Most people voted for the On Leong Merchant's Association/Pui Tak Center, located in Chicago's Chinatown. (Darius Bryjka)

The Viking Ship won.

The results of the second American Express Partners in Preservation popularity contest are in. In what's been dubbed the "American Idol for Preservation," Chicago-area voters had five weeks to cast an online vote for their favorite from a list of 25 historic structures, including a 115-year-old replica of a Viking Ship in Raven, Ill.

Announced yesterday, each of the 15 winners will receive grants totaling $1 million; even the 10 sites that were not selected will get $5,000. A Chinatown building, On Leong Merchant Association Building (Pui Tak Center), won the most votes. Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley served on the advisory committee, which, along with executives from American Express and the National Trust for Historic Preservation, selected the other 14 projects.

Last year, voters in San Francisco chose their favorite historic sites from that city. Winners must report their progress to the National Trust within 18 months.

"By voting for their favorite historic places, people helped save treasures in communities from downtown to Lake County," David J. Brown, executive vice president of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, said in a statement. "An eclectic group of historic sites participated in the program, and their enthusiasm and dedication spurred tremendous community involvement."

The 2007 American Express Partners in Preservation award winners are: