Forest preserve district to discuss future of McKee House

The future of Churchill Woods Forest Preserve’s McKee House in Glen Ellyn will be the topic of an informational meeting at 7 p.m. Aug. 21 at the Lake Ellyn Boathouse, 645 Lenox Road, Glen Ellyn.

The meeting will feature an update from an architect with AltusWorks Inc., a design firm specializing in historic structures that was hired by the forest preserve district to study the house, officials said Monday. Participants will learn about the status of the structure and the firm’s initial findings concerning potential restoration efforts.

The McKee House was built in the 1930s and served as a residence for forest preserve superintendents. The property was used as a home until 1996 and then transitioned into a guardhouse.

Earlier this year the forest preserve commission allocated roughly $43,000 for an architectural study of the building. The district had considered demolishing the structure, but agreed to the study at the urging of several Glen Ellyn residents involved in the village’s historic preservation efforts who have been supporting restoration plans for the building since 2006.

Information about the building can be found on the McKee House at Churchill Woods page on the district’s website, dupageforest.org, under “Forest Preserve News” and “Plans and Projects.”

Reservations are not required to join the meeting. For details, call Jessica Ortega in the district’s office of planning at (630) 871-6404.