Reuse Those Old Homes--Don't Tear Them Down

The June 15, 2007 Northwest Herald, serving primarily McHenry County in northeast Illinois, had an article titled "Reusing history: Storied homes rescued to provide shelter for public use" by Regan Foster.

An artist had just moved into an old mansion to set up a studio, and the week before, the McHenry City Council voted to spend $14,900 on architectural studies for a historic homestead. McHenry County is experiencing unprecedented population growth as Chicago continues its march outward. Many historic properties have been destroyed in the name of progress. Now is the time to save as much as possible.

Three private houses have been rescued from destruction and the buildings opened to the public: the Dole Mansion, the Petersen farmstead, and the Labahn-Hain House.

Dole Mansion, Crystal Lake- built 1863 by Charles Sydney Dole, Acres: 10.

It is currently used by the Lakeside Legacy Foundation as an art school and studio space. For the history of it, see my blog of June 18th "Crystal Lake, Il Preservation".


THE PETERSEN FARM, McHenry- built 1842 by Page Colby, Acres: about 100.

This was occupied by the Colby family and their descendants, the Petersens, for 160 years. In 1998, the city bought the property, but permitted Bob Petersen to live there until his death in 2002. Bob Petersen had no children, but did have a vision of historic preservation for the property.

Plans call to open the farm as a historic museum. Bob Hobson, McHenry's assistant administrator, said, "The whole property [could] give people an indication of what farm life was like at the turn of the century ...what our county was built on."

The city spent the $14,900 to restore the house's crumbling foundation, and another $30,000 will be spent to restore the wooden silos, the last of their type in the county.

Silos, by the way were invented by Fred Hatch in Spring Grove, Illinois, where I live.


THE LABAIN-HAHN HOUSE- built circa 1872 by Archibald Stewart, Acres 2.02.

The two-story white farmhouse on the shores of Woods Creek Lake is a popular meeting place, dance hall, banquet facility.

It is rented out and has a 50 person capacity. The view is fantastic. It was built by Archibald Stewart who only lived in it for a few years. He sold it to August Labahn in 1884 who then sold it to Robert Hain in 1948. Hain lived in the house until he died in the 1980s. The village condemned it in 1990 and considered offering it to the local fire department as a practice burn site.

Arden Spooner and a group of preservation-minded volunteers worked to save the house. Volunteers donated $250,000 and the village donated $50,000. It opened in 2000 and has been very busy ever since.


Always good to hear of Preservation Anywhere, but Especially when it's in my Own County. --RoadDog

THIS DATE IN AUTOMOTIVE HISTORY- 1900- Oliver Lippincott drove the first car to Yosmite National Park. It was a Locomobile Steamer.