Redevelopment of Naperville’s century-old Kroehler mansion and surrounding property into luxury rowhouses is about 60% complete, putting the venture’s prospective finish within the next few years, the developer says.
Naperville-based firm DJK Custom Homes is building 41 rowhouse units on a 3.8-acre sliver of the Naperville Historic District at Wright Street between School Street and Franklin Avenue.
The venture is a mix of new construction and renovation, with DJK rehabilitating Kroehler mansion into two of the total 41 units planned and the rest going up around the historical structure.
DJK anticipates selling all units by the end of 2026 and completing construction by the end of 2027, company President Dan Kittilsen said.
The development — dubbed Heritage Place — is the realization of a compromise that community members, stakeholders and the city devised a few years ago to keep Kroehler mansion from demolition.
Kittlesen said 21 Heritage Place units have sold so far at closing prices ranging from $1.5 million to $3.5 million. It’s yet to start construction on mansion units as building permits from the city are pending, he said.
DJK’s permit has finished its review process, city spokeswoman Linda LaCloche said in an email Friday, and awaits processing and issuance.
Work on mansion units will immediately start “as soon as we see those permits being released,” Kittilsen said.
Both units planned for the house will range in size from 3,500 to 3,900 square feet and will have three bedrooms. Each will have an elevator and a speakeasy-themed basement, Kittilsen said.
Though DJK has not yet set a price for the units, it’s likely they will likely start at more than $2 million when they go on the market in July, Kittilsen said.
As for the 39 other new rowhouses in development, units range in size from 3,705 to 4,900 square feet, Kittilsen said. They also have an elevator as well as a rooftop entertainment deck, and will have anywhere from two to four bedrooms and other customizable features based on the owners’ preferences.
Construction has been ongoing since 2021. But even before crews broke ground, the project has been a long time coming.
Kroehler mansion was built in the early 1900s by Peter E. Kroehler, owner of the Naperville Lounge Co. and founder of the Kroehler Manufacturing Co. The property has changed hands a few times over the decades.
After World War II, North Central College purchased the mansion and grounds at 126 N. Wright St. in 1945 to meet an increased need to house incoming students. The house was used as a residence hall and guesthouse.
North Central remained the site’s owner until 1989, when Little Friends — a social service agency that works with people with autism and developmental disabilities — purchased the property. Prior to buying it from North Central, Little Friends had been leasing the site for 14 years.
Little Friends retained ownership for 30 years. In 2019, the nonprofit decided it wanted to sell so it could build a new facility in Warrenville. Initially, Little Friends tried to sell the property back to North Central, which wanted to demolish the mansion as part of its future development plans. That deal, however, fell through.
In turn, Little Friends requested a demolition permit from the city so it could proceed with selling the property for residential use. The Naperville City Council OK’d razing the historic structure but later offered a monetary incentive to Little Friends if the organization could find a developer willing to purchase and preserve the mansion.
Investment group Ram West Capital ultimately struck a deal to buy the property for residential development with the caveat of keeping the historic home intact. From there, DJK came on as the builder.
As DJK moves forward with mansion units, the entire exterior of the house “from a structure standpoint” will be preserved, Kittilsen said, adding that, “We’re basically replicating the entire front porch back to how it was when it was originally built.”
Jane Burke with Naperville Preservation Inc. commended the project.
“We’re very pleased … at the mansion being preserved,” Burke said. “It’s an important part of Naperville’s history.”
Naperville Preservation Inc. is a nonprofit organization dedicated to documenting and protecting places historically notable to Naperville.
“Naperville is what it is today because of its past,” Burke said. “You know, its past contributes to the city that we have today. … And so these buildings are kind of the artifacts of that history.”
