A historic St. Charles home that was previously being considered for demolition is going to remain standing — and be rehabilitated and landmarked — after an agreement was recently reached among the city, the local church that owns the property and a developer who plans to buy and restore it. Own ed by Baker Memorial United Methodist Church, the house at 217 Cedar Ave. for years faced an uncertain future, as its owner pursued city approval to tear it down and reuse the space. The house is also referred to as the Judge William D. Barry House, for its original owner. Barry was a lawyer, a Kane County judge around the time of the Civil War and the first president of the Kane County Bar Association, who may have known Abraham Lincoln, officials have said. Because it’s located within the city’s Historic District, exterior changes to the building — including demolition — require city approval. The church previously brought a request about the property to the city in 2017, but its application was withdrawn before the City Council could vote on the house’s fate. Baker Memorial also owns the building at 211-215 Cedar Ave. and the parking lots to the south, west and north. The city’s Historic Preservation Commission in 2017 OK’d the demolition of the house at 211-215 Cedar Ave., but not the house at 217 Cedar Ave. Then, the matter came back to the city last year, with the church again seeking demolition of the Barry House. Its pitch revolved around turning the property into parking spaces, citing a need for additional parking in the area, its financial situation and other concerns. The council ultimately denied the church’s request for demolition in August. St. Charles Mayor Clint Hull at the time indicated that the city was going to continue working with the church to determine a solution. In an interview Thursday, Hull explained that a buyer could not be found who was willing to pay the full appraised value of the property, but that city staff members continued to look for a solution. They eventually landed on subsidizing the costs for a potential buyer using funds from the city’s downtown tax increment financing, or TIF, district, which the Barry House lies within. A TIF district is a sort of economic development incentive, in which the value of a property is essentially frozen, and the extra or “increment” taxes created by developing the property go into a special fund used to pay for costs related to improving the area. “It was really just … a lack of willingness to accept that there wasn’t a path forward,” Hull said. “They (city staff) just kept digging and digging.” The historic Judge William D. Barry House in St. Charles, circa 1870s. (St. Charles History Museum) Under the new agreement, Geneva Heights LLC — better known as local developer Bob Rasmussen — will buy the Barry House and the house next to it from Baker Memorial for a total of $525,000 and restore the Barry House “to historic standards,” with $125,000 from the city to help with the costs, explained St. Charles Economic Development Director Derek Conley at the city’s Jan. 12 Planning and Development Committee meeting. The city will also offer up to $50,000 for the developer if he is able to restore the building’s facade to its original stone condition. The developer is also agreeing to landmark the house as part of the agreement. Additionally, the city will construct at least 10 angled parking spaces along the church to alleviate some of its parking concerns, according to Conley. That cost has been estimated at around $250,000, per city documents, for which TIF funds would also be used. Final designs for the parking will still have to be approved by the City Council. Hull indicated that the parking spaces were not a point of opposition from the city, as it is “always looking for ways to be able to create more spots,” but the church’s requests essentially pushed forward the city taking on this particular project. According to the redevelopment agreement between the city, church and developer, the parking will be public parking at all times except for Sundays between 7 a.m. and 1 p.m., when the church will have exclusive use of the spaces. A final occupancy permit for the Barry House must be issued on or before May 1, 2027, per the agreement, or the city has the right to claw back any disbursed grant funds. It also has the right to ask for funds back if the total eligible improvement costs are less than the total amount provided by the city. “This is a true … win-win-win situation,” Ald. Steve Weber said at the Jan. 12 meeting. “I know that not everybody wanted this to happen. I am really glad that it … did happen.” Ald. Jayme Muenz expressed her gratitude to the church for “being willing to work with (the city) on this,” as this “was not the beginning of what they had asked for, and … they’ve been willing to understand what some of the needs of the community are too.” Conley, at the Jan. 12 meeting, noted that the city also has the potential to gain some funds back in the way of property taxes from this plan — currently, the properties don’t generate any property tax money for the city because the church does not have to pay property taxes. He estimated each house would likely pay $7,000 to $8,000 annually in property taxes, a significant portion of which will go back into the TIF funds, the source of the grant money. After securing approval from the Planning and Development Committee, the matter went to the City Council last Tuesday for a vote and received final approval. Hull, on Thursday, said he’s “so proud of” everyone involved in the agreement. “At some point, maybe … everybody throws up their hands and says … we tried, and we can’t do it,” he said. “But that never, it never stopped.” Baker Memorial’s pastor, the Rev. David Aslesen, told The Beacon-News on Thursday that the past six months have been focused on coming to some sort of partnership agreement that would satisfy the church’s needs and preserve the historic Barry House property. “I think it’s a great … solution,” Aslesen told The Beacon-News on Thursday. “We’re glad for what can be a new chapter for the houses. And we’re, as a congregation, appreciative … of the mayor’s efforts and the City Council to help us sort out all the legal issues and financial issues.” Rasmussen, in an email, said that he and his business partner are going to attempt to bring back the exterior of the Barry House to its original stone, and rehabilitate the interior so it can serve as a single-family rental. He also reiterated his intent to landmark the building so that it “will never again be at risk.” In a statement provided to The Beacon-News, the Preservation Partners of the Fox Valley — which has been involved in talks about the preservation of the Barry House when it came to the City Council last year — said that “this solution … is a model for other communities on how patience, determination and collaboration among a city, community and property owner can reactivate a historic structure that had been vacant for many years.” Hull offered a similar sentiment. “I know that the city, our residents and especially our council place a very high value on preserving our history,” Hull said, pointing to the history museum in the city and residents who are active in preservation efforts. “This isn’t an afterthought … it’s something that we’re actively seeking to do.” Still, it remains a careful balance between growth and preservation. “The goal in the city of St. Charles is that we can do both, right?” Hull asked. “We can continue to grow and at the same time preserve the history that makes St. Charles so special.” [email protected] ...read more read less