Tucked in the Ellwood Historic Neighborhood in DeKalb, a mansion with ties to Northern Illinois University’s first president, John Williston Cook, has cemented a place in the National Register of Historic Places.

At a recent City Council meeting, Rob Srygler and his wife, Linda Srygler, were honored by DeKalb city leaders for their efforts to obtain recognition from the National Register of Historic Places in support of their preservation efforts.

Rob Srygler said seeing the city’s show of support meant a lot to him.

“It was a great honor,” Srygler said. “I was surprised when Alderman [Andre] Powell, he was the one who contacted us, asked if we could attend the meeting. I was honored that they went through this.”

The single-family residence, located at 411 College Ave., has five bedrooms, two bathrooms, an unfinished attic and a partially finished basement spread out over a double lot with two buildings spanning about 4,000 square feet.

The Sryglers purchased the mansion in November 2022 for $375,000, according to a sales listing report for DeKalb County.

Srygler said he has long been intrigued by how the mansion “catches your eye.”

“In an older news article, they mentioned that right when they first built this house, they envisioned it as being the gateway approaching the campus from the east side of the city,” Srygler said. “When you come down College [Avenue], it’s hard to miss.”

Rob Srygler said he and his wife were excited to embark on the process of getting the mansion added to the National Register of Historic Places.

“It’s been standing up so long,” he said. “Even tiny little details. There [are] some older photos [of the mansion] that were provided by the county history center. When you zoom in on the photo, you can see these tiny little hooks that are connected to the columns. And they’re still there – all these little details that never been touched.”

Srygler said the mansion’s significance to DeKalb history is clear.

Lauded as “The Crown Prince of Teacher Education” by the press, Cook was regarded by several accounts as a champion for educators.

Cook is widely known for taking the helm as the first president at Northern Illinois State Normal School, later recognized as NIU, from 1900 to 1920. Around that time, he lived in the mansion with his wife.

With five degrees from NIU earned between himself and his wife, Rob Srygler said they believe they’re up for the task of stewarding the mansion’s care.

“We’re definitely Huskies at heart,” he said. “If it wasn’t for the history, we would have never bought a house like this. But when we saw it was for sale, and we heard about the history – it’s tied to the first president – we felt like it was our job to step in and make sure it stays within NIU and stays preserved for generations to come."

Mayor Cohen Barnes lauded the efforts of the Sryglers.

The mayor issued a proclamation recognizing Oct. 13 as Cook Mansion Historic Recognition Day in DeKalb.

“Another family has put in a lot of blood, sweat and tears into this particular property, and this is a culiminating event to be recognized as a historic place,” Barnes said. “Greatly appreciate all of what you’ve done, taking the time to do this and preserving one of the assets of DeKalb.”

Under the Sryglers, the mansion has undergone work to aid its preservation as a late 19th-century classical revival architectural style building.

Rob Srygler said he and his wife have invested “tens of thousands” of dollars into the buildings, knowing they would need some improvements.

“When we first moved in, there was no sump pump,” Srygler said. “The basement was flooding, so we did some work to waterproof. We got some sewer problems recently. [We] got that taken care of.”

The owners haven’t done any major upgrades to the exterior to date. Down the line, the Sryglers envision it as part of their plan.

The Sryglers are excited to have found support from one of Cook’s living descendants.

While researching the mansion, the Sryglers tracked down the great, great granddaughter of NIU’s first president.

Rob Srygler said he’s informed her about how the mansion has been placed on the National Register of Historic Places.

“She was kind of shocked, but she said she was glad of the recognition,” he said. “She shared with her family. ... She was happy and glad that we were able to track her down and share this news with the family.”

Srygler said it’s only fitting that the mansion has been added to the National Register of Historic Places.

In the early 1970s, when the state of Illinois began its National Historic Preservation program, state employees were sent around to various counties to look for potential properties eligible for historic listing.

“It gives me hope the house is going to be preserved,” Srygler said.

A historical marker denoting the mansion’s significance remains on the way.

Srygler gave kudos to everyone who has made attaining this recognition possible.

“What we’ve been so appreciative of is previous owners who ... got [the mansion] to this point as well as local journalism,” Srygler said. “Most of the sources in the application that I filled out, most of them were old Daily Chronicle articles and local historians. Their work.”