Naperville Woman's Club making historic space easier for visitors

The Old Stone Church on Washington Street in Naperville hasn't changed much since its days as a worship space for German-speaking faithful, and those who care for the building say they like it that way.

The stained-glass window is original, as are the curved side windows, the front facade and the limestone exterior of the English Gothic Revival-style building.

But Naperville Woman's Club members also say they're thrilled to be making accessibility improvements so the space can be easier to use for everyone who comes inside.

The club has owned the building since 1925, when public sentiment shifted against the German Evangelical Church after World War I, and members say now is the time to make it more welcoming.

"During that 90 years, we have strived to be a good steward of this architectural gem and share it with the community," President Julie Cunningham said.

In a $94,000 landmark remodeling project launched Thursday, the club is installing a bathroom on the first floor, building a ramp to the back entrance and adding a catering kitchen to the former church at 14 S. Washington St.

Through much of its 116-year history, the church's only bathroom has been in the basement, down a tight set of stairs that takes a turn near the bottom.

"It really wasn't accessible to people," Cunningham said.

Moving the restroom to the main floor and building a ramp means people who use wheelchairs or have low mobility will have better access when they visit as part of a group that rents the building.

"This will be a wonderful way to allow us to share the building with everyone, not just with people who can do steep stairs," Cunningham said.

Three years of fundraisers and a few major donations allowed the club to begin the project Thursday in hopes of wrapping it up in roughly a month before a wedding, a bridal shower, church services and alcoholics anonymous meetings that already are scheduled.

Downtown property owner Dwight Yackey and his wife, Ruth, were among major donors, and the city of Naperville gave $25,000 from its special events and cultural amenities fund. Mayor Steve Chirico said the accessibility project will be "a gift to the community" from a club that has maintained the historic building for nine decades.

"Adopting this building that many years ago was a long-term vision," Chirico said. "Along with that comes great responsibility."

The club consulted with the Naper Settlement historical museum in planning the renovations to the building, which has been recognized as a Naperville landmark. The wheelchair ramp will be added to the back of the building because any changes to the front require approval from the city's historic preservation commission.

Woman's Club member Barbara Crockett, another leading donor, said she enjoyed working to restore the Old Stone Church's original stained-glass window in 2012. Now she is pleased the building will be upgraded so more can use the space and see the images of Jesus, the Bible, a lamb and a dove depicted in 116-year-old colored panels.

"It's a historic building in Naperville," Crockett said. "I like to see these things preserved because that's our history, our heritage."