Historic Commission

Tuesday, June 18, 2024 Gamon Room, City Hall I. Call to Order The meeting was called to order at 7:06 pm Present In-person – Louise Ferrebee (Chair), Joe Szczepaniak (Vice Chair), Bob Purdy (Secretary), Nancy Flannery, Syed Hussain Absent—Mike Hill Public – Beth Petti, Phil Buchanan II. Public Comments Phil Buchanan, DuPage County Historical Museum Foundation board member, complimented the Commission on our Historic Register sign program. He resides in Naperville, which has no sign program at this time. III. Approval of May Meeting Minutes Approved on a motion by Joe, seconded by Syed, and passed unanimously. IV. Treasurer Report: The annual $5,000 budget currently has a $4,503.10 balance. The $300 Ostberg lecture invoice is still outstanding and payment is expected in about two weeks. V. New Business A. 150th Anniversary of Trinity Episcopal Church—guest Beth Petti Beth shared with us the preliminary plans to commemorate the church anniversary in 2025. There will be a series of open houses and related events on four weekends in May that the church would like to integrate with our Preservation Month events. The church was named to the National Register of Historic Places in 1978 and a new book covering 150 years of the parish history will be published next year. Beth hopes to have a calendar of the planned events this fall. She also agreed to a May 2025 lecture presentation. B. Pritzker Military Museum and Library book: WW1 Centennial Memorials The Commission has received two copies of this book, which honors the Wheaton WW1 Obelisk at Northside Park as one of 100 memorials awarded grants and honored with the official national designation as "WW1 Centennial Memorials." One copy will be for library placement in the locked glass history reference case. Nancy submitted a draft press release about the tribute and book publication for local media and website placement.  C. Discussion of 201 W Union application for Historic Register Following an agreement to determine some details about the architectural style and building materials, a motion to accept the application was made by Nancy, seconded by Syed, and passed unanimously. D. July 13 French Market table Staffing was not determined, but Louise agreed to be point person. Bob reiterated the requirement to arrive with table, chairs, and materials between 6:00 AM and 6:30 AM. After booth assignment, setup will be completed by 8:00 AM. E. Text for new web page “Researching Your Home” Syed moved to add a section to the website with the draft text that Louise prepared and will finalize. Joe seconded, and the motion passed unanimously. F. Cancellation of July meeting Joe moved to cancel, Nancy seconded, and the motion passed unanimously. VI. Updates A. Otto Hake Murals in DuPage County Building 3rd floor Atrium These are no longer threatened and we are assured they will not be removed or destroyed. Phil Buchanan confirmed the County Board has approved the installation of descriptive signage for the murals and their history. The Historic Commission will be involved in promoting awareness and publicizing these important works of art which were originally donated to the City by the Adams family. B. Red Grange historical marker Joe suggested that we explore covering other Wheaton Central High School alumni John Belushi and Bob Woodward along with Red Grange, since the marker will be placed on the former school property. C. Commission Handbook ongoing development Louise shared the changes and updates she has made so far. VII. Commissioner Comments Nancy—learned that the publisher of the 1994 book Wheaton: A Pictorial History by Jean Moore has discarded the printing plates. The only remaining possible way to obtain the photographs may be in the collections of the WHPC, since they may have been donated by the author Jean Moore before her passing. Bob—Wheaton videographer Steve Schmal did an excellent editing job on the May Ostberg “Railroads of Wheaton” presentation. The recording is now online both at the City website and through the Library. Commissioners were urged to view the recording with its many fine photos and graphics. VIII. Adjournment. Louise moved to adjourn, Bob seconded, and the motion passed unanimously. The meeting concluded at 8:40 pm. 2