1844 Judge Barry House, St. Charles, Illinois. Photo by Paul Morgan, 2025.
An offer to buy the Judge Barry House at its appraised value is being considered by the property’s owner. With this new development, the St. Charles City Council voted on May 19, 2025 to table a resolution for 60 days on the demolition of the 1844 home.
(For more information about the proposed demolition of the Judge Barry House, click here.)
Perhaps it is appropriate that a roller coaster of frenetic activity has accompanied this 2025 Most Endangered Historic Place in Illinois during Preservation Month.
Baker Memorial United Methodist Church, which has owned the home located at 217 Cedar Ave. in St. Charles, IL since 1993, was denied a demolition permit in the fall of 2024. This was the second time the church had requested demolition of the home, and the second time it was denied. The church appealed to the city’s Planning and Development Committee on December 9, 2024, which tabled a decision for six months pending negotiations with the city to find an alternative to demolition.
A solution with the city proved elusive, so the Planning and Development Committee voted to approve demolition of the Judge Barry House at its May 12, 2025 meeting on a vote of 5-3. With a final vote by City Council looming on the following Monday, conversations about saving the house intensified.
Preservation Partners reached out to Wolfe House Movers of Indiana to get a rough idea of the logistics and costs of moving the stone structure. Their preliminary, back-of-the-envelope calculation estimated a cost of $250,000 and about a year of logistical hurdles. Two property owners nearby expressed interest in accepting the house on their land. In addition, a party who had previously made a low-ball offer to buy the house submitted a new offer at its appraised value, estimated to be around $200,000 to $300,000. If the Judge Barry House was sold, the City of St. Charles offered to change parallel parking on 3rd Avenue to angled parking to make up for some of the expanded parking the Church wanted with the demolition.
With possible options to move or sell the house—all within one week—City Council decided at its May 19, 2025 meeting to table a decision to July 21 on the demolition of the Judge Barry House.
Newly elected Mayor Clint Hull praised the Church, preservationists, and city council members for working together toward a solution. While the mayor acknowledged there was still a lot of work to be done, he was grateful for how “Everybody has worked extremely hard to try to work together to try to find a way to preserve the Barry House while also addressing the church’s needs that have been outlined.”[1]
We agree.
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[1] Molly Morrow, “City Council Decision on Possible Demolition of Historic St. Charles House Postponed until July,” Aurora Beacon-News, May 21, 2025, https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/05/20/historic-st-charles-house-fate-uncertain/.