Harvard's Coventry House added to Landmarks Illinois' 2015 Most Endangered List

Currently for sale as part of a large commercially-zoned tract, the William H. Coventry House & Barn, located at 7704 Route 14, rests at the northern gateway to historic Harvard. It was recently added to the Landmarks Illinois' 2015 Most Endangered List.

The 1855 house and its outbuildings were purchased in 1994 by Motorola, which had planned to build a 1.5- million-square-foot cellular telephone manufacturing and distribution facility on a site encompassing the historic structures. While the promise of employment and a huge economic boost outweighed the price of losing a piece of local history for many Harvard residents, a vocal group of concerned citizens joined the McHenry County Historical Society in lobbying to save the historic structures. Motorola, in consultation with engineers and historic architects, agreed to restore the house and barn structures as housing for visiting executives.

When Motorola abruptly shuttered its Harvard facility in 2003, the future of the Coventry farmstead became even more unclear. The massive site's current owner has allowed both the Motorola campus and the Coventry buildings to deteriorate significantly, diminishing the property value and placing the historic residence and barn in danger. Local preservationists have solicited volunteers from the Harvard community in the past to make minor repairs, but without unfettered access to this pivotal, privately owned property, any lasting solution to this point has remained elusive.

Long-term rehabilitation plans would require new and dedicated ownership of this unique parcel. The city of Harvard, McHenry County Economic Development Corp. and the McHenry County Historical Society are working together to identify possible buyers or other solutions that would ensure the longevity of the historic Coventry property.

Now in its 20th year, this statewide list calls attention to threatened historic resources in need of assistance in the form of responsible stewardship, creative reuse plans, and/or advances in public policy. The slow economic recovery, state budget crisis, and a lack of available financing continue to challenge historic sites throughout Illinois.

"The sites named to the list, as well as the critical work of our State Historic Preservation Office, are all exceptionally important to not only local residents, but the local economy," Landmarks Illinois president Bonnie McDonald said. "By calling attention to the potential for reuse and revitalization of these historic places, we are encouraging job creation and economic development across Illinois - something everyone can support."

Other properties on the list include the home of the Schwinn Bicycle Co. co-founder, a Lincoln-era home in Springfield, an iconic 50-foot statue located in a state park, vanishing midcentury modern houses, a former state hospital building, key projects in the expiring River Edge state historic tax credit program, a vacant Archdiocesan school, a large-scale industrial bakery, a southern Illinois "thatched cottage," an early Chicago movie palace, and lastly, the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency.

For more information, visit www.landmarks.org/endangered.htm.

Since the inception of Landmarks Illinois' Most Endangered list in 1995, a third of the listed properties have been saved, less than a quarter have been demolished, and the rest are in varying stages between being continually threatened and rehabilitation.