Elmhurst Park District seeking groups to lease space when Lizzadro Museum moves

Elmhurst Park District will reach out to more than a dozen community and nonprofit groups to test their interest in moving into the building that now houses the Lizzadro Museum of Lapidary Art in Wilder Park.

Park officials this week agreed to contact 15 to 20 such groups to see if they want to lease space in the 5,000-square-foot structure at 220 Cottage Hill after the museum moves into its new Oak Brook digs late next year.

Under the terms of a 1961 agreement with the Lizzadro Family Foundation, the building will become the district's property once the museum leaves.

Park officials are uncertain what to do with the building, which opened in the early 1960s and is showing signs of age. They believe it will cost roughly $1.2 million to bring it up to code and another $500,000 to convert it from museum use.

Commissioners are considering several options and the two most likely now appear to be either razing the building and converting it to open space or finding a group to rent it that is "philosophically aligned" with the district's mission.

Director of Facilities Angela Ferrentino said the district will advertise the availability through legal notices and direct contact with community groups. Executive Director James Rogers earlier suggested those groups could include Elmhurst College, the Elmhurst History Museum and area schools.

The district will conduct a mandatory walk-through of the building for interested parties on Dec. 10, Ferrentino said, because "we want people to make a decision with their eyes wide open."

Groups that don't participate will be automatically eliminated. Any that remain will be asked to submit their proposals by Jan. 7.

Ferrentino said officials don't know what kind of response they'll get, "but we're putting it out there very seriously."

The district hired Dewberry Architects Inc. earlier this year to assess the building. The architects said the steel structure appears sound, but the roof leaks during heavy rains; one of its columns appears to be shifting; and there are life-safety and ADA issues.