Woodland Palace in Francis Park needs repairs. Maybe hundreds of thousands of dollars’ worth of repairs.
But a group of Kewaneeans is optimistic that the work can get done with a fund-raising campaign and a lot of volunteer help.
Nearly 50 people attended a meeting Tuesday night at Kewanee High School on the condition — and the future — of Woodland Palace.
Built in the late 1800s by Fred Francis, the unique house that features a number of Francis’ inventions, could be a major tourist attraction, people at the meeting felt.
Even in its present condition, tours of the house are available. The group Tuesday talked about a campaign to advertise Woodland Palace to would-be visitors. But there is an urgent need for repairs to the house.
Mark Mikenas, executive director of the Kewanee Chamber of Commerce and member of the Kewanee Preservation Society, said there is some good news: An engineering study determined that the house is structurally stable. That means the needed repairs won’t be as extensive as had been feared.
The study estimated the cost of repairs to the house at around $330,000. But that estimate was made before the city — which owns the park and Woodland Palace — paid to have a new heating, ventilation and air conditioning system installed.
Mikenas said the most-expensive repairs will be to the house’s atrium. The engineers estimated those repairs could cost $125,000.
Other jobs could possibly be done by volunteers from the community, which would reduce the cost of the work.
The city received a grant to pay for Francis Park improvements, such as a new shelter house, new playground equipment and upgrades to the hiking trails. But since Woodland Palace is a historic site, the grant funds couldn’t be used to fix it.
The people at the meeting Tuesday discussed forming a volunteer group to raise funds for the repairs to Woodland Palace. They’re tentatively calling it Friends of Francis Park after a group formed in the 1970s by Rosemary Kuster, who lived on a farm near the park. Mikenas said the group will be under the umbrella of the Kewanee Preservation Society and be able to accept tax-deductible donations.
Kuster’s son Larry is writing a book on Francis and his unique house, and said he would donate $1,000 to the restoration effort if the group received other donations matching that amount. The Preservation Society will donate another $1,000, Mikenas said.
Mikenas said he wants to get the word out to the community that there’s a need to fix up Woodland Palace, and to fund efforts to advertise the historic home.
For more information, contact Mikenas at (309) 852-2175.
