Naper Settlement seeks $145,000 to assess historic buildings, plan museum’s future

Naper Settlement wants to assess its historic buildings as the museum contemplates how it can better tell the story of Naperville, and that may involve relocating some of the structures on the campus.

The nonprofit is asking the city for $145,000 to fund a feasibility study that would help the museum create a master plan for its buildings.

“The (last) master plan that was done was over 20 years ago and it was done at a time when this institution’s desire was to be a settlement-type village that told the story of the 1800s,” said Rena Tamayo-Calabrese, president and CEO of Naper Settlement.

That vision, she said, no longer aligns with present day Naperville nor does it align with “the changes that were made to be a museum that tells the full story.”

“The mission is to tell the entirety of the story, whether it is pre-settlement, settlement, the 20th century, the 21st century, what happened today,” Tamayo-Calabrese said. “In order to do that now, we can’t say, ‘Well, we’re going to bring two 20th century buildings and one 21st century building so we can use those.’”

Currently, Naper Settlement tells some of that more recent history through its programming, including through the rotating exhibit space at the Pre-Emption House. But there may be other ways that history can be better told through the buildings currently on the museum’s property, which is part of what it aims to evaluate with the feasibility study and master plan.

“As we look forward to the next, whatever they are, 10 or 15 years, one of the challenges becomes how do we make people feel like this is their museum that holds and is entrusted with their story as much as the story of the 1800s,” Tamayo-Calabrese said.

Most of the historic buildings and structures on Naper Settlement’s 13-acre campus are replicas of old buildings or were moved from their original locations and brought to the museum. Some were relocated to the property more than 50 years ago. Only two of the its 30 structures — the Martin Mitchell Mansion and the Carriage House — are original to the site.

Now, as Settlement officials rethink how to tell the story of Naperville, they are considering relocating some structures to other part of the campus. That may include the Blacksmith Shop, the Firehouse, Stone Carver Shop and Print Shop.

But before Naper Settlement can even commit to doing that, Tamayo-Calabrese said a feasibility study needs to be conducted, something that has never been done for the buildings.

“We have no data on them and some of the present challenges,” she said. “For example, with these very heavy rains, the Blacksmith Shop will get water on the wooden floor. What does that mean for the building? Well, we don’t know.”

Once the museum knows the status of each structure, that will then shape what is included in the master plan and the future of each building on its site.

“We have the oldest fire truck for Naperville. Is that (Firehouse) building in shape to last another 20 years?” Tamayo-Calabrese said. “If you’re doing a master plan, your master plan is taking you 10 to 15 years down the road, so is that structure as it sits today viable to continue for another 15 years? These are the kinds of things that a feasibility study would be answering for us.”

The study would be conducted in 2027. Once that portion is complete, the next step would be to assess the results and use them to see what design work needs to be done, she said.

The design phase is currently budgeted at $223,000, though Tamayo-Calabrese noted that number could change since the museum would be requesting it for the 2028 budget.

Even if the city approves the initial $145,000 and not the second $223,000, Tamayo-Calabrese said part one would still be useful since it will still give the Settlement important data it does not have.

“It is responsible planning and it is responsible stewardship,” she said. “We are responsible for the longevity of each one of these structures and in order for us to plan for them, we have to know their current condition.”

cstein@chicagotribune.com