Restoration work started at Mayslake courtyard
Work has begun to restore the rear courtyard and breakfast porch area at the Forest Preserve District of DuPage County's historic Mayslake Hall at Mayslake Peabody Estate in Oak Brook.
The project will restore the exterior brickwork to a recessed, or "raked," mortar-joint finish; replace 21 second-story windows; repair the chimney, stucco, copper scuppers and downspouts; and replace barge boards. Work began in early August and should finish by the end of October.
The restoration will enhance visitors' experiences during on-site activities, programs and events and expand indoor and outdoor special event space.
"Mayslake is a beloved cultural and historical gem in DuPage County," forest preserve Commissioner Jeff Redick said. "A restored and improved Mayslake will be an important tool in introducing people to nature through the arts."
Commissioners approved hiring Renaissance Restoration Inc. of Galena to do the work for $634,614.
The Mayslake Hall Restoration Society raised more than $100,000 for the project, and the Friends of the Forest Preserve District of DuPage County raised $11,390. The remainder will be funded through district bond funds and planning, construction and development funds.
In 1919, Francis Stuyvesant Peabody commissioned renowned Chicago architect Benjamin H. Marshall to design the Tudor Revival-style mansion known today as Mayslake Hall. After his death in 1922, Peabody's family sold the estate to the Franciscan Order of the Friars Minor, Province of the Sacred Heart and the hall became a retreat house.
Over time, the order sold off sections of the estate, eventually selling the last remaining acres, including Mayslake Hall, a friary and the Portiuncula Chapel, to the forest preserve district in 1993 after voters approved the purchase by referendum.
The restoration work is part of a 2006 development plan that calls for providing space for educational and cultural programming, professional development, and corporate retreats, meetings and special events.