Wheaton Park District to consider saving historic 1897 mansion

WHEATON – The Wheaton Park District Board of Commissioners is expected to discuss the possibility of acquiring a historic 1897 mansion that is set to be razed as part of a proposed housing development.

The special meeting will be at 4 p.m. May 24 at the DuPage County Historical Museum, 102 E. Wesley St. in downtown Wheaton. Commissioners will review and possibly take action on an agreement related to the "donation of a structure located on the Loretto Convent property to the Wheaton Park District and the subsequent relocation of said structure on to land owned by the Wheaton Park District."

The Pulte Group, the developer behind the housing proposal, had offered the House of Seven Gables for free to anyone wishing to move it. The home was designed by noted Chicago architect Jarvis Hunt, who also designed the neighboring Chicago Golf Club clubhouse.

The mansion recently was used as a convent as part of the Loretto Center, a sponsored ministry of the Institute of the Blessed Virgin Mary, a worldwide religious community of Catholic women. The Loretto Center operated a conference/retreat center.

Landmarks Illinois, a statewide nonprofit group advocating for historic and architecturally significant buildings and places, had called for the preservation of the House of Seven Gables. Wheaton Historic Commission Chairwoman Nancy Flannery also had voiced concerns about the mansion being razed as part of the project.

The Wheaton City Council on April 3 unanimously voted to approve preliminary plans for the proposed Loretto Club development at 1600 Somerset Lane, as well as a development agreement with Pulte. The developer plans to build 48 single-family homes on the 15.7-acre property as part of the development, following the demolition of all the structures on the site.

The final plans will come to the City Council for approval at a later date.

Vince Rosenova, the attorney representing Pulte, had told city officials the lot sizes would range in size from about 7,920 square feet to 15,000 square feet, with the average lot being 9,400 square feet.

The upscale ranch-style houses will be geared for the 55-plus baby boomer crowd, he previously had told city officials.