Revitalizing a park mansion - Pleasant Home, Oak Park, Illinois - includes related information

Parks & Recreation, Jan, 1993 by John Hedges

People in the Chicago metropolitan area are passionate advocates on many subjects-- among them politics, Da Bulls and Da Bears, pizza and architecture. The fire that demolished the entire city in 1871 caused Chicago and its surrounding suburbs to attract many architects who produced the profoundly influential designs for offices and homes that are still studied and admired around the world.

As the home of the first downtown skyscrapers and the innovative residential designs of Frank Lloyd Wright, Chicago and its nearby communities have a strong commitment to protecting their architectural heritage. Indeed, "building-watching" is an important tourist activity in the Chicago area. Tour buses and groups on foot are part of the daily scene in the city and suburbs, as throngs of photo-snapping visitors come from around the world to gape and gasp at our important structures.

We certainly have our share of architectural sites and sights (and tourists) in Oak Park, Illinois, a contiguous suburb of Chicago. We boast 26 Wright buildings and dozens of others by his late 19th and early 20th century contemporaries.

One of the most significant of these is a 30-room mansion, Pleasant Home, which is owned and operated by the Park District of Oak Park. Like many park districts around the country, we find ourselves in the improbable business of historic house management. We have recently learned some lessons that might be of benefit to other parks administrations.

Pleasant Home was designed by George W. Maher in 1897 for John W. Farson, a millionaire financier in the Chicago markets. Pleasant Home is a large, elegant house surrounded by a seven-acre park with quiet walkways and immense old trees. A ten-horse stable, a huge conservatory and other outbuildings burned down years ago.

Maher was one of a handful of talented architects employed by merchant princes and professional men in Illinois, Iowa, Wisconsin and Minnesota to celebrate their wealth and status with magnificent homes, banks and offices. Maher also designed landscaping, furniture and fixtures with great skill and impact. As one of the Prairie School architects, his work is highly prized for its contribution to American domestic architecture. Pleasant Home has its original art glass windows, most of the original lighting fixtures and some original furniture designed by Maher. It's an architectural gem, but it's costly to maintain in a tight-money environment.

The park district acquired the property in 1939, and it has been put to many active uses over the years. Private and public parties, dances and weddings were often held there. It was designated (though never used) as a hospital site during World War 11. The local senior citizens' group had its headquarters and craft shop area there for many years. And the Historical Society of Oak Park and River Forest opened up a small portion of its collections of photographs, clippings and historic objects as a minimuseum in bedrooms on the second floor. It has been a busy place, in constant use.

In those more affluent times of 50 years ago, not much thought was expended on the cost of maintaining and repairing the structure. The assumption seems to have been that the park district would always be able to handle the cost of repairs and utilities. But new realities and priorities for the park district, including tighter budgets, pressures from taxpayers and increasing costs for historic preservation work, meant that some change was inevitable.

Continual wear-and-tear is tough on old houses, even one built as well as Pleasant Home. With rising costs for maintenance and a zerogrowth economic philosophy limiting the park district's future income, it became apparent in recent years that the park district alone could not continue to keep up this wonderful old property. In 1992, for example, the maintenance and repair costs were close to $35,000.

A different plan-one that would preserve the structure while assuring that its maintenance and care would not remain forever an obligation solely of the park district-- became a necessity.

The park district commissioners expressed their strong belief in the value of the building as a part of Oak Park life, and were unwilling to see it privately developed or, worse, torn down. At no time did the commissioners consider selling the property. Its location in a beautiful park setting also mitigated against disposing of the home, since it is an integral part of the park site. The park district sought a solution that would preserve the building while reducing its financial interest.

The park commissioners reviewed their options several years ago; after considering a variety of alternatives they eventually concluded the best way to achieve the desired goals would be to create the Pleasant Home Foundation. This new entity was designed to develop its own funding structure for the property. The foundation's purpose is to restore Pleasant Home to its former glory through self-funded programs and provide architectural tours of the property to the public.