Vote YES for the Environment, Vote YES to Preserve Harley Clarke

The greenest building is the one that is already standing. Existing buildings represent embodied energy and that energy is forever lost once a building is demolished. With historic buildings like Harley Clarke, the materials that were used to build them, such as old-growth wood, historic glass, and copper are rare and valuable and in many cases can no longer be acquired. From an environmental perspective, existing buildings should be re-used, re-purposed and retrofitted to preserve the embodied energy and reduce waste. Demolition of buildings, on the other hand, requires a lot of energy, creates a lot of noise and air pollution from fossil-fuel-burning demolition equipment, creates tons of debris and dust that inevitably contaminates surrounding areas, and results in tons of valuable materials sent to landfills. Existing buildings and their architectural elements are assets and should be treated as such. A proper retrofit of Harley Clarke would result in a more sustainable and energy-efficient building and represent a significant amount of energy saved and tons of materials kept out of the landfill.

The Harley Clarke buildings and grounds are historical and architectural treasures and the fact that it is public property and in such a beautiful location makes it even more valuable. With Harley Clarke and its grounds being public, close to the lake, near parks and the beach, and lush with native trees and welcoming gardens, it is such a unique public asset that should be protected and cherished. Thoughtful and sustainable preservation of it is the best way to guarantee that this space remains public and for use by the community. It is also the most environmentally friendly.

Moving forward with demolishing Harley Clarke would require not only razing the structure to the ground, but also destroying several old-growth trees and decades-old flora, including original plantings by noted landscape architect Jens Jensen. The loss of such large trees would result in the loss of their ability to sequester carbon and purify our air. Additionally, without those trees the ability for the land to retain and filter stormwater would be diminished. Losing these trees and other flora would reduce our community’s resiliency in the face of a changing climate. The landscaping on and surrounding the property is also important habitat for a variety of flora and fauna, including several species threatened by climate change and habitat loss such as migrating birds, native bees and butterflies. Disturbing this sensitive habitat with the demolition of Harley Clarke would be environmentally irresponsible.

As a citizen of this city, a fan of historically significant structures, and an environmentalist, I am absolutely in favor of preserving Harley Clarke for generations to come.

Lauren Marquez-Viso

Vice President of Citizens’ Greener Evanston

Co-Chair of the Mayor’s Working Group for the Climate Action and Resiliency Plan