historic neighborhoods and downtowns. People who join Indiana Landmarks receive its bimonthly magazine, Indiana Preservation. For more information on the not-for-profit organization, call 317-639-4534, 800-450-4534, or visit www.indianalandmarks.org.

MEDIA CONTACT
Mindi Woolman, Vice President of Marketing and Communications, Indiana Landmarks, 317-639-4534, mwoolman@indianalandmarks.org