Village is surrendering too much of its historical charm to teardown trend

After her loyal friends and neighbors convinced village officials to deny a developer’s request for a demolition permit, the gracious red brick Italianate house in the heart of the Arlington Heights historic district was recently granted a reprieve from the wrecking ball, just shy of her 150th birthday.

But the celebration was brief. Just months after the village design commission’s recommendation last October that the circa 1878 structure was historically significant and should be preserved, a developer is appealing the decision. Now the house at 716 N. Dunton Ave. is back on life support, with the Village Board slated to decide her fate on Monday.

Of course, the tortured relationship between Arlington Heights residents who cherish their hometown’s historic buildings is nothing new, and for decades, has erupted into passionate battles between preservationists and those who view new development through the lens of progress and prosperity.

Still, before the village board members cast their votes on the future of the 146-year-old house on Dunton Avenue, it would behoove them to do a bit of homework - in particular, studying up on a few chapters of local history.

Forty years have passed since the Township High School District 214 school board voted to shutter Arlington High School, but you can’t throw a stone in town without hitting a resident who is still mourning the decision.

While officials argued the closure was necessary due to shifting enrollment and the prohibitive costs of modernizing the aging, albeit iconic, 1922 building, it was swiftly purchased by a private religious school, and has operated since as the Christian Liberty Academy.

Most recently, the village witnessed the annihilation of the internationally renowned Arlington Park, an historic horse racing track built in 1927 and recently purchased — and demolished — by the Chicago Bears.

Far less publicized, but equally tragic, the latest threat to Arlington Heights’ history is unfolding in the village’s residential neighborhoods, where century-old homes are increasingly being demolished and replaced by modern manses.

From a strictly economic perspective, the recent influx of newly constructed million-dollar homes will undoubtedly bolster village coffers with additional revenues generated by higher property taxes. Still, the question remains, do the extra dollars garnered by higher property taxes justify erasing the charm and history that have long set Arlington Heights apart from nearby suburbs offering predominately tract style housing?

Homeowners within Arlington Heights’ historic district don’t think so, and have gathered more than 1,200 signatures on a petition to save the home on Dunton Avenue. These supporters plan to gather at Monday’s board meeting to plead their case.

While the village board typically supports the recommendations of its design commissioners, who are appointed to serve due to their expertise on the subject, in this case, there is reason for concern.

Residents living in the historic district of Arlington Heights, including myself, are seeing a surge of older homes being torn down and replaced by new construction. This despite a 2004 study by the School of the Art Institute which identified 517 historically significant houses in the village. It’s uncertain how many of those 517 homes still stand 20 years after the release of the study. But it’s worth noting that the Dunton Avenue house was one of only 38 homes given the top rating of “exceptional” by the study.

Sadly, the village design commission recently approved the tear down of a century-old home at 208 N. Haddow Ave. that also appeared in the School of the Art Institute study. The Daily Herald reported that the developer planning the demolition said the house on Haddow, built in 1924, would be too expensive to refurbish. “Just because it’s old doesn’t make it historic. It doesn’t make it worth saving,” he said.

Beyond the loss of history is a trend toward replacing these homes with buildings that don’t fit the character of the neighborhood. I live in the village’s historic district, and I’ve witnessed the teardowns being replaced by new structures that often resemble tract homes with little regard to the architectural significance of neighboring structures.

Fortunately, not everyone is ignoring the village’s history. The Arlington Heights Park District is using a $2.8 million state grant to refurbish the Recreation Park Pool, including upgrades to a historic bathhouse built in 1937 as part of a WPA project. And the Arlington Heights Memorial Library in recent years re-purposed an historic building — the first stand-alone village library — into a vibrant, state-of-the art Makerspace.

Unfortunately, these admirable preservation efforts are greatly outweighed by the teardown trend in the village. The neighborhoods where these historic homes reside are among the most desirable locations for new residents who want to live in large homes with modern amenities. It’s often cheaper and easier for developers to do a teardown.

While it’s tempting for the village to broaden its tax base with new housing, I hope Arlington Heights village leaders will pause to consider the historical significance of the house on Dunton Avenue and similar homes in the area, before the village’s past is completely erased.

• John T. Slania is a journalism professor, a former reporter and editor at the Daily Herald, and the owner of a 97-year-old home in Arlington Heights.