Elmhurst's Lizzadro Museum to close at month's end

A cornerstone of Elmhurst's cultural community, the Lizzadro Museum of Lapidary Art, will close its doors May 31 after 57 years in Wilder Park as it prepares to move this fall into a new and larger home in Oak Brook.

The museum, which opened in 1962, houses one of the largest collections of lapidary art in the world, focusing on gemstones, mineral carvings and earth science.

The iconic building near downtown, which was designed to look like a jewelry box, was built specifically for the museum's eclectic collection. But officials announced nearly two years ago that they have outgrown the 5,000-square-foot space.

The museum's new home is in a two-story office building at 1220 Kensington Road in Oak Brook that will provide state-of-the-art facilities for exhibits, educational activities and special events.

Museum Director Dorothy Asher, who has worked at the museum in various capacities for 30 years, said Wednesday she's "definitely going to be sad to leave Elmhurst" and the "beautiful setting" in Wilder Park.

But, she said, "there needs to be a growth period" and the larger Oak Brook site provides a perfect opportunity.

Roughly 28,000 visitors from across the region and the world visit the museum each year.

"Our goal is to inspire people," Asher said. "I enjoy when someone tells me that we inspired their son to become a geologist or their daughter to become a paleontologist."

Asher said the new museum is scheduled to open in mid-October. The move will require special care because many of the Lizzadro's pieces - especially the jade - are extremely delicate.

Under the terms of a 1961 agreement between Elmhurst Park District and the Lizzadro Family Foundation, the building will become the district's property once the museum leaves.

Park officials are studying alternatives for the site, including maintaining the building for park use; razing it and converting it to open space (possibly a sunken garden); or finding another entity that wants it for a use that's "philosophically aligned" with the district's mission.

As part of that process, the district has reached out to other agencies that may have interest in using the building, including, but not limited to, Elmhurst College, the Elmhurst History Museum and area schools.

The district hired Dewberry Architects Inc. to assess the building and the team found several challenges for anyone hoping to reuse it.

While the overall steel structure appears sound, the architects said the roof leaks during heavy rains; one of its columns appears to be shifting; life-safety issues need to be addressed; and it is not ADA compliant.

Even without the cost of interior or exterior remodeling to convert the building from a museum use, the architects estimate it will cost $1.2 million to bring it up to code. With the additional expenditures needed to renovate it for non-museum uses, the project would cost roughly $1.7 million, they said.

Park officials could not immediately be reached for comment Wednesday.