Foundation looking for funds and volunteers to help restore historic Aurora schoolhouse

Not quite 20 years ago the former Big Woods School, scheduled to be razed by a developer, was spared from the wrecking ball after it got the interest of historic preservationists.

Yet saving this old red brick building on Eola Road in Aurora is proving to be much easier than restoring it.

The Big Woods School Foundation has the building. It has the historic designation. It has artifacts and a vision for how the 108-year-old former school can serve the community. But this nonprofit also has an operating budget of less than $20,000 a year.

And that puts the $1 million renovation price tag way out of reach.

The foundation, however, is convinced more awareness about this unique property can generate the kind of mojo needed not only to raise funds but grow membership.

Built in 1918 on land donated by pioneers Anna and James Brown, the 1,500-square-foot schoolhouse near Butterfield Road served children in the Big Woods/Marmion area until 1963 when consolidation in the Indian Prairie School District closed its doors, said Roger Vernon, chair of the foundation.

After sitting idle for decades, the building on the six-acre property, purchased by Bridge Development with plans to build a gas station and convenience store, was facing demolition when Big Woods Marmion Neighborhood Group – Vernon was chair – and Big Woods Congregational Church got involved.

Concerned residents contacted the Illinois Historic Preservation Division, and after a 2007 inspection by Deputy Director Ann Hacker determined the property was indeed historically significant, the developer donated it to the church which, as its designated caretaker, would maintain and restore it.

Six years later, when it became obvious the struggling congregation would not be able to fulfill those duties, the Big Woods School Foundation was established and purchased the property for $15,000 on a promissory note – more than half of which was forgiven when the church closed its doors in 2024.

The foundation’s efforts got the school listed on the Illinois Register and the National Register of Historic Places in 2016. Two years later, a celebration that involved former students was held to mark its 100th anniversary. In 2019 it received landmark status from the city of Aurora, and in 2023 the foundation was awarded a $50,000 state grant that was used to repair and restore the terra cotta tile roof.

Unfortunately, things have stalled since then, says Vernon, a retired Army lieutenant colonel and software developer. And it all comes down to a need for more funding as well as membership, which now only includes a handful of people.

But even though the foundation is small, it is determined to “turn the school into a vibrant community asset,” insisted board director Jim Varney.

When he and I initially spoke about the schoolhouse, the retired longtime educator had just returned from two reunions with wife Darlene: The first was in Scotland, where her family had gathered at a castle to celebrate the Hunter clan, followed by a gathering of her immediate family on a farm in Oklahoma.

This adventure meant six airplane rides in 10 days. But “preserving legacy and connections are important” to the couple, said Varney, which is why he and Darlene, secretary of the board, are so passionate about not only saving this property but repurposing it.

“We are drawn to this project,” she told me, “because for many years Big Woods School was the heart of the community.”

The board, aware there is plenty of work to be done, is currently involved in a recruiting drive that includes contacting former students and making a list of potential funding sources that range from community foundations to federal, state and local preservation grants.

“The more people who join us in this effort,” Varney said, “the more connections we can cultivate and harvest.”

Vernon describes the schoolhouse as a “wonderful example of what the initial pioneers who came to this area were doing.” Right now it is sitting there deteriorating, he said, with little more than walls, floor and ceiling and no heat, water or electricity.

But as one of the first schoolhouses built after a 1915 state safety and sanitation law for public schools, it has great bones, Vernon added. And its collection of artifacts, including the original chalkboard and a book cabinet, adds to the compelling case for preserving this tangible piece of Aurora’s past.

Plus, restoring this historic landmark is “all about giving back,” said Vernon, who asked those interested in joining this effort to contact him at Roger.Vernon@BigWoodsSchool.org or call 630-460-7193. The group can also use manpower to help with tasks like painting the building and cleaning up the landscape.

As Darlene Varney pointed out, the building that “once echoed with the voices, laughter and energy of children” has for “too many years stood silent.”

The goal, she added, is “to bring the school back to life – not only as a community center but a place were people can gather, connect and create new memories.”