LOMBARD – Ken Bohl, facilities director of the Maple Street Chapel Preservation Society, knows that if a fire started at the 145-year-old wooden chapel, it would spread so fast the fire department wouldn't arrive in time to save it.

“If a fire started, it would be almost impossible to control,” Bohl said. “We can’t call ourselves a preservation society if we don’t do the most important task to preserve it, which is to prevent a fire that would destroy it.”

The preservation society will host a banquet at 6 p.m. Sept. 26 at First Church of Lombard to raise money to install a fire sprinkler system.

Guests will be treated to a dinner, followed by a presentation from guest speaker Dan Tani, a NASA astronaut who grew up in Lombard and attended First Church of Lombard. Bohl said Tani will discuss what the chapel meant to him. There also will be a silent auction of items donated by various Lombard businesses.

“Our organization is only 19 people, so this isn’t a project we can do by ourselves,” Bohl said. “The people of Lombard are stepping up to help, which shows how much the chapel means to them. We’ve gotten a lot of support from individuals, merchants and the fire department.”

Bohl estimates the initial cost of the project will be $150,000. He’s been working with the Lombard Fire Department and will have an engineer design the system before contractors bid on the project. He hopes work will begin on the sprinkler system in fall 2016.

Tom Scott, president of the preservation society, said there will be additional costs associated with bringing water into the chapel for the sprinkler system.

“The $150,000 is only the beginning. It’s going to take major money for the process of all of this,” Scott said.

Scott, who’s been president of the organization for more than 30 years, said he plans to match all donations for the sprinkler system, up to $75,000. He said he loves the chapel and is dedicated to it.

“When I walk into the chapel, I think of all the families who’ve worshipped there throughout the years,” he said. “It was built for about $5,000, and now it’s irreplaceable. It’s a landmark of Lombard and the roots of many Lombard families."

Bohl explained the chapel isn’t a church but rather, a historical building. First Church of Lombard owns the chapel, but the preservation society is separate from the church, he said.

“The society does the maintenance and cautious improvements,” he said. “We don’t want to destroy the historic appearance, but we want to keep up with the times. Everything is paid for by charitable contributions.”

The chapel, which served as the First Congregational Church of Babcock’s Grove, was built in 1870 and was Lombard’s first church. Bohl said the irony is that the current structure is actually a replacement for the original chapel, which was destroyed by fire in 1869.

The church moved out of the chapel in 1959 because the congregation had grown too large for the building. After the chapel was vacated, its fate was up in the air, Bohl said.

“It went through a period of disrepair, and there was talk about shutting it down,” he said. “This is important because it’s our heritage. It also housed the first free library in northern Illinois. I feel like we’re doing a good thing. It’s a resource for the whole community and a good place for programs and concerts.”

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Know more

For information on the chapel and fundraising banquet, visit maplestreetchapel.org. Tickets are $75 per person or $550 for a table of eight, and they are available online.