Historic Commission

Tuesday, October 19, 2021 I. Call to Order The meeting was called to order at 7:05 pm. Present in person: Nancy Flannery (Chair), Joe Szczepaniak (Vice Chair), Lisa Buchanan, Bob Purdy Present virtual: Steph McGrath (Secretary), Emelie Engling, Linda Moran Absent: Diane Burant Public Comments: none II. Approval of Minutes Minutes of the September 21, 2021 meeting approved as amended on a motion by Bob, seconded by Joe, and passed unanimously. III. Old Business A. GIS project: The map will be done by winter, preliminary story map completed in the next few weeks. City staff will do updates in the future. B. Plaque vendors: Bob did some sleuthing and has found a similar design plaque that can include Historic Wheaton. The cost will actually be less than previously, $106.45 which included shipping and handling. C. Landmark application: 831 N. Washington has withdrawn their application. They were unable to complete their research. Steph said the tax records were odd, they appeared to be missing for the target date span they needed. It wasn’t a scanning error, the pagination was fine. It looked as if it was missed being recorded in the ledger. It might be worth contacting the county office to inquire. Nancy had a contact there. D. Landmark application: 115 W. Oak, have not had any update on their research progress. E. List of potential bollard signs: Question was raised as to what the point of the list was; answer, to help plan. Do we want to continue making signs? Others to add to the list: College Avenue train station site and Gentlemen's Driving Park site. Question was raised as to why most of the existing bollards are all on the north side, near downtown; answer, based on where people congregate. Steph explained the history of the bollard program, that it was in response to the Center for History beginning their regional and topic focus, so the Historic Commission decided to fill the void highlighting local history. She also  explained why the Warren Wheaton home was landmarked, but the Jesse Wheaton home was not. The landmark program was started by the Wheaton Historic Preservation Council and the initial bollards included the sites it had landmarked. The Jesse Wheaton home was not landmarked because of a disagreement between WHPC and the property owner at that time; the latter believed the date was earlier than the records and WHPC research proved. F. Board & Commission updating: Done periodically, our purpose may need updating. Reviewed compilation of text about the Historic Commission over the years. Discussed possible changes or additions. G. Historic site marker update: No specific date for installation yet. Bob said the BeHistoric video series company would present a lecture at the Wheaton Public Library on the Chicago, Aurora & Elgin railroad in conjunction with the installation. H. 1936 Longfellow School photo: A scan will be made for the Wheaton Public Library as a home history research resource, since it shows nearby homes. IV. New Business A. Historic Commission statement review: Discussed earlier in meeting. Should add the term “local history” to text. City website text needs to be updated now. B. Meeting attendance: Need to ask city staff regarding if there’s any policy on attendance requirements for boards and commissions. V. Commissioner Comments Nancy: Her grandfather was a physician at Old Cook County Hospital. There’s an upcoming Landmarks Illinois event there in November and she invites us all to attend. Bob: Brought the fall issue of Preservation Magazine to distribute, which includes an article on Pullman. Emelie: Culinary Historians of Northern Illinois having a program at the Aurora Library. Also thinks we should get Historic Commission t-shirts to wear when putting Pride in Preservation signs up. Steph: Wondered about the Osage orange trees along Lorraine Road between Roosevelt Road and Hill Avenue. They are in 3 or 4 places on both sides of the street, so they didn't seem like remnants of an old hedge row, but an odd choice for a street tree. Linda: Wondered what was going on with the Wheaton Theater. VI. Adjournment Bob moved to adjourn, Lisa seconded, the motion passed unanimously; the meeting concluded at 8:35 pm.