Owners fight move to make Naperville home a landmark

Naperville residents are at odds over whether a rundown but historic Queen Anne home deserves landmark status.

Nearly 30 people on both sides of the issue spoke out at a Historic Sites Commission meeting Thursday concerning the home at 432 E. Chicago Ave. The home's owners plan to demolish it if it does not sell.

However, the commission will not vote on its fate until Aug. 28.

Built in 1893 by prominent DuPage County businessman Adolph Hammerschmidt, the home has become dilapidated. Last December, Chris and Sue Cobb bought it for $775,000 from Charlene O'Neill whose family had owned it since 1961.

Sue Cobb has previously said the home was advertised as needing about $500,000 in work. But upon getting her own estimate, she found the cost to rehab it would be much higher.

She and her husband applied for permission to demolish it in June. The Cobbs live next door and would landscape the property and make it part of their yard.

Several weeks later, a group of residents nominated the home for landmark status in hopes of saving it.

"The Hammerschmidt mansion is one of the first impressions visitors receive of our community, and not only is it a visual treasure but one of the only remaining Queen Anne homes along Chicago Avenue," said area resident Kathy Ruiz. "It is not simply a residence but a work of art, a show piece of a bygone era and a visual focal point for the area."

But Kevin M. Lynch, the Cobbs' attorney, said the owners do not consent to their property being given landmark status. They are, however, willing to sell it.

"They have made it public and very much aware out there that they are prepared to sell the property to anybody who is willing to purchase it with landmark status for their purchase price and their closing costs and caring costs," Lynch said.

However, he said finding a buyer has been difficult due to the high cost of needed repairs.

Bernie Cobb Jr., brother of Chris Cobb, called the home "a dilapidated, toxic spore- mold infested site."

"It's unfortunate that a few people are trying to impose their will on someone else. ... The property today is beyond maintenance, and it would take close to $1 million to put this property back in a condition that would be acceptable," Bernie Cobb said.

He and others opposed to the landmark status pointed to both costs and what they see as infringement on property owners' rights.

However, Commissioner Ann Edmonds said the commission has a right under city ordinance to consider landmark status, even without property owner consent, and also said cost of rehabilitation is not a relevant factor in determining whether such status is appropriate.

City staff found that the home meets the criteria to be a landmark, though significant work needs to be done, and they would like the current or future owner to be willing to invest in it.

Some in the audience said they would be willing to donate money to help purchase and save it.

Those in favor of landmark status said it is architecturally and historically significant to the city. Among the supporters were Laura Brown, who is a sixth-generation descendant of Hammerschmidt and Sue Mangers, sister of Charlene O'Neill.

"Anyone that has lived in Naperville more than a year or two knows this home. If there was ever a landmark home in town, this has to be at the top or near it," Mangers wrote in a letter read by Bart Darfler of Darfler Realty, who handled the sale for O'Neill.

Commissioners said it will be hard to vote against it when they meet Aug. 28, given that the home meets the landmark criteria. However, several, including Matt Satre, Ron Swalwell and Chairman Kris Hartner, said they are uncomfortable telling property owners what to do.

After the commission makes its recommendation, the matter will go to the city council for a final vote.

Historic: Home meets criteria for landmark status