McKee House on Endangered Sites List; Fate Still in Question

GLEN ELLYN, IL — After years of preservationists struggling to stop the historic McKee house from being demolished, the building is now one of the top 10 sites on the Illinois Endangered Historic Places sites. Preservationists from the non-profit McKee Preservation Group are still scrambling for a solution to prevent one of Glen Ellyn's most treasured historic buildings from meeting an untimely demise.

McKee House, which occupies a patch of land in Churchill Woods, has not been occupied for the past 15 years. McKee Preservation Group has made effort to find another use for the home and to raise funds for restoration, but currently it would be cheaper for Glen Ellyn to raze the property than it would be to restore and maintain it. Preservationists will need to collect $400,000 in funds to repair McKee House, but the Forest Preserve District and Glen Ellyn village officials have offered a ray of hope.

The village has proposed to lease McKee House and a nearby maintenance building as a way to buy time for the preservationists and Forest Preserve District officials to raise required funds. The proposal is more of a generous gesture, as they intend to lease the property for just $1 a year, the Daily Herald reported. The lease would be for a term of 50 years. As part of the deal, Glen Ellyn and the Forest Preserve District would each contribute $25,000 each toward the home's preservation if preservationists raise the required $400,000.

>>Related: Study: McKee House Structure Strong, but Need Repairs

McKee House at Churchill Woods once served as headquarters for superintendents of the Forest Preserve District, according to information from the Forest Preserve District. As recently as 2016, active plans were in the works to demolish the McKee House.

Let us know in the comments:

• Should the McKee House be demolished?
• What else should the McKee House be used for?