Endangered Landmark

By
Appears in the December 2023 issue.

Working to save an historic Naperville farmhouse

Outside Oak Cottage

Built for his family by early DuPage County settler William Briggs Greene in 1850 on land in Naperville that now belongs to the Forest Preserve District of DuPage County, Oak Cottage was added to the 2023 Most Endangered Historic Places in Illinois list by Landmarks Illinois. The annual compilation denotes culturally and architecturally significant sites threatened by deterioration, lack of maintenance, insufficient funds, or inappropriate development.

“Oak Cottage is so much more than an iconic American white farmhouse; it is a window into the cultural heritage of the Naperville area,” says Becky Simon, president of Naperville Preservation, which nominated the structure for the list and is now seeking support for a petition to promote ideas for its adaptive reuse. Also on the property is the 14,000-square-foot Greene Barn, one of the county’s largest barns.

 

Photo: Forest Preserve District of DuPage County