Days Numbered For Historic Elmhurst House

ELMHURST, IL – The house at 292 S. Arlington Ave. is seeing its last days or possibly hours.

But its memory may live on – in the form of Elmhurst's revived movement for historical preservation.

A sign posted in front of the nearly century-old house says its demolition is planned for this week.

Windows and doors have already been knocked out. And a construction fence surrounds the property.

Throughout the neighborhood are green signs reading, "Preserve Elmhurst" – a response to the planned demolition.

Over the years, plenty of houses in this historic neighborhood have been torn down. But the Arlington home was the one that sparked the movement calling for the city to strengthen its rules on historic preservation.

In the spring, the Parrilli family sought a zoning change to combine two lots. That would let them demolish the house for which they just paid $2 million and build a larger one.

In July, the City Council approved the zoning change, despite objections from neighbors.

At the time, Mayor Scott Levin, who lives a block away from the house in question, acknowledged that not a "whole lot was going on" with the local Historic Preservation Commission.

The windows and doors are already knocked out at the house at 292 S. Arlington Ave. Just months ago, it sold for $2 million. (David Giuliani/Patch)

At a council committee meeting Monday, Levin said the city has received applications for the two vacant positions on the seven-member panel.

He said he wants to speak with members to see who wants to remain. He also said he would determine who "should stay on," although he said it wasn't his practice to "throw people off" committees.

"You want people with different viewpoints," the mayor said. "I try to get people from different parts of the city."

City officials say they want to consider changing the rules on historical preservation. The commission is expected to propose revisions, which would then go to a council committee.

In Hinsdale, new owners often tear down historic houses to make way for new ones. This angers many residents as well as members of the local Historic Preservation Commission, which is advisory only.

Earlier this year, Hinsdale historic commission members spoke against a planned demolition, with one saying the owner wanted to "screw" the neighborhood.

Hinsdale later changed its code to further discourage teardowns, with officials saying they ultimately had to respect property rights.

A couple of years ago, the Village Board started providing economic incentives for owners to preserve homes, rather than raze them.