Kenilworth debates seeking historic status for the whole town

Over the objection of some residents, Kenilworth's Village Board voted 4-1 Tuesday night to ask that the entire town be placed on the National Register of Historic Places.

More than 200 residents signed a petition last week demanding a November referendum be held on the proposal, with many fearing the honorary designation could lead to unprecedented restrictions on what they can do to their homes.

"The problem is people don't recognize where you are on a slippery slope until it's too late," said resident Kelli Kobor, who led the petition drive.

At Tuesday's meeting, which drew about 45 people, trustees played down that concern, and the board agreed to submit an application for inclusion in June.

"The board chose to apply for the national registry because it's not extreme or restrictive in any way, and is closest to the status quo," Trustee Cristy Laier said.

The controversy is one of many related to historic preservation to surface recently on the affluent North Shore, where officials have tried various ways to slow down the housing tear-down trend by adopting different preservation and building-control ordinances.

Proponents claim the measures keep new development from spiraling out of control. Opponents claim they infringe upon an individual's property rights.

"The contentiousness that has arisen in this issue isn't good for the community because it has gone on so long," Laier said.

Several North Shore towns, including Evanston, Wilmette, Highland Park, Lake Bluff and Lake Forest have "National Register Districts" in their communities.

Only two Illinois communities—Galena in northwestern Illinois and Elsah, along the Mississippi River about 35 miles north of St. Louis—are on the prestigious federal list.

In Kenilworth, the proposal to seek the designation for the whole community surfaced after the National Trust for Historic Preservation included Kenilworth on its 2006 list of the 11 Most Endangered Historic Places.

The designation would include the village's entire stock of about 830 buildings and homes, many designed by legendary architects Frank Lloyd Wright, Daniel Burnham and George W. Maher. Kenilworth was placed on the "endangered" list after many of its significant homes had been torn down, including Maher's Parmalee House.

Kobor said earlier that she favors letting individual homeowners decide whether to ask for historic status, but she doesn't believe the entire community warrants inclusion. Local school officials also have raised several questions about the proposal, fearing it would restrict future building.

Joseph Seminetta, 44, another opponent, accused the board of ramming the proposal through.

"When this happens it's irrevocable," he said. "Once it's done it's done."

Proponents argue inclusion on the national register is symbolic and would not safeguard a notable home from demolition, or restrict an individual's home remodeling plans. Rather, they say it would bring attention to the village's unique historical qualities.

"I don't expect anyone to expect anyone to care that I grew up in a George Maher house, but I want the plaque on my house," said Nefrette Halim, 30, who supports the registry. "This is an honor. Why are we thinking about it as something scary and negative?"

Kenilworth, a 120-year-old lakefront community of about 2,500 people, does not have a local ordinance to protect architecturally significant properties.

Kobor and others believe landing on the National Register of Historic Places would open the door for local leaders to implement village ordinances to control what goes up, and down, in town.

The village plans to submit its nomination to the Illinois Historic Sites Advisory Council in June. If approved by the council, the nomination would be forwarded to the U.S. Department of Interior, which oversees the National Register of Historic Places.

Kenilworth hired architectural historian Susan Benjamin and Theodore Hild, formerly of the Illinois Historic Preservation agency, to compile its application, detailing how the town was conceived by Joseph Sears.

Village Administrator Brad Burke said officials believed it would be wiser to seek the special designation for the entire town, rather than try a piecemeal approach.

"The thought is it would be best to keep the village together," he said.

The village founder was an ardent planner who banned alleys and fences, buried utilities to improve aesthetics and platted streets to maximize sunlight in each home.

Susan Kuczka is a Tribune reporter. Andrew Schroedter is a freelance reporter.

skuczka@tribune.com

Related topic galleries: Frank Lloyd Wright, Evanston, Monuments and Heritage Sites, Architecture, Daniel Burnham, Lake Forest, House and Home

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