A report by the Aurora Preservation Commission says the shuttered Burlington Northern Railroad depot meets more than half of the criteria to be designated an historical landmark, a finding that drew a sharp response from an attorney for the building’s owner.
The depot “does not meet any of the seven criteria which the commission is to consider,” Paul Lewis, attorney for W&M Development Inc. of St. Charles, said of the report presented Thursday to the commission.
“Landmarking this building would effectively force the design of a project worth several hundred million dollars to revolve around a single abandoned building which lacks any inherent architectural or historical value,” Lewis said.
After hearing from Lewis and historic preservation director Jan Mangers, as well as six residents who favored the landmark designation, the commission continued the hearing until next month so research could be done on the rehabilitation of depots in other cities.
Preservationists Barbara and Doretta Bates last month asked the commission to designate the 1923 building as a landmark. That would mean the commission would have to give its approval to raze the building or alter its exterior.
The building at 175 S. Broadway is at the corner of a 17-acre parcel W&M Development plans to sell to Aurora for an undisclosed price. The city would then resell it to developers of the proposed multimillion-dollar RiverCity Aurora downtown rehabilitation project.
Those developers have said the interior of the depot has too much deterioration to make rehabilitation economically feasible.
But preservationists Thursday noted similar claims were made about the former Aurora Hotel and the city’s historic roundhouse, which later become a senior citizens apartment complex and brew pub.
“Let’s not be accused of being brain dead when it comes to creative uses for historical buildings here in Aurora,” said Shirley Flaherty, an Aurora resident. “Surely, a $450 million downtown redevelopment project can accommodate our little train station.”
The commission report suggested the depot met at least four of seven criteria, any one of which “can be a determining factor in designation.” It left open the question of whether the building could be renovated.
Noting the depot’s modern architecture with classical details, it concluded that “not only is the depot unique in Aurora, it is unique for a 100-mile radius, at least.”
Mangers said staff plan to submit information to the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency to find out whether it can be placed on the National Register of Historic Places. Such a designation would make it eligible for historic tax credits for renovation, she said.
