This old mansion

The Peabody mansion in Oak Brook is showing its age.

The elaborate ceiling molding in the living room is crumbling, the exterior masonry reveals water damage, and wood on the building's facade begs for refinishing.

But thanks to a collaboration between the DuPage County Forest Preserve District and Art Institute of Chicago, the Tudor Gothic structure is seeing some of its former grandeur return.

This month, students from the School of the Art Institute, led by restoration consultant Neal Vogel and professional craftsmen, are bringing classroom theory to life with painstaking repairs.

Vogel said their delicate work helps keep the mansion located in Mayslake Forest Preserve true to the vision of coal magnate Francis S. Peabody, who built it in 1919.

Peabody wanted visitors to see a house that looked as if it were imported from 17th-century England, Vogel said.

"Instant age, that's what they were looking for," Vogel said.

There is nothing instant, however, about the students' work. This week they learned to create ornamental molds such as the plaster designs that will decorate the living room ceiling.

Under the guidance of Vogel, the students already have restored eight wood windows. They've learned to cut half-timber, then to dress the lumber with a faux treatment that gives it a weathered finish.

And to create a shadowy effect in the building's brick walls, the students have raked out the mortar joints.

With guidance from Arlington Heights resident Matt Luczak of Luczak Brothers Inc. in Chicago, they created a 2-foot mold Tuesday. Once plaster is mixed, it only takes 10 minutes to set. So students must spread the mold, sculpt it and correct flaws like air bubbles before time runs out.

The catch? After all that work, the mold covers just a tiny patch on the mansion's huge ceiling.

That doesn't bother student Jessamyn Miller, though. The Napa, Calif., native moved to Chicago to gain the skills that will allow her to restore unique buildings such as the Peabody estate.

"To be able to work on a building with such historic integrity is a huge deal," Miller said. "I would really like to get my hands dirty. This (class) was my way to test it out and see if this was the way I want to go. And I think it is."

Repairing the interior and exterior of the historical landmark will cost an estimated $12 million. But having art students help with the labor is a win-win situation, officials said.

While it may seem risky to leave such a delicate project in the hands of novices, these students have the necessary skills, Mayslake education site manager Chrissie Howorth said.

"It's a very fine balance," Howorth said. "We don't just allow anyone to have a go at this. We're extremely keen in maintaining the historic integrity of the house. "