Glen Ellyn History Center gradually reopening six months after flood
The Glen Ellyn History Center will begin to gradually reopen in September, six months after a damaging flood caused by a burst pipe forced the Main Street building to shut down for a major restoration project.
The history center, run by the nonprofit Glen Ellyn Historical Society, won't be fully operational until at least the end of the year, as employees and volunteers unpack and sort through the artifacts that they temporarily relocated to dry storage.
"We have months of work ahead of us, and since there's still renovating as I speak, there's a lot of work to be done before we do open our doors next month," Executive Director Karen Hall said.
The center's lobby and multipurpose room are set to reopen first on Tuesday, Sept. 10. Hall hopes to reopen the gift shop soon after that.
Public tours of Stacy's Tavern Museum - left unscathed, about a block to the north - will resume Wednesday, Sept. 18. Hall expects the archives and artifacts divisions in the history center to reopen later in the fall.
Last week, crews were installing flooring in the building at the corner of Main and Elm streets at the village's northern gateway. This week, they're painting.
The damage left by muddy, standing water was extensive: The basement was gutted to the studs. And the lower two feet of every wall in the history center had to be removed.
The culprit? A 4-inch pipe from a fire suppression system burst in the early morning hours of March 22. About 3 inches of water spread throughout the first floor, and the basement collected more than 6 feet.
The pipe was fed by an 8-inch main, which is why it "did do so much damage within just a few hours because of the sheer force and volume that was coming through," Hall said.
The burst pipe initially was thought to be related to the harsh winter and freeze-thaw cycle. But an inspection of the pipe found something caused the pipe to corrode externally. "There were no signs at all of internal corrosion," Hall said.
The pipe has been replaced and the historical society hopes "it will be whole for many decades to come."
In the immediate aftermath, longtime benefactors, high school students and supporters from other suburban museums rallied to move artifacts to temporary storage. Roughly 85 percent of the historical society's collection was spared from damage.
"Most of the artifacts and archives were saved, so we really feel very fortunate about that," Hall said. "But that was also in part due to the community coming and helping us move them out of the building as quickly as possible."
Those benefactors continue to organize fundraisers for the flood recovery. The costs of repairs will exceed insurance coverage, and while she doesn't yet know big the gap will be, Hall said she does know it's "significant."
A recent yard sale raised more than $1,000. Proceeds from an annual mum sale will support the historical society, starting Sept. 10. Donors also can contribute online at gehs.org.
"Our volunteers and members have been tremendous in helping us to clean up and get ready to reopen," Hall said. "We're very grateful for the support of the community."