PeoriaStory

Another threatened house in Peoria

PEORIA -- A lovely home, owned by a church, is threatened with destruction after the Peoria City Council weakened its historic preservation ordinance recently.  That became an issue in the city council elections, but some of those who voted to slash it were reelected. 

Here's a comment from businessman Dan Callahan, who lives next door to the house, known as the Westminster House. It's owned by Westminster Presbyterian Church which wants to raze it. 

From the 35 Year Anniversary History of the Moss Bradley Assn: 

"In 1901 Architect William Reeves built a home for his family on Moss Avenue just west of Malvern Lane. It was the second of three that he constructed for himself in the vicinity. It is boldly geometric in volume, crafted with slender 'roman bricks' <a favorite material of Prairie Style architects> and <is>striking in both its size and its simplicity. Its design forms a landmark bridge between the historic styling prevalent in the nineteenth century and the more contemporary, contemporary forms of the twentieth.

Its style has been described as Early Modern Rectalinear, which evolved parallel to the Prairie Style.

His brick residence at 1508 Moss was purchased by the Presbyterians in 1953 and has been known since that time as 'Westminster House.' For the next 50+ years it has remained intact."

 

"Well known examples of Reeve's work are the Peoria City Hall, Spalding Institute and St Bernard's Church. Remaining (his first home) is 1505 Barker. Lost is the third residence (a frame dwelling) which was taken down by Westminster prior to the establishment of the historic preservation district and is now part of a parking lot ."

 

Since then, in 2008, Westminster requested permission from the Historic Preservation Commission for demolition and noted that the structure did not fit into their future plans.

To my knowledge, no definitive plans have yet been revealed for the building site.  The commission denied the demolition request in 2008.

A lawsuit in federal court and then an appeal were argued and in both cases, Westminster lost.

 

Of all houses of its vintage that you could identify throughout the district, this particular one has remained remarkably stable and intact. The interior features that have been left in place make it highly desirable.

While one could point to a variety of items requiring upgrades, its structural soundness, absence of 'remuddling' and quality of materials used in its original construction would make it highly desirable for a future steward of the property. Reeves built so well and with such sensitivity, this building has many, many productive years left ahead of it.

 

I would stress the last paragraph, having advised future home buyers that this building is ideal  for anyone interested in an exceptional property with such a provenance.

 

Though the water, gas and electricty have been shut off, those could certainly be remedied.

In comparison to the Roanoke Apts for example, this house was built 'like a rock' and remains so.

 

Westminster has never shown any interest in divesting itself of this property, and the argument that has often been offered is that no one would want it because it has institutional uses on 2 sides and an electrical substation on a third. Those are indeed limitations that would have to be considered. But having lived for 32 years in a setting with institutional uses around me on three sides and egress complications, I feel that these can be dealt with.

 

Please contact current and also the newly elected city council persons to encourage them to fight the demolition request for this extraordinary property loacted in the very heart of the Moss-High Historic District. The council has a duty to protect the integrity of  this irreplaceable heritage.

Council Contacts:  http://www.ci.peoria.il.us/council-members

 

Dan Callahan 

439 Malvern Lane

Peoria, IL 61606

callahan53@aol.com

My take:  Dan is 100 percent right. In fact 10 days ago I went to Quincy a Bradley University Learning in Retirement group to see Quincy's historic homes. We toured two that look like this one. 

Quincy has a fabulous historic district, much larger than Peoria's.  The district is used to attract visitors such as the busload of Bradley retirees. It has bike trails throughout the city and this area and other amenities, including an interesting architecture museum where the history of many of its historic residences and structures can be viewed.

What on earth is wrong with Peoria? (Good question!)

 -- Elaine Hopkins

 

 

Peoria on state 'watch list' for gutting its historic preservation rules

PEORIA -- The Peoria City Council may have violated a 1991 agreement with the state when it voted recently to gut its historic preservation ordinance. The agreement made Peoria eligible to receive grants for historic preservation.

The Illinois Historic Preservation Agency, in a Feb. 16 letter to the city, notes that the agreement allowed the city to receive grant funds from the National Historic Preservation Act.  The recent changes may have violated the agreement, it says.

The letter states "it would be difficult to identify any cities in Illinois which have sustainable, successful historic preservation programs with owner consent requirements in their ordinances."

It suggests that Peoria study ordinances in the city of Chicago, "a place which has found significant financial and cultural benefits through effective historic preservation." 

The letter states that the agency will be watching Peoria for the next year, to see what occurs.

Here's a terrific story from the PJStar on this issue.

Meanwhile fallout from the council's action continues, with the following commentary from preservationist Dan Callahan.  It is published here with his permission, and will appear in the March isue of the Moss Bradley Messenger, a neighborhood newsletter.

Callahan writes:

A Tale of Two Cities

  

The best of times.  Our near record snowfall is melting.  The days are growing long enough for the sun to effect that.  The water is draining clear and sparkling on its way out.  There is a promise of a new season, hidden growth seems just about to burst out of the ground.

That joyful expectation, however, is contrasted against a cold and sad reality.  The city council has put a gun to the preservation community and fired multiple shots directly at us.

There is blood mixed with the snowmelt.

After decades of serving this city so well, with heritage neighborhoods ringing the city core and serving as a lifeline to it, the Historic Preservation Commission has been effectively neutered.  The lopsided February 8 council vote shows how we've become two cities, one urban and one not.  It's that clear cut.  If you live here, you understand this all too well.

On that Tuesday night, we were ambushed, and the wounds from this are life threatening.  Look for more senseless demolitions---from the Near North Side to the Center Bluff to right here on Malvern Lane. 

 

It seems that our experiment in New Urbanism has been abandoned.

 

The question might be "Why did I think it could have been different here (in Peoria)?"  What optimism made a guy like me think that?

My personal journey may give some hints.  Four decades ago, I began the study of architecture.  I was immediately amazed at how much of what I was learning about its history was represented in my home town. Everything from Italianate mansions to 19 th century iron storefronts to works of modern masters like Frank Lloyd Wright right here. 

"Wow," I thought.  "I come from some place special." 

It got even more exciting for me when I spent a year in Europe. There I saw how really great cities were waking up to the treasure that waited to be discovered and revitalized. Paris' Marais district was coming alive after decades of neglect, becoming one of the most vibrant places in that city and even the world. 

Countries that had been torn apart in global depression and world war were binding together committed to healing their societies and making  their cities liveable.  At work in every one of these---preservation. 

The 'Back to the City' movement was making models of US cities from Boston to Portland.  Again, the common thread was sensitively preserving the historical best these places had and working with it. 

Fast forward to the late seventies: I chose Peoria and one of its historic districts as my home. Effective and flourishing historic preservation was the selling point that brought me home.  Of all places, I chose Peoria.

  

Why was I so filled with optimism?  I thought this town offered so much.  An incredible inventory of architecture spanning its venerable history.  "The first permanent settlement west of the Alleghenies" it was said.  And a mechanism, its preservation ordinance that, since the seventies, has kept that inventory alive.  Now that is endangered.  The worst of times. 

 

Paris came to its senses and stopped planning urban renewal in the Marais.  Instead, it embraced preservation.  It realized its potential.

Peoria has already lost much of what it had when I came back here in the seventies.  Some say as much as half, if not more. 

Will we sacrifice even more in the guise of 'property rights'?    Let us not forget the forty years of work that has gone on before us. 

These could still end up being 'the best of times.'   But we've got to get the City Council to understand.  We can and we will.  Or worse times will soon be on their way.  As surely as the spring thaw. -30-

 

 

Let's hope Callahan is right about educating city officials before the entire city has become one giant parking lot.

 -- Elaine Hopkins

 In addition, here is the letter the Historic Preservation Agency sent to the city of Peoria:

Download ILHistPresAgency

Les Kenyon: 1922-2011.

PEORIA -- Yesterday's moving memorial service for Les Kenyon, described as a warrior for historic preservation, demonstrated the impact of a person of high quality on a city. 

Kenyon, 88, died on Jan. 13, after a lifetime of dedication to historic preservation in Peoria and the region.

Here are two Peoria Journal Star articles about him, and his obituary.

http://www.pjstar.com/news/x1500472528/Architect-Les-Kenyon-remembered-as-fighter-for-Peoria-landmarks

http://blogs.pjstar.com/wordonweb/2011/01/14/a-passionate-preservationist/ with the great photo by Dave Zalaznik. 

http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/pjstar/obituary.aspx?n=leslie-kenyon&pid=147821929

Kenyon's friends and admirers filled the sanctuary at the Universalist/Unitarian Church, a building he designed, to praise and remember him.

The ceremony itself was beautifully done, moving, without sermon, prayer or superstition, but filled with admiration for Kenyon and his lifetime of work and relationships. 

A few fascinating photos completed the event, including one from 1965 where Les greeted Lady Bird Johnson on her visit to Peoria. He's handing her yellow roses. Beautification was one of her causes as First Lady.

Afterward a lovely reception with delicious food allowed everyone to socialize and remember Les even more. No long reception lines, just tables where people could sit and talk, and move about after filling plates from ample buffet tables. It was a wonderful event. Les would have approved.

Here is an audio recording of the stories and memories from his friends.

Kenyon Memories

 -- Elaine Hopkins