Crews temporarily moving Bartlett's oldest building
Bartlett officials received a shock when they took control of the oldest building in the village, the 137-year-old train depot, after Metra built a new depot in 2007.
When crews prepared to start renovations at the downtown building, they discovered the structure, built in 1873, lacked a foundation and rested on wooden timbers. Years of water damage threatened the building, which officials want to transform into a transportation museum.
That's why crews Tuesday braved the cold and began moving the 600-square-foot building at 161 S. Oak Ave. so a new foundation can be built. The structure will be moved 100 feet so workers can pour a new foundation at the current site. Foundation work should finish in the summer and then the building will be moved back.
Pam Rohleder, director of the Bartlett History Museum, hopes that construction delays are minimal and under a best-case scenario, the depot could reopen as a museum by Memorial Day 2011.
Rohleder said the depot is the fifth oldest in the Chicago area.
"It's antiquated and didn't meet commuters' needs," Rohleder said. "But it's great that we still have it."
This will be Bartlett's second history museum, pairing with the one inside village hall.
There are three rooms inside. Rotating exhibits are planned for the baggage room, which is the only room with a wall from the original building. Officials are trying to recreate the station's agent room to match a photo taken in 1930. The waiting room will have a permanent exhibit, showcasing the history of train, automobile and horse and buggy transportation.
Many credit the depot as the most important building in Bartlett, as its construction helped establish the town. Village founder Luther Bartlett donated the land and $300 to build the depot. Now, 137 years later, the village is leasing the building from Metra for $1 per year.
The plan is to spend $450,000 to restore the building. The village is paying for the renovation with help from the Illinois Department of Transportation, which last month said it would be providing a grant for a maximum of $344,440.
The building's space limitations will force Rohleder and her staff to be creative.
"We're going to pack a lot of punch into the little guy," she said.
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