EVANSTON, Ill. (AP) – A 91-year-old mansion along Lake Michigan will be torn down and the site turned into parkland under a plan approved by suburban Chicago officials.
The Evanston City Council voted 5-3 Monday night in favor of demolishing the Harley Clarke Mansion. The deal calls for the private group Evanston Lighthouse Dunes to pay the estimated $500,000 cost for demolition, landscaping and dunes restoration.
Opponents said it would be shameful to tear down the English Tudor-style building and argued the city should consider offers of help from preservation groups.
Evanston Lighthouse Dunes leaders say the plan would keep the property accessible to the public.
The mansion was built as a private home and later was the Evanston Arts Center until maintenance became too expensive for the city in 2015.
