Evanston’s Preservation Commission is holding discussions to consider preserving the Harley Clarke Mansion’s landscape with Commissioner Charles Smith advocating to provide further protections to the property’s manmade dune.
“The features themselves have been changed somewhat and harmed, and they continue to be vulnerable,” Smith said during the Jan. 30 meeting. “One of the particular items vulnerable right now is the dune.”
Smith told his fellow commissioners the dune is being overrun by invasive plant species, which is harming the area’s ability to be a healthy habitat for animals. He said the area was a common habitat for birds and butterflies. The dune was once considered a “bird-watching hotspot” with roughly 213 different bird species being spotted on the roughly “two football fields” sized land in the 1980s and 90s, according to a city presentation. This is compared to 286 species at Northwestern University’s campus and 214 species at all city parks and beaches combined.
“During the past few years in particular, (the dune) has been destroyed by people walking on it,” Smith said. “Because it’s not a naturally occurring dune, it’s really important that it be vegetated in order to stay there.”
Smith wants to install a living fence on the site to foster plant growth. The suggestion includes a 4-foot high woven wire fence with vines growing on it, according to the meeting presentation.
The commission is now looking to create specific protections for the dune, alongside potentially naming it as a landmark of its own. Naming the dune as a landmark of its own could come in the form of making it two separate parcels or having two landmarks on the same parcel, City Planner Cade Sterling said. Sterling suggested keeping it one parcel with two landmarks because it has been done in the city before and would provide the same protections.
“The idea of separating it with a different legal description is a little unnecessary,” Sterling said. “There are many examples of individual parcels in Evanston that contain multiple landmarks. (An example is) the Merrick Rose Garden that is a landmark on its own, it also has the original fountain square fountain, which is also a landmark.”
Smith expressed concerns about keeping the dune on the same parcel as the Harley Clarke Mansion considering the lot often gets split up when the city decides to rent it out. He says he wants more protection for the dune on its own.
“It’s easy to blur the boundaries…I think to have it established as its own identity, as its own thing (is a good idea because) making it adjunct or adjacent leaves it vulnerable.”
Whether it be one parcel with two landmarks or two separate parcels, Smith says having the dune and its surrounding area designated as a separate landmark could help bring awareness to preserving the dune. He says the increased awareness might help recruit volunteers to help with local preservation efforts.
Next steps for the dune preservation initiative include bringing a Statement of Significance in front of the Preservation Commission. The commission’s next meeting is on Feb. 13.
Corey Schmidt is a freelance reporter with Pioneer Press.
