Updated Post June 25, 2015 / During a brief ground-breaking ceremony that included a tour of the building to view plans and work in progress, Mayor Steve Chirico expressed his appreciation to members of the Naperville Woman’s Club for their dedication and long-term vision to preserve the historic building.
After a few remarks detailing the history of the building and the project, with gratitude to major donors, Barbara Crockett and Ruth and Dwight Yackley, as well as the City of Naperville SECA Fund, Â Julie Cunningham, current president of the club, distributed shovels for the ceremonial dig.
“Let’s break some ground!” she said.
Original Post June 22, 2015 / The Naperville Woman’s Club (NWC) will hold a ground-breaking ceremony on June 25, 2015, at 9AM at 14 South Washington Street to kickoff an upgrade to the 1899 structure – the famous limestone church. NWC is remodeling the building to remove architectural barriers. The changes will respect the historical aspects of Naperville’s Landmark while making it accessible to persons with physical limitations.
NWC’s strong commitment to the community shows in the way they preserve Naperville’s Landmark Building.
The Old Stone Church is a rare and excellent example of Gothic Revival architecture. Since 1925 the Woman’s Club has opened its doors for programs that benefit the community as a whole, social support groups, the arts and life-long learning.
The building will be closed during renovation and scheduled to reopen in late summer.
Above / The boarded up area where a bay window used to be will become the accessible entrance to the Naperville Woman’s Club, a popular rental facility. During renovations, the clubhouse will be closed.
Local architect Terry Opperman, AIA and Project Manager David Rekstad from Sequoia General Contracting Corp. provide the expertise and experience needed to retrofit an irreplaceable Naperville Landmark.
The Club wishes to thank major donors – Barbara Crockett and Ruth and Dwight Yackley for their generous support of this project. Additional donations came from individual clubwomen, Club fundraisers and generous community supporters. This project is partially funded by a grant from the City of Naperville.
Editor’s Note / The groundbreaking is sure to dig up wonderful memories of when then-president Joan Hennessy wanted to begin improvements on the clubhouse so it would last another 100 years with accessibility and upstairs restrooms. Â When history is presented with the facts, the story doesn’t change much!
Above / This PN cover story from March 2007 promotes one of the first fundraising initiatives that inspired the Naperville Woman’s Club to stay on the path to upgrade their clubhouse in the Old Stone Church.
