No Changes On Elmhurst Site That Spurred Preservation Movement

ELMHURST, IL – Two signs recently appeared advertising a contractor on the vacant lot where a historic house was demolished a couple of years ago.

The signs at 292 S. Arlington Ave. are for Nella Custom Design & Build, which lacks a full website.

But that doesn't mean a project is coming soon.

In March, the city told Patch that the building permit for the site was voided because of inactivity.

As of Monday, that status remained unchanged, the city's spokesperson, Michael Queroz, said in an email.

Last year, owners Richard "RJ" and Alyssa Parrilli presented the city with the plan for a new house at 292 S. Arlington Ave. They got a building permit.

RJ Parrilli has not returned messages for comment. He is the president of a Hillside-based staffing firm.

In 2024, many residents objected to the City Council's decision to approve a zoning change to combine the two lots at the Arlington address.

That allowed the couple to move forward with their plan to demolish the nearly century-old house for which they just paid $2 million and build a larger one.

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

Because of the issue, residents formed the Preserve Elmhurst group, calling for historic preservation. Signs dot Elmhurst promoting the cause.

The house at 292 S. Arlington Ave. was nearly a century old before it was torn down in 2024. (David Giuliani/Patch)