PRESERVATION AND CONSERVATIONASSOCIATION

Box 2555. Station A Champaign. Illinois 61825

"The <;Past GfIas c:.A Gf'uture"

Volume 10 Number 3May -June, 1990

Focus On:The Levi Wood House

The Levi Wood House was constructedbetween 1870and 1873by Mr. Wood, aprominent fanner of Champaign County,as his farm residence. It is a two story brickItalianate house, with a fullbasement andattic, which retains many interior featuresof fine quality including much of its inte-rior woodwork. Original plasterwork ceil-ing moldings grace both of the first floorparlors, and even a finished basementroom!Theelegantcurved stairway appearsto have run from the basement up to the

~condfloor at one time, but now only.:onnects the first and second floors. Thenortheast parlor room contains a smallmarble fireplace. The house was alteredslightly when the bathrooms and modemkitchen were added.

Unfortunately, the exterior of the househas lost some of its unique ornamentalfeatures such as its cupola, cornice frieze,and brackets.Ornate window hoods crownthe top of each of the windows in theoriginal square structure. There was a"summer kitchen" wing, added to the rearand southeast comer at a later date, whichdoes not have the same detailing aroundits windows. But old photographs showthat the summer kitchen addition was alsoornamented; its porch, which faced to thenorth, was decoratedwith column, spindle,and fan millwork.

Mortgage and trust deed records appear toshow that approximately $6,000 was raisedduring the period from February of 1870 toFebruary of 1873, probably to finance theoriginal construction. An additional $3,000was raised in June of 1882, again through'l\ortgages on the land, for the construc-

Dnof the addition. It is interesting to notethat there is a significant change in thequality of construction between the mainhouse and the summer kitchen addition.

The addition has not survived the ravagesof time as well as has the original struc-

ture. Though significant deterioration ofthe summer kitchen has occurred, theoriginalhouse is stillquite sound.

The Levi Wood House is located in theMiddle Fork River Forest Preserve of theChampaignCountyForestPreserveDistrict.The preserve is in the northeast comer ofthe county (Kerr Township) and is aboutsix miles north of Penfield. While thispreserve is the largest of the district's facil-ities, it is probably one of their best keptsecrets. An annual event that generatesconsiderable activity at the old farmsteadis the I & I Tractor Oub's Historic FarmDays. The club utilizes their own antiquefarm equipment to demonstrate bygonefarming techniques on the land of theForestPreserve District.

The District acquired much of the land inthe 1970s and the parcel with the house in1973. Since the acquisition, a limitedamount of research has been done and

initial inquiries made to determine any'historical and architectural significance ofthe structure. The house is currently va-cant and not open to the public.

Throughthe Gtizens AdvisoryCommittee,the Champaign County Forest PreserveDistrict Board is seeking input regardingthe future of the house. A subcommittee isbeing created especially to consider op-tions for the building. The District is veryopen to suggestions and any help frompersons having knowledge and experiencerelating to the research, evaluation, re-cording, financing, and potential use ofhistoricstructures.

An option that currently exists does in-clude the possibility that demolition mightoccur if there is not shown to be seriousinterest and financialsupport in the com-munity for the significantexpense a resto-rationor adaptive use projectwould entail.

All interested persons are highly encour-aged to become members of this subcom-mittee. Volunteershaving any information(especially old photographs) they mighthave regarding the property are asked tocontact Rose Geier-Wilson, Chair, LeviWoodHouse Subcommittee, CCFPDCiti-zens Advisory Committee, 217/359-0986or 384-2430.

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Keeping America's HeritageAlive in Champaign County

Preservation Week, recently celebratedthroughout the United States under thetheme "KeepingAmerica'sHeritageAlive,"gives us a good chance to see how we aredoing locally in keeping our localheritagealive. Twenty-four years have gone bysince Congress passed the NationalHistoric Preservation Actwhich set up theNational Register of Historic Places, theHistoric Preservation Fund, and a programof grants to the states. Twelveyears haveelapsed since the federal governmentlaunched investment tax credits as an in-centive to private commercialpreservationefforts. We have had an Illinois StateHistoric Preservation Office in operationsince 1969, and locally a very active andeffective Preservation and ConservationAssociation (PACA) at work since 1980.What has been accomplished?What is yetto be done?

There are many preservation successes inChampaign County: Champaign's ArtDeco Gty Hall, the classical BurnhamAthenaeum, the hwnble Lorado Tafthome, Urbana's High School, the InmanHotel, Foellinger Auditorium (crowninggem of the campus Quadrangle), andmany private homes and commercialbuildings. Almost every one of these wasseriously considered for demolition beforedecisions were reached to keep theseelements of our heritage alive. In theweeks and years ahead, many other prop-erties will become the focus for the ques-tion, "to keep or not to keep."

Wouldn't it be great if we could have adefinitive list of what is worth keeping?The National Register is the start of such alist, but it will never be complete. Ourcommunity judgment on what to keepchanges as new things get built and as welearn more about our past. Our values, ourperceptions, our knowledge change.

Many efforts have been made to identifywhat is worth keeping, but they arespotty. In the early 197Q;the state Preser-vation Office blanketed Illinois with a set

of three county-by-county surveys, find-ing for example in Champaign County 123structures of architectural merit, 32histor-ical landmarks, and a host of potentialarcheological dig sites. From time to time,various student and class studies havebeen done in and around the county.PACA has conducted systematic building-by-building surveys with state and federalfunding assistance in twelve blocks ofDowntown Champaign, the older sectionsof northwest Urbana, and 276 buildings onthe University campus. These inventories

list properties which merit careful judg-ment as to their future. But so do manyother properties not yet on anyone's list.

The evaluation of individual properties isnot easily done. I do not advocate keepingthings just because they are old. But I doadvocate keeping them if they add value toour community by being distinctive,handsome, economic, or sometimes justunusual. We should try to keep whateveris good, but it takes judgment to decidewhat that means. Nothing is likely to getsaved unless it has an economic use,supported by private or public means. Thebest use for most properties is the originaluse, but adaptive use is often better thanno use. I firmly believe that dedsion-makers (public officials and private ven-turers alike) should not be forced to act inignorance. The heritage values in a prop-erty must be weighed against other valuesor potential ones. We need to know whatthey are, and to realize that they may notbe measurable in dollars or in jobs.

So far, the best mechanism for preserva-tion decisions is a review board or land-

marks commission made up of informedspecialists and laypersons to advise onactions. This has worked well at the fed-erallevel, in each of the states, and in 1000local historic districts. Illinois already has119 such districts, including ones in

:.. Decatur, Peoria, Quincy, Galesburg,Kankakee, Bloomington, and many smallerplaces. Champaign County has none yet,although there is interest in the subject inboth Champaign and Urbana.

National Register listing brings not onlythe status of recognition, but also a slightdegree of protection related to federalactions, and eligibility for financial and taxincentives. Only 27 propErties in ChampUgnCounty have been so listed. We can easilysee that this small number does not give anadequate representation of all that shouldbe recognized within our local heritage.The National Register is only a step in theprocess, but it is often a prerequisite to

Griggs House, 505 W. Main, Urbana

other preservation measures. Of the 26Illinois counties with 1980 populationslarger than 50,000, 21 had one or morehistoric districts listed through 1988on the

. NationalRegisterofHistoricPlaces.Onlyfour counties in that group had fewerlisted sites than Champaign, and thesewere all smaller in population thanChampaign. We have no less heritage fab-ric than the other counties; we have justrecognized less of it.

Preservation measures range widely frommaintenance and painting to rehabilitatiC'"and moving buildings. The full rangegoing on in our county. The Inman Hotelin downtown Champaign, by being listedon the National Register, is a "certifiedhistoric structure" eligible for investmenttax credits which require federal rehabili-tation standards to be observed. These

credits have made it financially feasible tokeep this element of our heritage alive. Atpresent, there is only a handful of sites inour county where this incentive can beused; other places with rommerdal historicdistricts have dozens of such opportunities.

Much more is needed in ChampaignCounty. Continuing surveys are neededto sort out what is worth keeping. Publicprotection through national registrationand local designation of sites and districtswill encourage investment and stabilizationof neighborhoods. We need to apply theseand the whole range of other preservationefforts in the near future if we are to

succeed here in keeping our share ofAmerica's heritage alive.

Lachlan F. Blair is Professor Emeritus of

Urban and Regional Planning at theUniversity of Illinois at Urbana-Champa;and is a past President of PACA. He 1.served eleven years as a member of theIllinois Historic Sites Advisory Council.The above editorial was published in theNews Gazzette on June 24, 1990.

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National Registerof Historic Places

Champaign County, Illinois

Itgeld Hall, University of Illinois, Urbanadumham Athenaeum, 306 West Church

Street, ChampaignCattle Bank, 102 East University Avenue,

ChampaignChemical Laboratory, U of I, 1305 West

Green Street, UrbanaGreek Revival Cottage, 303 West

University, UrbanaCark R. Griggs House, 505 West Main

Street, UrbanaMahomet Graded School, Main Street,

Mahomet (demolished)Metal Shop, U of I, 102 South Burrill

Avenue, Urbana

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Military Drill Hall and Men's Gymnasium,U of!, Urbana

Morrow Plots, U of I, UrbanaNatural History Building, U of I, UrbanaStone Arch Bridge, Springfield & 2nd,

ChampaignU.S. Post Office, Randolph and Church,

ChampaignU ofI Astronomical Observatory, 901

S. Matthews, UrbanaVriner's Confectionery, 55 Main Street,

Champaign

Alpha XiDelta Sorority, 715W. Michigan,Urbana

Beta Theta Pi Fraternity, 202 E. Daniel,Champaign

Kappa Sigma Fraternity, 212 East Daniel,Champaign

Chi Psi Fraternity, 912 S. Second,Champaign

Delta Kappa Epsilon Fraternity(now Chi Phi), 313 E. John, Champaign

Sigma Alpha Epsilon Fraternity, 211 E.Daniel, Champaign

Inman Hotel, 17 E. University,Champaign

Mumford Farm House, U of I, Urbana

Alpha Delta Phi Fraternity, 310 E. John,Champaign

Phi Mu Sorority (now Beta Sigma PsiFraternity), 706 W. Ohio, Urbana

Delta Upsilon Fraternity, 312 E. Armory,Champaign

Kappa Delta Rho Fraternity, 1110S. Second, Champaign

Orpheum Preservation Project

July will be a busy month for the OrpheumTheater. The Committee has chosen

ArtSoft Management as the needs assess-ment consultant for the Orpheum Project.Michael Hardy, former director of theKrannert Center for the Performing Arts,will be the principal in charge of the-'roject. He is tentatively scheduled to be.\ Champaign July 19 and 20 during which

time he will meet with various artistic,civic, political, and development leaders.The Committee is also planning an openmeeting so that the general public canshare their ideas for the thea ter. Details

concerning Mr. Hardy's visit and the pub-lic meeting will be sent to PACA membersat a later date.

... .

Early July should also be the time of thegreat unveiling of the original Orpheumfacade! Negotiations with the Gty are pro-ceeding with the hope that the Committeewill be able to "peel away" the aluminum"skin" in the near future. Preliminary in-vestigations suggest that most of theOassical facade is intact including the win-dows and half-columns. The cornice and

parapet, however, were removed whenthe aluminum was attached. The unveil-

ing will be a tremendous boost for thebuilding's "morale" and will visuallydem-onstrate to the general public the build-ing's architecturaI importance. It will alsobe a great boon to the entire downtownscene!

ADDRESS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. $100.00

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. $ 75.00. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. $ SO.oo

City

In addition, the Committee has preparedblueprints of the existing structure and hasreceived preliminary cost estimates for thetheater's basic rehabilitation. The cost to

bring the building up to code, replace theelectrical and air-conditioning systems,recondition the heating system, repair theroof, do pIaster repair and painting, etc. isestimated at $350,000. This figure is muchlower than previously projected and shouldmake the building more attractive todevelopers.

Ideas and proposals for the building'sfuture use are always welcome. Please callPACA with your thoughts or developmenttips.

o NEW MEMBERSHIP

Street

State Zip

New & Renewing MembersAnne A. EhrlichMr. & Mrs. Donald Miller

Mike & Bonnie SpecchioMr. Jack RichmondDr. William D. YoungermanDebbie Nelson & Paul JoffeCaroline HibbardNina RubelMark NetterMr. & Mrs. Norris V. LateerMary A. MilesMrs. Donald V. Dobbins

Tony & Mary GrahamSteve & Kathy RoemmelSally Foote & Thomas WoldRoger & Janine PrillamanWilliam J.DonaldsonMrs. Helen Peterson

Lynn W. ManleyTrent ShepardMr. & Mrs. Joseph MarriottMr. & Mrs. Goddard Graves

Mr. & Mrs. Greg HargusVirginia GuthrieMrs. J. L. FairchildEliza Husband

Dorothy RomackMr. & Mrs. ArthurS. ReplogleHiram PaleyRose Geier-Wilson

PRESERVATION AND CONSERVATIONASSOCIATION

Box 2555, Station A, Champaign, Illinois 61825

PACANewsletter

Published by the Preservation andConservation Association

Kennedy Hutson, PresidentSteven Roemmel, Vice-PresidentNancy DeIcomyn, Secretary-Treasurer

328-PACA

Please submit material for publication in thenext newsletter before 15th of month

Mrs. Mildred BarnettMichael J.LambertMr. & Mrs. Douglas HaigMr.AlanK. Laing

Volunteers in Preservation

Mark Replogle AliceEdwardsBobSwisher KarenKummerRexKummer ReginaGaler-UntiHank Kaczmarski Peggy ShawDavid Spears AIFrederickDenny Lewis Steve BakerSteve Roemmel RonBakerCarolyn BaxleyChampaign County Public ServiceR. L.BrownfieldMaxOvermeyerlMeadow GoldTom CheckIPlasti-Pak

Salvage DonationsUniversity of lllinoisEnglish Brothers Construction CompanyAllan EckelJohn CheesmanKyle RobesonSandra BramanTom Ennis Excavation Service

Gty of UrbanaNancy Endress

The LumberRoom

Have you ever been called ajerkinhead? If so, you probablydeserve it. A jerkinhead is not analuminum or vinyl siding salesman,it's an architectural term used todescribe a clipped or hipped gable,sometimes seen on dormers. As fordormers, the word originally isderived from Latin and subsequent-ly the French word darmire,to sleep,hence, a dormer is a window on aroof where sleeping facilities areprovided. If you likewords as muchas we do and you have Ii word orterm related to architecture or thebuilding trades you'd like to sharewith our readers, drop us a line.

~-~NON-PROFIT ORG.

U.S. POSTAGEPAID

GIAMPAIGN,ILPERMIT NO. 133

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