Harley Clarke Referendum Approved by 80% - Council votes 9-0 to halt action to demolish historic mansion

After many twists and turns there have been several developments on Harley Clarke. The result is that Harley Clarke will not be demolished. 

After the Council voted earlier in the year to enter into talks to demolish the mansion and negotiiate with the Lakefront Dunes group, in October the City’s Preservation Commission unanimously denied the City’s application for a Certificate or Appropriateness to demolish the building. The City automatically appealed that decision.

On Election Day, the citizen-led initiative to stop demolition proposed by Save Harley Clarke was approved by 80% of the voters in Evanston.

As a result, City Council voted unanimously on Dec. 11 to deny the appeal and halted efforts to demolish the building. The vote is seen as voiding its earlier decision in which Evanston Lighthouse Dunes would pay to tear the mansion down.
 
Save Harley Clarke, a citizen led initiative to stop demolition, released a statement about the vote:
 
On behalf of SHC and the more than 80% of the voters who supported preservation of this landmarked building and historic Jens Jensen gardens, we’re grateful that the City Council has listened to the voice of the people and the experts from its own Preservation Commission who say it is important to preserve our landmark buildings. 
 
We are so grateful to Landmarks Illinois, Jenner & Block, The Cultural Landscape Foundation, The National Trust, and many other local, state and national elected officials and organizations who worked to support us throughout this long process -- and of course to the hundreds of volunteers who gave thousands of hours to our work. We look forward to next steps and to keeping our promise to the Evanston community to keep the space for public use and at no cost to the taxpayer.
 

You can read more and follow developments in the Evanston Roundtable and Chicago Tribune. 

CSNA was on record as supportung saving the mansion and making it availale as a community resource.

Funds are being raised to protect the mansion and talks continue as to next steps.

Stay tuned!