Crystal Lake church holds off demolition of historic building as preservationists assess costs

A Crystal Lake church agreed to hold off demolition plans for a 171-year-old building while preservationists assess whether it can be restored and for how much.

The Crystal Lake Academy Building, also known as the former Gates House or the Tarpley House, is located on the property of St. Mary’s Episcopal Church at 210 McHenry Ave. Built around 1853 by stonemason Andrew Jackson Simons, the Crystal Lake Academy Building features “rare” Greek revival and Federalist architecture and cobblestones from Lake Michigan, Crystal Lake Historical Society President Diana Kenney said.

Kenney and honorary Historical Society board member Jim Heisler, who spoke at a recent meeting as residents and not in representing the historical society, petitioned to landmark the building along with the wrought iron fence built in 1883. The Crystal Lake Historic Preservation Commission unanimously recommended that the petition be approved last week. The City Council will vote on the matter Dec. 3.

For decades, the building has been degrading, resulting in toxic mold, asbestos, a deteriorating foundation, a leaky roof, faulty electric wiring and outdated plumbing, said Jeffrey Hymen, the attorney representing the church. In 2010, the church received an estimate of $500,000 to $625,000 for repairs.

“We could easily be talking about a $1 million project at this point,” Hymen said. “Put simply, it’s a danger to the public and the property.”

St. Mary’s closed the building in October 2023 due to safety concerns and hefty electric bills, said the church’s priest, the Rev. Scott Zaucha.

“We are absolutely willing to discuss and show the building and talk to anyone about this as we move forward trying to figure a solution that works well for the church but also acknowledges the concerns of the preservationists,” he said.

The church offered to pause the demolition for a few months while the community gathers any new information or ideas. But having done internal assessments and brainstormed other options, Zaucha said he still feels demolition is the best option.

“Our position hasn’t changed,” he said. “We do believe the most prudent course of action is demolition.”

He said his main dilemma comes from the contrast of perspectives between preservationists and priests on what to do with funds from the community, as the church’s main mission is to serve the community while the historic building is a pricey distraction from its mission.

“As a priest, what I’m called to do with it is to care for my community, not to restore a building, which is not set up to provide program space for the things we are trying to do,” Zaucha said.

St. Mary’s is a church of 53 member families. Over the years, it has been able to increase its programs, including increasing food outreach, hosting an immigrant family and welcoming people from the LGBTQ community, Zaucha said.

Our position hasn’t changed. We do believe the most prudent course of action is demolition.”

—  the Rev. Scott Zaucha

If landmarked, Zaucha worries fundraisers and petitioners won’t have any fiduciary responsibility to maintain the building.

“The people that are left holding the bag are the members of St. Mary’s,” he said. “We aren’t being stubborn, mean people who want to tear a building down.”

The church first discussed the possible demolition at a historic commission meeting in September, with goals to demolish it in October and turn it into a grassy plot. St. Mary’s treasurer Cate Williams said the church already has spent $28,000 on asbestos remediation, according to meeting minutes.

Historic Commission member Brittany Niequist said she hopes to get an engineering assessment with the help of Landmarks Illinois to provide updated numbers. The assessment also could determine whether the building could be moved off the church’s property.

“It’s clear to me that a lot needs to be done. It’s not clear to me exactly what needs to be done,” she said.

All demolition requests for potentially historic buildings go through the Historic Commission. Other than the close call with the 140-year-old Barlina barn, this is the first time the commission has pushed back on a demolition, Niequist said.

“I’ve never seen alarm bells go off like they did when we got that demo permit,” she said.

Niequist said people can show support for landmarking the building by writing letters to the City Council and noted the great-great-granddaughter of Simon Gates, who owned the building in the early 1900s, also wrote letters asking for it to be saved.

“It has so much to offer the community and, indeed, visitors to the Midwest,” Sarah Gates said.