The sudden resignation of Jerry Bulifant, full-time site manager for the
Peabody Mansion, has all parties involved in the historic building's
restoration guessing what will happen next.
Bulifant, who supervised the 90-acre estate in the Mayslake Forest Preserve
for 1-½ years, accepted a job offer with Cendant Corp., a company involved in
businesses like hotels, rental cars and real estate brokerages. His last day
at the Peabody Mansion was May 11.
Bulifant could not be reached for comment.
The DuPage County Forest Preserve Commission recently awarded $2.6 million
in contracts for the mansion restoration. The project's first phase includes
heating and air conditioning, sprinkler system and asbestos work.
The project is moving along, thanks to hard workers like Bulifant and the
forest district staff, said Commissioner Olivia Gow (R-2, Elmhurst).
"But it is still a blow to lose someone with that kind of professionalism
and knowledge," she said.
Bulifant has 30 years of experience in the airline, tourism and hotel
industries. In his role as supervisor, he dealt with construction issues,
landscaping, weddings and plays.
Bulifant was a perfect fit for the property, said Audrey Muschler, a member
of the Oak Brook Historical Society. She has watched the mansion story unfold
for the past 10 years.
"He (understood) the important of the historical integrity of the
project," Muschler said.
The Mayslake Landmark Conservancy, the fund-raising and advisory group
dedicated to keeping the mansion a historic treasure, recognizes that it will
take time for the forest district to find Bulifant's replacement, David
Fichter, the group's president, stated in a letter to forest district
officials.
The conservancy, therefore, has offered its services to help oversee the
restoration project, Fichter stated.
"Certain conservancy's members have significant professional background in
the areas that would be required to manage the pending project," he wrote.
Forest district officials, however, have other plans on how to handle the
mansion project following Bulifant's resignation, spokesman Bill Weidner said.
"From an operations standpoint, there's staff at Mayslake capable of
taking reservations and dealing with public events," Weidner said. "As far
as construction, the (forest district) staff will coordinate and maintain the
contracts. Also, there are management systems in place to take care of
maintaining the grounds."
The forest district now will conduct an extensive search to find Bulifant's
replacement.
After eight years of often contentious debates with the DuPage County
Forest Preserve District over the historic Peabody Mansion in Oak
Brook, a volunteer group received a hearty thank you Thursday from
forest preserve commissioners.
The Mayslake Landmark Conservancy also got a promise the district would
place a plaque at the 1922 mansion to commemorate the group efforts.
Conservancy leaders were then told the group's services were no longer
needed.
In a swift decision, a Forest Preserve Commission committee Thursday
unanimously voted to terminate the conservancy's contract and replace
the group with a new organization that will raise funds for the mansion
renovations. Commissioners encouraged current members of the
conservancy board to apply for the new board, which will be called the
Mayslake Foundation. But members of the new board will be selected by
forest preserve commissioners and Forest Preserve President Dewey
Pierotti, leaving little doubt that the Forest Preserve District has
taken total control over the former mansion.
"The Mayslake Conservancy structure is not what the forest preserve
needs for the future of this project," said Commissioner James Healy
(R-Naperville), head of the operations committee. "It's been too tight
of a group for too long. We need to make another group with a broader
scope of focus and people."
The committee's vote to end the conservancy's contract is
expected to clear the full Forest Preserve Commission next week. If
approved, the termination will take effect in three months.
Conservancy President David Fichter said he saw Thursday's measure as
part of an evolutionary process by the Forest Preserve District to
change, not end, the group's work with the mansion.
"I think many of the people on the conservancy board will still be
involved," Fichter said. "But I think it's a little early to arrive at
any other conclusions on all of this."
Commissioners said the move hastens the opening of the
mansion, which has been closed to the public since the Forest Preserve
District bought it in 1992 for $17.5 million. When the district bought
the 39-room Tudor-styled former home of coal baron Francis Peabody and
the accompanying 90-acre estate on 31st Street, the commission had
little interest in saving the building. But the conservancy persuaded
the district to preserve the structure, which is on the National
Register of Historic Places, and it began to run operations at the
mansion and raise funds for the renovation. Problems later arose after
it became clear the group did not have the wherewithal to raise enough
money to solve the building's code violations.
In 1999, the district began to wrest control of mansion operations from
the conservancy after the district poured more than $1 million into the
renovations. In the process, the conservancy's role has diminished.
Renovation work is now ongoing inside the mansion and the
attached building, called the retreat wing. Established in 1993, the
conservancy board has been made up of local business leaders, doctors,
attorneys and other social figures, most of whom hail from the Oak
Brook area. Internal disputes related to the conservancy's role have
caused rifts in the group, with some longtime members choosing to
leave.
"I think it's excellent, and we're grateful to the forest
preserve for taking over and saving this wonderful facility," said
Audrey Muschler, a founding member of the conservancy board who left
the board a year ago. As part of the forest preserve's move, the
district will take control of the conservancy's funds, which total
about $100,000. How the new Mayslake Foundation board will be organized
has yet to be determined.
Too often volunteer organizations seem to spend much of their time
looking for people to help out with their causes. In the case of the
Mayslake Landmark Conservancy, willing volunteers have found themselves
without a cause to support.
Figuring out exactly why the DuPage County Forest Preserve District
Commission decided this month to end its agreement with the volunteer
group isn't easy. Among the reasons offered were a lack of diversity in
the organization and its failure to meet its goals.
Although it's true the conservancy has been unable to open the doors of
the Peabody Mansion to the public, the restoration project's first
phase should be finished by January. And the forest district board
plans to use $100,000 the conservancy raised to continue work on the
mansion.
We're not sure exactly what type of diversity forest district officials
would like to see in the organization. Commissioner Kyle Gilgis last
week criticized conservancy members as being "from their own little
area." What, we wonder, would members from a larger area have brought
to the group's efforts? And if diversity was a concern of forest
district commissioners, why haven't they worked to bring members from
other parts of the country to help with the conservancy's efforts?
The forest district commission might be correct in its assumption that
the mansion will become a county-wide destination, but it seems hard to
believe people who live in Wheaton would be interested in working
toward its renovation at this stage of the game.
A letter from the operations committee chairman, which made the
recommendation to terminate the agreement with the conservancy, also
points out that the forest district has become more involved in the
day-to-day operations of the mansion, retreat wing, Portiuncula Chapel
and grounds. With the conservancy already serving in a support role, we
don't see how the group's existence conflicts with the district's
management of the property.
One conservancy board member suggested the decision was motivated
inpart by a desire of forest district board members to appoint their
friends to the new foundation board recommended by the operations
committee. The proposal calls for a board of at least 10 members, with
one from each of the six commission districts, with the forest district
president nominating members with the advice and consent of
commissioners. We hope some conservancy members will be nominated to
this new board.
We certainly will continue to support work to restore and reopen the
mansion, no matter who is in charge of or involved with the project. We
just hope forest district commissioners know what they're doing.
The DuPage Housing Authority has received a six-month extension on its
plans to convert the St. Paschal's Friary on the Mayslake Forest
Preserve property into an assisted living facility for senior citizens.
The DuPage County Forest Preserve Commission voted June 19 to approve
the extension, which gives the housing authority until next January to
move its plans along, said Bill Weidner, a forest district spokesman.
The forest district's operations committee made the recommendations,
Weidner said. Forest commissioners earlier this year extended the
deadline by six months. The June 19 decision is a second extension.
The forest district still backs the housing authority's plans, one
official said. "They are, in good faith, moving forward on this," said
Mike Palazzetti, program services division manager.
The housing authority seeks to convert the friary, which housed
Franciscan Friars until the 1950s. The Friary Residences at Mayslake,
which the housing authority hopes to open in 2003, would offer 73
apartments and various amenities.
The forest district in January 2000 sold the building and about 4.5
acres around it to the housing authority for $1. The sale hinged on the
housing authority's ability to secure funding for the project and to
obtain the necessary approval from Oak Brook officials within a year.
Oak Brook officials have said the zoning approval process won't be
easy. Assisted living facilities don't appear anywhere in Oak Brook's
code, meaning housing authority officials most likely will ask to
reclassify the property from a conservation and recreation to a
residential use. Housing authority officials likely will need a
special-use permit for the facility.
As for financing, the housing authority is working with an investment
banking firm to sell bonds to pay for the project. The cost, once
estimated at $17 million, presently is unknown because the housing
authority and the firm are considering ways to reduce the price tag,
said John Day, the housing authority's executive director.
The DuPage County Forest Preserve District will receive a $1 million
state grant for renovations to the Peabody Mansion in the Mayslake
Forest Preserve in Oak Brook.
"Forest district officials earlier this year asked the General Assembly
for $5 million to continue the building project," executive director
Dan Gooch said. "The Illinois Department of Commerce and Community
Affairs responded Aug. 14 with the $1 million grant," Gooch added.
"We're confident that some phase of the project willbe an appropriate use of the money," he said.
The project's first phase, asbestos removal and Americans With
Disabilities Act compliance work, almost is complete. Officials hope to
open the first floors of the mansion and the adjacent retreat wing for
tours by February.
The second and third phases involve restoring the mansion and
surrounding grounds to its original look when coal baron Francis
Peabody lived there in the 1920s. Officials estimate the total
renovation project will cost about $7.5 million, Gooch said.
"The forest district has $4.5 million, which includes the $1 million
Illinois Department of Conservation grant that came last year, the
grant that came Tuesday and $2.5 million from the forest district's
budget," Gooch said.
"The forest district spent $2.3 million on the project's firstphase,
leaving $2.2 for the remaining phases. Private donations will make up
some of the difference, and the forest district could ask for more
state money," Gooch said.
"Some work in the project's second and third phases will haveto wait
until the district makes up that difference," Gooch said.
"We won't let any contract until we have the money inhand," he said.
Officials might have better overall cost estimates after a
Chicago-based architectural firm finishes a master plan for the Peabody
Estate.
"The forest district's operations committee voted Aug. 9 to award a
contract to Holabird and Root to work on the master plan for $22,895.
It's the same company that designed the renovation project," county
spokesman Bill Weidner said.
"The item will appear on the agenda for the full commission'sTuesday, Aug. 21, meeting," he added.
"If the full commission approves the contract, the firm will review
officials' wishes for the property and determine each
one'sfeasibility," said Mike Palazzetti, the forest district's program
services division manager.
"For example, forest district officials want to convert the first floor
of the retreat wing, the building adjacent to the mansion, into a
multipurpose room for entertainment, banquets and conferences. The firm
first will determine if the idea is possible, then what forest district
officials must do to make it happen," said Ioannis Davis, Holabird and
Root's project architect for the estate.
"The firm's employees also will advise on parking and storm water detention," Davis added.
"However, the firm will not advise on the room-by-room restoration ofthe mansion," Palazzetti said.
"With Holabird and Root's master plan, the forest district will have
information to present to Oak Brook officials, potential donors and
forest preserve commissioners," mansion supervisor Chrissie Howorth
said.
The firm was awarded the contract because of its familiarity with the property.
A recent $1 million state grant the DuPage County
Forest Preserve District received for work at the Mayslake Forest
Preserve in Oak Brook has caused a bit of a conundrum over exactly what
to spend it on.
Thursday, the panel overseeing the work began trying to figure out an
answer, but members said they want to move fast because the grant runs
out in two years.
"We need to make some decisions," said Commissioner James
Healy (R-Naperville), head of the Operations Committee. "We need to
figureout the highest priorities and then figure out which ones to do
first."
Although no final decisions were made, commissioners seemed to be
leaning toward spending the money on infrastructure projects
surrounding the Peabody mansion and the adjoining retreat wing,
including building a bigger parking lot, renovating the front entrance
and adding new landscaping, lighting and sidewalks.
"I'd like to spend the money on the outside stuff," Commissioner Roger
Jenisch (R-Bloomingdale) said. "These are the things we need to do to
make this whole mansion project work."
Since it was purchased nearly 10 years ago for $17.5 million, the
39-room Peabody Mansion (and accompanying 90-acre estate) has been an
albatross to the district. The mansion remains closed to the public,
though work began this year to comply with building codes and provide
access to the disabled. The district hopes to open the mansion early
next year.
But even after that is done, district officials have estimated between
$3 million and $4 million would be needed to furnish the mansion and
retreat wing, add historical gardens and build other amenities. The $1
million will help pay those expenses. Healy said the capital
improvements the district will make with the $1 million will help
ensure the renovated mansion does not become a financial strain on the
district. "Right now, it costs us $5000,000 a year just to maintain the
mansion," Healy said. "I want to get to a point where that number is
zero."
Once the basic renovation is done, Healy said, he plans to rent space
in the retreat wing to non-profit groups and artistic organizations
such as theaters or dance troupes. Soon after, caterers will be allowed
in to help with events at the site. The mansion has been placed on the
National Register of Historic Places.
"I've got 30,000 square feet of space to rent out in that retreat wing,
and that's the way I think we'll be able to make sure this project
doesn't end up costing us more money," Healy said.
In backing plans to spend the $1 million from the state on the new
parking lot and other outdoor amenities, Healy said building the needed
infrastructure will attract more people to the mansion and increase its
popularity and usage.
"That's the type of stuff, I think, we need to do right now," he said.
"If we want to rent out all this space, we need to have the parking lot
and the access into the preserve. Otherwise, what are we doing?"
The DuPage County Forest Preserve got final approval recently for a $1
million state grant for renovations outside the Peabody Mansion at the
Mayslake Forest Preserve in Oak Brook.
"This money is really going to help," said Michael McMahon, who
announced the grant after the forest preserve's Planning and
Development Committee meeting Tuesday. "Everybody's been looking
forward to this," said McMahon, the committee's chairman. The committee
is still working on the details of how to spend the money, but initial
plans call for several improvements including:
• Improved layout of driveways in anticipation of increased traffic flow to the mansion.
• New parking lots, landscaping and lighting.
• New walkways between parking lots and buildings.
• New lighting systems and new signs.
The forest preserve bought the 39-room mansion and 90-acre estate in
1993 for $17.5 million. More than $2 million in safety-oriented
renovations, including adding wheelchair ramps and asbestos removal, is
nearly done.
In addition to the $1 million Illinois FIRST grant, officials said an
addition $2 million o $3 million may be needed to complete the project.
They hope to open the mansion to the public next year.