I have lived in a lot of different places in my life, and each time I’ve moved I’ve made it a priority to learn as much as I could about the area’s history and the people who created it.
I’m always eager to hear the stories of a community’s early years. I stop to read historical markers wherever I see them, and I’m fascinated by old architecture. I love to see beautiful old buildings renovated and repurposed.
So, it might come as a surprise to you to hear me say this: I think we need to let go of the idea of designating the original Nichols Library a city landmark.
That might sound harsh, particularly coming from someone who just said she didn’t grow up in Naperville. But I like to think it’s a realistic view, and not entirely unsympathetic.
Although I’ve often admired the outside of the old library, I’ve never had reason to step inside in the 13 years I’ve lived here. That’s because after our library outgrew the structure 20 years ago, the building became the home of Truth Lutheran Church. Naperville citizens seemingly have been content to let it sit quietly in its spot on Washington Street — and in their memories.
But the church now is preparing to build a new facility, one better suited to its purposes, and developer Dwight Avram has bought the old library with plans to raze the structure and replace it with four stories of shops, restaurants, offices and condominiums, plus underground parking.
Avram also plans to incorporate the facade of the old building and its reassembled vestibule into the new project, in accordance with the city’s deed stipulations that those two elements be preserved. He wants to create a historical gallery honoring businessman and college professor James L. Nichols, who left Naperville $10,000 to start a public library.
Many Naperville citizens are horrified by the idea of tearing down the 119-year-old structure and cannibalizing its features into a much larger commercial development. They have successfully petitioned the Historic Preservation Commission to recommend the library be designated a local landmark, a designation that awaits a Naperville City Council vote.
That’s all well and good, but where were these folks when the building was vacated originally? Avram has said he wouldn’t have bought it with a landmark designation because it would have limited his use of the property. How can we now retroactively impose these restrictions?
At a recent open house, preservationists were taking a poll on how the building could be used, which would have been a great idea two decades ago. At present, however, we have no plans for what we should do with it. And even if we did, we no longer own it.
The preservationists and the developer have different estimates on the price of repairing and repurposing the building, but we can all agree old buildings contain lots of surprises — mold, asbestos, sagging structural supports — that can rapidly inflate a price tag. We, the taxpayers, have no budget to buy back the building and take on its renovation, and who else would do it? Leaving the building vacant to fall into further disrepair means we risk losing it entirely.
Some have argued the building should remain downtown in appreciation for Nichols’ great gift to our young city. But Naperville’s public library still carries Nichols’ name in its large modern structure on Jefferson Avenue, which is a beautiful testament to his legacy. The library touts Nichols’ vision on its website, and he is rightly seen as one of the pillars of Naperville.
Others argue the building’s architectural significance, but I personally was unfamiliar with architect M.E. Bell until I did some research. Bell spent three years as supervising architect for the U.S. Treasury Department and is perhaps best known as a designer of big governmental buildings.
Bell designed the former DuPage County Courthouse in Wheaton, a beautiful building with a clock tower that has been converted to condominiums. Many of his other creations are ornate — somewhat castle-like — and several are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. By comparison, the old Nichols Library seems to be a rather modest example of his work.
I don’t know Avram and of course have no stake in whether he builds his development or not. But he has several ideas for the facade and seems interested in what citizens of Naperville have to say about how he would honor the old building in his plans.
The best we can do now is to give our honest feedback on Avram’s plans, offer suggestions for making the project fit our downtown and look forward to getting that building on the tax rolls so it helps fund Naperville’s future.
Susan Keaton, a freelance writer and editor who lives in Naperville, is a columnist for the Naperville Sun. You can write her at [email protected].
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