Future Architect Fund Founder Benjamin Glunz Receives 2026 Elgin Mayor’s Award for Historic Preservation

ELGIN, IL - May 6, 2026 – Benjamin Glunz, CEO of Anguleris and founder of the Future Architect Fund, has been selected by the Elgin Heritage Commission as a recipient of the 2026 Mayor’s Award for Historic Preservation.

The award recognizes the adaptive reuse of the historic 1960s former PNC Bank building at 181 S. Grove Avenue, transformed into Glunz Hall, a live, work, and study space for graduate architecture students at Judson University.

The Mayor’s Awards honor outstanding contributions to Elgin’s heritage and educate the public on the value of older architecture, neighborhoods, and history. Glunz was honored at the 36th annual ceremony on Tuesday, May 5, 2026.

Image Credit: James Harvey Photography

Completed in October 2025, Glunz Hall is the result of an ambitious adaptive reuse project made possible by the Future Architect Fund, the philanthropic initiative founded by Glunz to expand access to architectural education. The project was led by Elgin-based firm Studio Vertex, who preserved the building’s mid-century character while introducing contemporary finishes, sustainable materials, and selective Art Deco details. Across two levels, the building now houses thirteen apartments for approximately 40 graduate students, alongside the Glunz Studio for Architecture and Urbanism, a collaborative ground-floor workspace where students critique projects, meet with faculty, and work alongside one another.

The building was acquired debt-free thanks to philanthropic contributions, including a discounted property acquisition from PNC Bank and donations from leading building product manufacturers. Each apartment and studio space is finished with donated products from industry partners, creating a living lab where students experience first-hand the materials they will one day specify in their own practice.

“Preserving older buildings is one of the most sustainable, and most human, things we can do as architects and developers,” said Benjamin Glunz, CEO of Anguleris and founder of the Future Architect Fund. “Glunz Hall is the result of a community of architects, manufacturers, and educators who believed this building still had a story to tell. To see it now serving Judson’s graduate architecture students, the people who will go on to shape the next generation of our cities, is the reward that matters most to me. I’m honored that the Elgin Heritage Commission has recognized this work.”

The project reflects a broader “by architects, for architects” philosophy that connects Glunz’s work across the profession. As CEO of Anguleris, the global construction technology company behind platforms including BIMsmith, Swatchbox, Archbase, and Modlar, Glunz leads a team building digital tools used by architects, designers, and manufacturers worldwide. Through the Future Architect Fund, that same commitment extends from the digital realm into the physical, ensuring that talent, not circumstance, shapes who enters the architecture profession.

Learn more about Anguleris at anguleris.com.
Learn more about the Future Architect Fund at futurearchitectfund.org.
Learn more about Judson University’s School of Art, Design and Architecture at judsonu.edu.