Plans to move historic Wheaton mansion change location

WHEATON – In response to neighbor concerns, a Wheaton couple has changed part of its plans to save a historic 1897 mansion set to be razed to make way for a housing subdivision.

Bob and Katy Goldsborough originally were working to move the House of Seven Gables mansion about 900 feet from its current location onto a new foundation on two lots. Following concerns raised by at least one neighbor, the couple now plans to move the mansion elsewhere in the proposed Loretto Club subdivision.

The Wheaton City Council will hold a public hearing on the new plans at 7 p.m. July 24 in the City Council chambers of Wheaton City Hall, 303 W. Wesley St.

The couple is seeking a special-use permit to move the mansion. Work already has begun on demolishing the buildings that surround it.

The City Council on April 3 unanimously voted to approve preliminary plans for the proposed Loretto Club housing development at 1600 Somerset Lane. PulteGroup plans to build 48 single-family homes on the 15.7-acre property, following the demolition of all the structures on the site.

Pulte had offered the House of Seven Gables 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.

The Wheaton Park District considered acquiring the mansion and moving it to nearby Seven Gables Park, but its Board of Commissioners on May 31 unanimously voted not to move ahead with the project, saying there were too many challenges to overcome.