Preservation group backs landmark status for Naperville mansion

An aging Queen Anne mansion in Naperville whose fate sparked contentious debate in recent weeks has moved a step closer to being declared a landmark.

The city's historic sites commission voted 4-2 in favor of recommending such a status for the home at 432 E. Chicago Ave.

"To me this house clearly satisfies the ordinance for landmark status," Commissioner Denise Nigro said. "That's not commenting on the terms of the sale, the personalities involved, the rehabability of the home - it's just the facts that have been presented to us."

The mansion was built in 1893 by prominent DuPage County businessman Adolph Hammerschmidt, but has since become dilapidated.

Its owners, Chris and Sue Cobb, who purchased the home in December, have said the costs to rehabilitate it are higher than expected and they plan to demolish it if they cannot find a buyer.

But a group of neighbors believes the home is an important part of the city's past that should be preserved. They applied for landmark status in hopes of saving it.

Dozens of residents on both sides of the issue gave their testimony over the course of two meetings, including several who say they are raising money in order to purchase the home and restore it.

Thursday the commission voted 4-2 to recommend landmark status for the home. Nigro, Ron Swalwell, Ann Edmonds and Jamie Smith voted in favor while Matt Satre and Chairman Kris Hartner voted against it.

But the debate was not over whether it meets the criteria, including being located within the city, more than 30 years old, identifying with a historic person, and embodying the characteristics of an architectural type from a certain time period.

Instead, Hartner and Satre said they felt it would be an infringement on the rights of the Cobbs who do not consent.

"With the number of people that have issues with the way it (the historic district) is functioning right now, for us to go and grab another house and put it in the historic district, I have an issue with that," Hartner said. "And to do it against the will of the homeowner adds on top of that."

Swalwell said he also was uncomfortable with the issue of owners rights but did not feel it is the commission's place to determine anything more than whether it does or does not meet the necessary criteria.

"I think really what they (the city council) want from us is just cold hard facts," he said. "They don't want our emotional opinion on do we think it's fair or not fair without property owner consent. That's their issue to deal with."

The city council will have the final say in the matter and has until early November to rule on the application. The Cobbs have said they will keep the house on the market through November.

<div class="infoBox"> <h1>More Coverage</h1> <div class="infoBoxContent"> <div class="infoArea"> <h2>Stories</h2> <ul class="links"> <li><a href="/story/?id=230766">New proposal emerges to save Naperville mansion <span class="date">[08/27/08]</span></a></li> <li><a href="/story/?id=226391">Owners fight move to make Naperville home a landmark <span class="date">[08/08/08]</span></a></li> <li><a href="/story/?id=217034">Doomed Naperville house may get reprieve <span class="date">[07/11/08]</span></a></li> </ul> </div> </div> </div>