After acquiring the Michael's factory in 1906 in Karaburma, Ilić sequestered a room and adapted it into the school for the children of his workers. He personally paid the teacher's wages. As the factory complex expanded and number of workers grew, the provisional school became too small, so Ilić rented the upper floor of the nearby "Lavadinović" kafana, still fully financed by him. The local population objected that a school and kafana share a building. Ilić then purchased a lot, some away and built a proper school while the old one remained in use until 1933. Named elementary school "Cloth Factory Ilić", it was built from his donations in 1923. It has been renamed "Jovan Cvijić" in 1931, a name it still bears today. During Ilić's tenure as a mayor, a King Peter II Bridge (today the Pančevo Bridge across the Danube was built and open on 27 October 1935, right at the western edge of Karaburma. A railway from the Belgrade Main railway station, which encircled the central ridge of the city along the rivers, and then continuing over to the King Peter II Bridge was also constructed. He also built apartments in Karaburma for his employees, and even his villa was built on a location close to his factories, though in the western neighborhood of Viline Vode. After the war Ilić was imprisoned and his companies nationalized by the new Communist government. Well known after-war Serbian state owned textile companies, like "Beteks", "Beko" and "Vunarski kombinat", some of which were located in Karaburma, developed from Ilić's factories.