Warning, this entry is long, rambling and obnoxious and probably means little to most people.
Followers of this blog know that I had a bad week. Actually, a lot of people in the OP and surrounding communities had a bad week. We woke up last Saturday, many of us very early, to find flooded homes and basements. In the middle of this mess, I was also party to another mess in the OP. If you are followers of this blog, you also know that I volunteer and give far too much of my time to an organization called the Pleasant Home Foundation. On Saturday morning, on my just-rescued computer, I received an e-mail about a “design” for a new fence opening at Pleasant Home that would be presented to the local Historic Preservation Commission’s Architectural Review Committee four days later. A few days layer, with little fanfare, the openings were approved and soon pieces of a 107 year old fence will get removed. This does not bode well for preservation in the OP but on the heals of the Commission approving demolition of a hundred year old home in a historic district just over a week ago, it does bode well for folks that want to make significant alterations to homes in the OP. Gone are the days of the draconian HPC that frets over every chip of paint that falls from a historic structure.
To most people, this kind of stuff really doesn’t matter. Few people care about old homes, let alone care about the intricacies of how they are actually cared for and restored. But to me, someone who had hoped one day to see remarkable Pleasant Home and its grounds completely restored and enjoyed by the surrounding community, it is a pretty big deal. I also understand that I have particular tastes when it comes to how I like my old buildings. If you follow this blog and see any of the work I have put into the wood and plaster on the Tiny Bungalow, you might get idea of where I am coming from.
This story actually starts a couple months ago when I was first alerted that the Park District of Oak Park, the owners of Pleasant Home and Mills Park (the historic grounds of the mansion), will be cutting holes (two of them) into the 107 year old fence to create new park entries. The decision was put forth by the surrounding neighbors at a community meeting to guide planning and new construction at the park and a special meeting of the Pleasant Home Restoration Committee was set to discuss the design. Unfortunately, I was out of town for this meeting but was able to listen by phone to parts of it. It was clear from the beginning that this was a done-deal. It was said that if members of the Committee and Foundation were so concerned about this issue, then we should have attended those early community planning meetings. Well, I think that if any of us thought that it were in the realm of possibility that the surrounding community and the Park District would think that removing historic parts of the structure or grounds was a fantastic idea, then we surely would have been there.
What is Pleasant Home?
Pleasant Home is the former home and estate of local investment banker John Farson. Construction on it began in 1897 and it is one of the finest surviving examples of the work of Prairie School Midwest but few were carried out on this scale. Other estates like this include the remarkable James Patten Estate which is GONE, the Magnificent Rockledge which is also GONE, the massive and incomparable Harry Rubens Estate (ALSO GONE), and the John Farson's Estate, Pleasant Home which is holding on by a thread and is but a shadow of it's former self.
The Fence
The fence that is going to get cut apart was built in 1903 and was designed by George Maher for Mr. Farson. It harmonizes with the house and all of its ornament, carrying design themes seen in the home into the surrounding landscape. To call it a great fence, is an understatement. It has an intricate design and at close to ten feet tall, it is awe-inspiring and monumental.
I have to admit. When I first got wind that they were going to work on the fence, I had mixed feelings. It’s great that ANYTHING will get done to the mansion and grounds to improve its current state but why the fence? The home has no fire protection system to save it in case of a fire. Since this ancient home with its antiquated wiring and mechanical systems is home to the local historical society, with its reams of books and newspapers, the idea of a devastating fire is hardly a stretch of the imagination. The home also has no modern ventilation and mechanical systems so it and its contents are not protected from the drastic climate changes that occur in this part of the country. Finally, one only needs to wander around the outside of the home to see that it is under constant assault from the elements. I am not arguing that the fence doesn’t require much needed attention but the fact that the fence is given the highest priority, is puzzling at best. I have images of waking up one morning and getting word that the mansion had burnt or fallen in on itself yet the gleaming beautiful fence still stands!!! Fantastic.
The reasons for this were presented with great clarity and seemed to be beyond argument or discussion. People in wheelchairs needed the holes! Well, to that, I would like to personally thank all my wheelchair bound brethren for their part in ripping down part of something that has been standing for 107 years. But there are other reasons as well. There are fat and lazy people in the OP too! The need for new openings to accommodate these people is completely understandable. The walk to the main gate, rear, and side entries from remote corners of the park are taxing on typical able-bodied Oak Parkers so I can't. I can't imagine what the journey does to someone with a little additional weight.
There is also great concern that the fence isn’t very hospitable and the park is not “welcoming”. Well morons, it’s a fence, it's kind of in it's nature to be unwelcoming. The nature of the thing is to keep people out. I am in the great minority that thinks it is a beautiful fence and contributes to the unique character of Mills Park
Cheney Mansion though
Once the chunks are cut out, they will be placed on display next to the original fence. I am sure it will look really nice and carefully thought out. (sarcasm) It will be reminiscent of the stair hall at the Art Institute where you can gaze at and touch hunks of Chicago buildings that are long gone. Some people think this is "cool". I find it to be one of the most depressing spaces in the city.
I do wonder why the Park District seems to have gone to great lengths to keep that character at their “other” landmark building, the 
The Future of Pleasant Home and Restoration
Several years ago, the front gates and fence were renovated as a "pilot project". "Restoration" of the fence there is incomplete and will surely remain that way lacking the fantastic globe lighting fixtures and original gates and it is doubtful that it will be taken any further even with the latest "improvements". I wonder where the new fence "restoration" will stop.
There is a lot going on at Pleasant Home these days that isn’t reassuring. In addition to the fence holes, they will also be getting a massive new tent to help bolster its wedding business. Such is the life of historic homes. Running it as a museum does not generate a profit so we need to find other ways to bring in the dough. If making the home more inviting and amenable to large weddings is the goal, then the result seems to point to a partial restoration of the home and grounds at best. This doesn’t bode well for future restoration projects. The holes in the fence seem to be a manifestation of this goal and are just the beginning.
Within the home the result of this line of thinking is also pretty clear, light fixtures will never get replaced to their original heights in fear that wedding goers will bump into them. Additional furniture will not be replaced or rehabilitated as it will take up space needed for the hoards of partiers. Partitions and casework that were removed years ago won’t come back as they would make rooms too small and not “inviting enough” for large gatherings. In that sense, the notion of the Park District having a restored National Landmark AND a premier wedding venue are contradictory at best and since the road map seems set, it calls into question the existence of the Pleasant Home Foundation at all. The fact that there is little appreciation of the place architecturally shows that the Foundation has obviously failed its educational mission to get people to appreciate Maher. If the road map of "restoration" is set, then why do we need a cadre of the brightest restoration professionals in the country to help guide it? It seems that if the desire really is to restore the home to some semblance of how it was when Maher first designed it for Farson, a radical change in thinking about how the home is used and thought about is needed.
It was remarked at the presentation to the Architectural Review Committee this week that the "role of the Pleasant Home Restoration Committee was to restore the building to a private estate". It is a sad and misguided statement but it is partially correct. The intent of the Foundation and this committee “is dedicated to preserving and restoring this 30-room architectural jewel. The Foundation strives to create a home which is a dynamic museum, a lasting tribute to Maher. Pleasant Home will provide exciting opportunities to learn about the history and architecture of the early 20th century expressed through the lives of the Farson and Mills families, the home's early owners, and architect George W. Maher.” This must be true because it says it on the Foundation’s website. Though it infers that the character of the restored structure and grounds would be in keeping with Maher’s initial vision of a private estate, a point needs to be made that it does not say anything about MAKING it "private". On the contrary, the Foundation holds many public events year round. The home's doors are open for tours and community groups use it often for meetings and events. It is very much an open and public house. The same can be said for the park that surrounds it. Contrary to what the pre-Jabba photo above indicates, Mills Park is often jammed with people sunbathing and enjoying the grounds.
There are not many places that have intact grounds and mansions designed by significant American architects, let alone any designed by an architects as significant as Maher. One place that does come to mind is Newport, Rhode Island
The home and grounds need a lot of attention and it will be nice to see it start to get some. It is just too bad that the attention it is getting requires for it to be partially dismantled.
I looked round the Tiny Bungalow to see if there are any pieces worth bringing down. Unfortunately, we have nothing that exciting around here and I doubt the price has escalated on the Stickley pieces we've bought from Toms-Price over the last 10 years. While thinking about this, I did some browsing on the 
Seriously though, it is fun and if you're like me and have nothing better to do with your time (sarcasm), it is a good way to kill an hour or so. I laid out my existing furniture and then furnished the rest of the place completely with Stickley. You can print out the plans and a shopping list so you know what to tell the salesperson at the furniture store. It's fun to dream, right? The only tool they don't have is a pricing option so you can see how much your furnished dream rooms will cost - or better, a financing program to show you how many years it might take to pay off a purchase like that.
For those of you that are unfamiliar with the street, it stretches just a few short blocks off of Lake Shore Drive and is dotted with some of the finest homes in Chicago. They were built around the turn of the century and many were designed by renowned Prairie School Architect 
These homes feature impressive monumental exteriors with unique Prairie Style detailing characteristic of Maher's work. Their interiors are filled with original carved woodwork, art glass, tile and metal work, designed with harmonizing motifs derived from nature like poppies, thistles, and wisteria.
It is supposed to be a beautiful weekend so if you have the time and love old homes, come on out to the OP.
One local writer likened the grant process to American Idol where sites are competing for $1 million in restoration grant funding. The site with the most votes gets funding. There are a lot of great sites on the list but I would greatly appreciate it if you took the time to vote for Pleasant Home. It is a remarkable building and frankly, we need the funds.
George and John, pictured here in the gardens at Pleasant Home, would be so proud.
