Pyramid house fundraiser to help Gurnee park honoring soldiers
A foundation trying to build Heroes of Freedom Memorial Park in Gurnee will hold a fundraiser this weekend with a rare private tour at one of Lake County's most unusual homes.
Gurnee Trustee Kirk Morris' nonprofit organization is behind the tours, set for 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. Saturday at the Onan family's Egyptian-style pyramid house at 37921 Dilley's Road in Wadsworth.
"This house is absolutely stupendous," Morris said. "People will be amazed. We're definitely not in Kansas anymore. The place is packed with authentic Egyptian artifacts. It is stunning."
Morris' 19-year-old son, Geoffrey, was a machine-gunner for the Marines who died from injuries suffered from hostile fire in Iraq's Al Anbar province. Morris began pushing for the memorial park in 2005, nearly a year after his son died.
Although the village of Gurnee set aside the former police headquarters site on Old Grand Avenue for the Heroes of Freedom park, it's supposed to be built with private money.
Morris and the pyramid home's owner, Jim Onan, have a mutual friend who connected the two men with the idea of using the unusual site for the fundraiser.
"Jim Onan is also a veteran who has a heart for the troops," Morris said. "He's been looking for a way to support the troops. He felt like this was a great way to do that. "
Event organizers say visitors will be in for a rare treat Saturday, because the gold-covered pyramid home hasn't been open for a public tour in about 15 years.
The 17,000-square-foot building rises 55 feet high and has five stories. A 64-foot statue of Ramses stands at the entrance. Surrounded by a moat, the home includes replicas of King Tut's tomb, Cleopatra and Nefertiti.
Funds raised from Saturday's 90-minute pyramid house tour will go to the Pfc. Geoffrey Morris Memorial Foundation operated by his father. In addition to raising cash for the memorial park, the foundation has paid to give patriotic quilted pillows to wounded Iraq veterans and donated to an Illinois military relief fund.
The Heroes of Freedom site has been relatively stagnant since the memorial was pursued in 2005. Gurnee village government is paying about $30 per month to supply electricity to the property.
Nine poles with flags representing every military branch and lights were unveiled in February 2006. However, planned sculptures, a garden and a walkway have yet to be completed.
An estimated $275,000 will be needed for the life-size bronze statues planned for the memorial honoring Geoffrey Morris, Warren Township resident Sean Maher and Libertyville's Wesley Wells. All of the men died in battle for the Marines or Army in 2004 and 2005.
Morris has a goal to raise $1,500 Saturday, and thinks he'll surpass that easily. Tickets cost $20.
"We want this event to also be a reminder that we are still engaged in two wars," Morris said. "It's easy for people to get caught up in other things and forget that."