Lombard seeks national recognition for Peck house
Lombard seeks national recognition for Peck house
By Marie Wilson
mwilson@dailyherald.com
The Lombard Historical Society says the village’s oldest house — the Sheldon Peck Homestead — is worthy of national recognition as a historic place.
The home was built in 1839, and for 150 years it housed the family of Sheldon Peck, a folk portrait painter, early Lombardian and abolitionist who sheltered freedom seekers on the Underground Railroad.
The trick to getting national recognition is convincing a state council of the property’s historical value and architectural integrity.
For the Peck Homestead, and other houses that have undergone renovations, that can be tricky, said Jean Follett, a historic preservation consultant who’s helping with the Peck Homestead’s application to be listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
“When you’re nominating things to the National Register, they like them to be with not too many restorations,” Follett said. “This has been altered over time, which I argue is natural for a house that was lived in for 150 years by the same family.”
The house went through major renovations in 1910 and the 1990s, said Jeanne Schultz Angel, executive director of the Lombard Historical Society.
In 1910, Frank Peck, Sheldon’s youngest son, raised the roof to make it two stories instead of one-and-a-half, removed the West wing and wood siding, and gave the home a stucco exterior.
The house remained in that condition until 1996 when Sheldon Peck’s great-grandson, Allen Mertz, donated the house to the historical society and the village purchased the land. The society decided to restore the house so it would appear as it did when the painter and abolitionist lived there.
“We think it’s definitely worthy of National Register status despite its renovation,” Schultz Angel said. “You’re not going to find a wooden house that age that hasn’t gone through changes.”
Earlier this month, Follett made a presentation about the Peck Homestead to the Illinois Historic Sites Advisory Council, which can recommend the property for National Register status or deny the application.
The house was added in August to the Network to Freedom, a list of verified Underground Railroad locations maintained by the National Park Service.
“The application talks about (Peck’s) background as an abolitionist, the fact that it’s a documented Underground Railroad house and the type of house it is,” Follett said.
The council deferred the application, asking for more information about the 1990s renovation, which brought the house back to its one-and-a-half story frame with a West wing. Documents the council requested include archaeological records that show where the West wing originally was and whether the new wing matches it in size and placement.
“(The council is) checking for best practices in terms of preservation,” Schultz Angel said. “They’re checking: Did we build it to the archaeological footings we found during the restoration?”
The homestead’s application will be considered again at the council’s next quarterly meeting, likely in December.