Historic Commission

Minutes of the City of Wheaton Historic Commission November 15, 2016 Meeting Held at City Hall, Wheaton, Illinois Attendance- Present: Barbara Dutton (Vice Chair), Emelie Engling, Nancy Flannery (Chair), Maureen Fogerty, Tom Kay, Steph McGrath (Secretary), Frank Principe. Meeting called to order at 6:55 pm. Public comment: Two visitors were present, Ted Utchen and Suzanne Fitch, Councilwoman At Large. Wheaton resident Ted Utchen wondered about the claim that the Warren L Wheaton house is the oldest existing house in Wheaton vs the Jesse Wheaton house. The histories of both houses were discussed and the proof of Warren L Wheaton’s house substantiated by his daughter Lucy Wheaton Darling’s 1936 newspaper interview. Councilwoman Suzanne Fitch, who previously served on the Planning & Zoning Board, expressed her interested in the issue of historic preservation in Wheaton today. Councilmembers had been inundated with emails by residents concerned with the issue, not just related to the Warren L Wheaton house, but others recently torn down or endangered. She wanted to discuss how to tap into this to keep the citizens involved. Among her suggestions discussed with the Historic Commission were: • to have City Council have a planning session regarding the issue • to create a list of important historic structures, not limited to the plaqued properties • to find ways to be proactive vs reactive • to have the city staff/Planning and Zoning give notice and better coordinate with the Historic Commission • to build an email list of interested residents, across a full range of ages • to work with Planning and Zoning Board members Nicole Aranas and Ron Almeron who have expressed interest in this issue • to find ways to keep the issue in front of people, such as: o use the new honorary street naming program to highlight historical and cultural figures o to use city’s parades to boost awareness o to work with the city’s new communications person, Arin Thrower, to publicize the issue to use the city’s Facebook page Going forward she will arrange for the Historic Commission to receive earlier Planning and Zoning notices, so we have more time to review properties and advise on any historic preservation issues. Minutes of the Oct 18, 2016 meeting were approved following a motion by Maureen, seconded by Tom, and passed unanimously. Old Business -Warren L Wheaton house update The developer Cornersite LLC withdrew their application the afternoon prior to the city council meeting. Apparently Starbucks was not happy with the Warren L Wheaton house outcry and feared the negative publicity of demolishing the town founder’s and oldest existing house in Wheaton on its 170th anniversary. Warren L Wheaton’s dislike of stimulants probably did not hurt. We will keep the email list we compiled for updates on the issue. -House of Seven Gables/Loretto Convent Nancy spoke with David Halpin at Illinois Historic Preservation Agency (IHPA). Mr. Halpin stated that Seven Gables is eligible for the National Register and he encouraged Pulte Homes to not take it down. Pulte’s planned subdivision is very high density and has traffic issues. T he developer could consider adaptive reuse of the historic structures to create a more unique development vs only trying to maximize the use of the land by cramming in 48 houses. The “Survey of Buildings Designed by Jarvis Hunt in Wheaton, IL” report prepared for Pulte Homes was also found wanting. Nancy will work with several local Jarvis Hunt historians to make a response to IHPA regarding the report’s deficits. New Business -WW1 “Road of Remembrance” Nancy spoke of a somewhat forgotten WW1 memorial, the Road of Remembrance, comprised of elm trees planted along Roosevelt Highway (Road), one for every WW1 soldier. Later the surviving trees were moved to Northside Park. It is unknown if there are any of these elm trees remaining. -Financial report There are enough funds to cover our current projects, in excess of $1,300, so we can order the next site marker. Commissioner Comments -Emelie reported on the recent Friends of the Library sale -Frank noted that the fallout shelter materials had been saved -Tom reflected on his grandfather’s property purchase on Geneva Road and his deep community roots Adjournment Emelie moved, Maureen seconded, the motion passed unanimously, and the meeting concluded at 8:40 pm. Next Meeting: Tuesday, December 20, 2016 at 7:00 pm, City Hall