Harley Clarke Demolition Donation Deal Comes Before Council

EVANSTON, IL — The City Council will consider approving an agreement with a group of citizens offering to pay for the demolition of a landmarked lakefront mansion. If approved by alderman Monday, City Manager Wally Bobkiewicz will sign a binding memorandum of understanding with five individuals and a foundation representing a group called Evanston Lighthouse Dunes, allowing city staff to begin the process of applying for permission to raze the Harley Clarke Mansion and its coach house at 2603 Sheridan Road, starting with the preservation commission.

Documents released Thursday to aldermen and the public ahead of a vote Monday reveal details about the membership of the group for the first time. The City Council approved negotiations with the group on June 18 by a 6-3 vote. On July 23, aldermen will consider whether to enter into a legal agreement with the group. The funding agreement with the group takes the form of a memorandum of understanding (see below) including the promise of a $400,000 flat fee.

As a resolution, it requires the approval of five members of the council. By comparison, a lease agreement with a nonprofit group picked to restore the building would have required six votes for approval but was rejected, as aldermen voted 5-4 to end negotiations on April 9. Supporters of demolition, who had been lobbying quietly for months – if not years – decided to make their pitch publicly on May 29.

The group had previously described the "deconstruction" of three-story stone French eclectic 1920's mansion. The structure, built for a utility company executive, philanthropist and motion picture pioneer, wound up as public property after the city used the threat of condemnation to convince a fraternity to hand it over in the mid-1960s.

The agreement includes a quote for demolition from Taylor Excavating & Construction of Chicago for nearly $300,000, but there is no longer any discussion of "deconstruction" in the funding agreement headed before the council.

Evanston Rebuilding Warehouse Executive Director Aina Gutierrez said her organization was never approached by the pro-demolition group. She said her sustainable construction nonprofit instead referred the city to another firm, BlueEarth Deconstruction, which provided a quote suggested the total cost would be closer to $600,000.

In a rough quote, BlueEarth President Steve Filyo estimated the environmental impact of choosing deconstruction over demolition would amount to saving 10,000 trees worth of old-growth lumber, diverting 10,000 tons of materials from landfills and generating about 50 truckloads of reusable building materials.

Those seeking to stop the demolition of the property describe the Harley Clarke house as a cherished asset, a lakefront mansion shared by the public. Demolition advocates say clearing away the mansion will improve views of the Gross Point Lighthouse and restore the lakefront to a more natural state.

"There's no personal gain here, there are no backroom dealing or trying to quickly force something through," said Nicole Kustok, a leader of the pro-demolition group at the June 18 meeting."This process has been five years of neighbors against neighbors, and ongoing negotiations that have resulted in nothing."

The memorandum names as signatories five residents, including Kustok, as well as the Lewis-Sebring Family Foundation. In 2010, the foundation, operated by local philanthropists Chuck Lewis and Penny Sebring, donated $5 million to the University of Chicago and in 2014 gave $1 million to Evanston-based Youth & Opportunity United to build a new headquarters. The foundation is based about 1,500 feet to the north of the site of the Harley Clarke mansion and Grosse Pointe Lighthouse.

The memorandum also includes a list of names of 41 persons or couples who have contributed unspecified amounts. However, the agreement is legally binding only with its six signatories, according to city staff. Evanston Lighthouse Dunes, described in the agreement as a "citizen's group", has not registered with the state as a nonprofit or an LLC.

A preliminary review of the residences of those listed indicates a significant proportion clustered in the northeast lakefront area of Evanston where the mansion is located. At recent City Council meetings, nearby homeowners have suggested they would be most affected by any changes to the public property.

"The City of Evanston now has the opportunity to remove the mansion from what is parkland best made open to be used freely by the public," wrote Evanston resident Wayne Boyer, in response to a column from Chicago Tribune architecture critic Blair Kamin, entitled "Evanston plan to demolish Harley Clarke mansion: Public vision or hidden agendas?" Boyer said Evanston officials should be applauded for trying to find a good use for the house, but the time had come to consider the benefits of getting rid of it.

"By doing so the city would allow the Grosse Point Lighthouse to once again oversee the expanse of its site with dignity, with only grass and trees in the foreground rather than a labyrinth of chimneys and bricks," Boyer wrote, noting there was nothing sinister about its neighbors seeking to finance its removal.

After negotiations with the Lighthouse group were approved, residents hoping to keep the mansion formed a group called Save Harley Clarke. The new group appears to have the endorsement of some members of the nonprofit Evanston Lakehouse & Gardens group, whose lease negotiations with the city ended with a vote by aldermen in April. They are attempting to collect the required 2,000 signatures to place a non-binding referendum before Evanstonians. The campaign faces a deadline of next month to appear on the November ballot.

“Private individuals paying to demolish a public asset and landmarked structure is wrong, and sets a dangerous and unjust precedent,” said one of the organizers, Allie Harned, a school social worker at Evanston/Skokie District 65 School District and a 2nd Ward resident, in a release from the group, which has been collecting signatures around Evanston. “This house belongs to all of us. It would seem difficult for Council to override the voice of the people, especially since they are elected to represent our interests.”

Rep. Jan Schakowsky sent a letter ahead of the June 18 vote to aldermen and Mayor Steve Hagerty – the former chairman of a citizens' committee to figure out what to do with the mansion and the owner of a nearby home. In a 2015 open letter, the future mayor suggested demolishing the building if there were no acceptable bids to reuse it after having laid out the justification for demolition at a public meeting (video below.)

The Evanston congresswoman noted the National Trust for Historical Preservation and Landmark Illinois have each urged that the house not be demolished. The "adaptive reuse" of Harley Clarke could make the city's only public lakefront building "one of the most diverse places in the city," she wrote. "The finality of demolition would mean the loss of a piece of history, the only public lakefront building in Evanston that everyone can access, and education opportunities for the whole community."

The deal city staff negotiated with the pro-demolition group lays out a process for the donors to get their money back if the deal falls through, although it offers little protection for taxpayers if the deal winds up going over budget.

The Evanston Lighthouse Dunes must provide $400,000 worth of checks within 60 days. That money will remain in a holding account until the city begins the process of applying for a demolition permit, which would require another City Council vote if it does not win support from the Preservation Commission.

If the city does not get approval for demolition within two years, the agreement will be void and the money will be refunded "within 60 days of confirmation that the project will not move forward."

However, there is no indication what money would cover possible overages, legal fees, staff time or any other unanticipated costs. On the other hand, should it wind up going under budget, there is a provision allowing the city to keep any leftover money from the $400,000. Final costs would not be known until after preservation commission process of 6 to 12 months and an open bidding process.

A comparison of the rough bids included in materials from the June 18 council meeting suggests the new memorandum of understanding does not include any money for "restoration costs," which had been one of the stated goals of the pro-demolition group. City staff confirmed there was no money allocated to "dunes" in the project.

Even though there is no provision for cost overruns, Assistant City Manager Erika Storlie said the pricetag for demolition may wind up coming in below the amount promised.

"Because this hasn't been competitively bid through a normal city RFP process, the estimates we have gotten are just informational," Storlie said. "We feel like the bids will be more competitive when we have more bidders bidding on them." She said two of the companies were picked because they happened to be in town working on a separate project.

The other initial quote, provided in an email to Chuck Lewis by a company that had not visited the site, first gave an estimate of $50,000 to $75,000 for restoration costs. After a site visit, a revised quote was provided and incorporated into the funding agreement. It includes just $16,245 for tree removal.

Evanston Mayor Steve Hagerty explains the appeal of demolition in 2015, as chair of the Harley Clarke Citizens Committee:

Related:

• Council Approves Harley Clarke Demolition Negotiations
• City Council To Consider Offer To Demolish Harley Clarke Mansion
• Alderman Reject Lease Of Harley Clarke Mansion To Nonprofit Group
• Harley Clarke Lease To Evanston Lakehouse & Gardens Set For Vote
• Lakehouse Plan Approved By Evanston City Council

Read full staff memo, resolution and memorandum of understanding with Evanston Lighthouse Dunes: