Attention Brides: Haley Mansion Will Be Calling You

JOLIET, IL — Thursday was a small step forward for Linda Gawel, who runs the Haley Mansion — a phone-call forwarding service was established, allowing Gawel to begin making phone calls from the Haley Mansion phone number.

"Right now, I have one phone line hooked up," Gawel told Joliet Patch's editor on Thursday evening, saying she and her staff will be calling all the brides-to-be who have weddings scheduled at the Haley Mansion between now and the end of the year.

"I can't get into the building, but we are doing everything we can," she said.

Gawel was one of 11 employees working there Wednesday afternoon when the fire broke out. The Joliet Fire Department estimated the fire's property damage at $1.25 million and announced that the its cause will be ruled accidental.

In a typical year, Haley Mansion hosts around 160 wedding events and receptions. Fortunately, the fire did not damage the first-floor kitchen and reception ballroom, Gawel explained.

One of her immediate priorities is helping accommodate the brides who have weddings quickly approaching — in February and in March.

"We will be reaching out directly to our brides in the next couple days," Gawel said.

For the brides who simply cannot reschedule their wedding, a number of other venues including the Jacob Henry Mansion, Oakbrook Terrace and Meson Sabika in Naperville have open dates and expressed a willingness to help out, Gawel said.

Gawel said she is 100 percent committed to making sure the Haley Mansion remains as beautiful as ever, despite the damage caused by Wednesday's blaze.

She said it's obvious the mansion will need a new roof. The fire destroyed the third-level bridal suite, the upper level of the mansion that includes room service for weddings.

The first and second floors sustained water damage, the Joliet Fire Department said.

Within the next couple of days, Gawel said, she will be meeting with architects and construction contractors to assess the damage and determine how to proceed.

Joliet Fire Chief Jeff Carey told Joliet Patch earlier in the day that it's his belief the mansion could be restored within five months, but that it could take longer. If the insurance adjustments and the subsequent building renovations took five months, that would have Haley Mansion reopening around the Fourth of July.

Gawel told Patch she wants to reopen even sooner.

"We're hoping sooner for us, us Haley, we want to get going on this tomorrow," she remarked Thursday night.

There is never a good time for a major building fire, but the Feb. 1 fire happened during one of the less busy times of the year for weddings, Gawel pointed out.

"This is just a slower month," she said.

Haley Mansion has weddings year-round.

May through October are Haley Mansion's busiest months. Brides from all over the Chicago area come to Joliet to have their wedding receptions here.

"We are just thankful that nobody was hurt," Gawel told Patch. "This is devastating for our brides because of the not knowing. But our goal is to be up and running as soon as possible."

Gawel said she's thankful the fire did not happen Wednesday night, when she and her staff would have been hosting an enchanted evening tasting event for 26 guests inside the mansion.

Two corporate events and a quinceanera set for this weekend were canceled because of the fire.

Gawel was one of 11 employees in the mansion Wednesday afternoon when the fire broke out, two floors above them, in the bridal suites.

She thanked the Joliet Fire Department for being able to salvage so many older paintings, artwork and antique furniture from inside the Haley Mansion during the fire.

She said that adjusters will need to go through each item, one by one, to determine how many of these artifacts can be saved.

Lastly, Gawel urged people to continue to monitor her Haley Mansion Facebook page for updates and new information. Gawel has been with the Haley Mansion for the past 17 years.

As for the fire at the 19th Century historic building's future, Gawel said, "We're just as baffled by this as everyone else. It will be beautiful. It will be a great restoration."

More Exclusive Joliet Patch coverage:

$1.25M Damage, Haley Mansion Fire Accidental: Chief