Lake Forest Council Vote Paves Way to Demolish Barat's Old Main

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Farewell, Old Main.

Impassioned pleas and debate from audience members at Monday night’s meeting on the future of Old Main on the former Barat College property building favored both sides — demolish it, or follow the to remove the Old Main building on Barat Campus from the Historic District.

In the end, City Council members voted nearly unanimously to have an ordinance drawn up to remove the 110,000-square-foot Old Main from the Historic District, which is a major step toward allowing the demolition of the 1904 building at 700 Westleigh Road in Lake Forest. Alderman George Pandaleon cast the lone dissenting vote.

The action will be dependent on certain restrictions and guidelines yet to be determined, along with special use permits. The council vote paves the way for an of the land to , which then allows .

Residents Voice Opinions

Lake Forest residents like Pauline Mohr said that allowing this change would leave the city vulnerable.

“Any developer would see this as a precedent,” she said. “Cherry-picking leaves us with no protection at all.”

On the opposite side, residents who favored the building’s demolition said it was past its prime and some action as long overdue.

“We believe in historic preservation,” said Donald Brown. “We have a log cabin we spent a substantial amount of money to rebuild. But when you walk around Barat College, it (Old Main) was left to deteriorate to the point where it’s not usable. This building is history, it’s a ghost. It’s gone.”

Some Aldermen Support Demolition

After some 11 audience comments, several aldermen expressed their views.

While Alderman Michael Adelman supported the commission’s viewpoint, his concern was making sure the rights steps were taken.

“I want to say that the Historic Preservation Commission had it right,” he said. “There is no reason to preserve Old Main anymore. What’s important to me is getting there in the right process. Everything has a lifespan and I think it’s time to move forward.”

While Alderman George Pandeleon said he wasn’t confident that there could be a “viable economic use” of the building, he didn’t like how the city was approached.

“The problem is we weren’t invited to the negotiations,” he said.

Alderman Donald Schoenheider said that allowing the demolition does more for preservation than saving the building.

“The gift to Woodlands is a gift to the community,” he said. “I think we need to allow the demolition of Old Main in a timely fashion. I think there needs to be a timeline on the demolition.”

Alderman Thomas Morsch said that saving Old Main could mean changes in density with future development.

“I would have concerns about the property in the future,” he said. “Who will be the owners of the property in the future?”