What do the Coca-Cola building in Du Quoin, Kornthal Church in Jonesboro and the Riverlore Mansion in Cairo have in common?
They are three of the entries on Baysinger Architects' Top 10 Architectural Wonders of Southern Illinois. The Marion-based firm has been releasing a top 10 list for five years now.
Baysinger's Andy Sisulak says the list is compiled at the end of the year by the firm's staff and suggestions from the public.
"Luckily every year we've got more suggestions than 10 spots. So, generally we've done it that way. Then, a couple of years ago, we actually had a couple of school superintendents and mayors of some smaller communities input their nominee to the list."
This year marks 50 structures that have been recognized by Baysinger Architects.
Geographically, they come from 34 communities in 15 southern Illinois counties. Education related structures top the list with seven entries, followed by courthouses with four entries.
Sisulak says he encourages residents to be curious-minded about the remarkable structures in the region.
"I think the moral of this story with these top 10 lists is that there's much more out there than meets the eye and the diversity is really much deeper and richer than you'd give the region credit for."
To see this year's list and lists from the previous four years and their locations on a map, visit BaysingerintheCommunity.com.
