House walk features historic NCC buildings
Naperville residents who always have wanted to peek inside some of the city's most unique homes will get their chance.
The inaugural Heritage House Walk, sponsored by Naperville Heritage Society and the East Central Homeowners Organization, runs 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday in the city's historic district.
The walk features four private homes and two buildings on the campus of North Central College.
Tickets are $25 in advance and $30 Saturday. Advance tickets may be purchased online at napersettlement.museum or at Naper Settlement's lobby desk, 523 S. Webster St.
Attendees may show their tickets and receive a 10 percent discount at the Weed Ladies Fall Show and Sale running through Sunday at Naper Settlement.
Here's a quick look at the houses and buildings you can visit:
• North Central's Kiekhofer Hall, 328 School St.
The centerpiece of Kiekhofer Hall is Koten Chapel with its soaring wooden beams and vibrant stained-glass windows. Originally part of Evangelical Theological Seminary, Kiekhofer Hall was built in 1913 to serve as administrative offices. After the seminary moved to Evanston, North Central College purchased the building in 1976.
• North Central's Rolland Center Boilerhouse Cafe, 29 N. Loomis St.
Built in 1908, the boilerhouse was used to supply heat -- first by coal-burning furnaces and later by oil-powered boilers -- to the entire college campus.
Close to 100 years old, plans to demolish the building were considered, but a forward-thinking alumna, Mimi Rolland, envisioned a social gathering place and her gift funded the renovation.
Today, the Rolland Center Boilerhouse Cafe houses a coffee bar, fireplace, convenience store, computer lab area, restrooms and a meeting/gathering space.
• Heidi and Roy Schoeneck's house, 5 N. Columbia St.
This blue home, circa 1915, on the corner of Columbia Street and Benton Avenue once was the residence of North Central's sixth president, C. Harve Geiger, and his wife, Velma, who lived there from 1958 to 1977. It recently was restored.
• Victoria and Drew Lecher's house, 31 S. Brainard St.
Built around 1873 by carpenter Mathias A. Stephens, this home displays a combination of architectural details in the Italianate and Classic Revival styles. While renovating their home in 1995, the Lechers found newspapers under the floor that noted a rear addition was built in 1905.
• Lara and Doug Bruce's house, 15 S. Brainard St.
The Bruces' home was built in 1908 as a parsonage for the Second Evangelical Church. The rectangular Queen Anne was built for a minister, the Rev. George Manshardt, who was its first occupant. This home has ties to the former Evangelical Theological Seminary, whose records note a parsonage was built in 1908 on Brainard Street. At one time, the home was owned by the Scherer family. Jane Latshaw Scherer is a descendant of John Naper, one of Naperville's founders.
• Jamie and Neil Smith's house, 110 S. Sleight St.
This Queen Anne-style Victorian has graced the corner of Sleight Street and Van Buren Avenue for 115 years. Originally built by local hardware merchant and Naperville native George Yost, the exterior of the home includes fish-scale shingles, a wrap-around porch with gingerbread details and the original weathervane atop the turret. The present owners have maintained the 1890s architecture while updating the home with an addition on the rear and a three-car carriage house.