GLEN ELLYN – A group dedicated to preserving the McKee House in the Churchill Woods Forest Preserve near Glen Ellyn has gathered nearly 1,000 signatures on a petition requesting the Forest Preserve District of DuPage County save the building.

Members of the McKee Preservation Group spoke to the Forest Preserve District Board of Commissioners during its planning session Oct. 11.

The house was constructed in 1936 for the Forest Preserve District. It is located on the Glen Ellyn-Lombard border in Churchill Woods and has been vacant since 2002. Forest Preserve District staff members have recommended the building be razed because of the high cost to repair it.

The McKee Preservation Group has been circulating a petition against the demolition of the building. The petition states the house should be preserved for its "historic, architectural, cultural and aesthetic importance."

"The board will find that there is strong support for turning this lonely site into a very lively resource," McKee Preservation Group member Linda Gilbert told commissioners.

The group plans to formally submit the petition to the board at a later date, she said.

Group member Andrew Van Gorp spoke to commissioners about possible uses for the McKee House. He is the Churchill Woods site steward for the Forest Preserve District.

"There could definitely be outdoor education that could take place in this building," he said. "It has a beautiful view of the East Branch of the DuPage River... I also feel like the building would serve as a great bike way station, which is an amazing amenity for communities to promote bicycling and active transportation. The forest preserve's mission is to connect people to nature."

Van Gorp said the group is in the process of becoming a nonprofit organization so it can raise funds to restore the building's roof.

Glen Ellyn Park District commissioner Kathy Cornell, who also has been involved in the preservation efforts, told forest preserve commissioners the Park District would be interested in using the McKee House if it is preserved, such as for nature summer camps.

"We are always overbooked for summer camps," she said. "It is one of the many possibilities that we see for using McKee House... I hope you will allow us the opportunity to save the building."

Fellow Park District commissioner Chris Wilson told forest preserve commissioners the McKee House is "such an important part" of the history of the Forest Preserve District of DuPage County.

"I just want to encourage you to save this building, not to demolish it," Wilson said.