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Generally clear skies. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 64F. Winds light and variable..
Generally clear skies. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 64F. Winds light and variable.
Built in 1835, the John Wood Mansion has been saved from demolition twice — once in 1907 and again in 1973.
Built in 1835, the John Wood Mansion has been saved from demolition twice — once in 1907 and again in 1973.
The John Wood Mansion, built in 1835, has twice been saved — once in 1907 when it was earmarked for destruction by the city, then purchased by the Historical Society for $1,700 — and again in November 1973, when the home was closed and repairs due to termite damage and structural deterioration began. Quincy firm Hafner, Dierkes, Flachs completed the repairs, and architect Jack Hafner submitted plans to restore the home.
In 1974, the Board decided to restore the Mansion. Financial issues precluded progress on the project until 1976. Restoration experts, including two state historians, Ron Nelson and Jim Allen; Robert Wagner, Illinois Register Program; Paul Sprague, Historic Preservation Services; and Betty Madden, Curator of Art for the Illinois State Museum visited the Mansion. The Restoration Committee reviewed reports from consultants and developed a master plan. Experts would be hired with committee input on decisions. In 1977, contractor Crosby Brown was hired, and later architect William Coney of Macomb.
Phase I, structural stabilization began in 1978 by Kuhlman Construction Company. Phase II, external refurbishment and painting began the following October. Phase III, in 1979, dealt with internal utilities and included an overhaul of mechanical systems with the addition of a new heating and air conditioning system.
According to a 1980 article in The Quincy Herald-Whig, “Ned Broemmel, a chair of the Restoration Committee, said, “The board and committee are trying very hard to restore the house in the true sense of the word “restore” and unless it’s absolutely necessary, we are trying not to replace anything.” Fred Belden, landscape architect from Colonial Williamsburg, visited the Mansion in 1980 as well and consulted on landscaping for the home.
The group also brought in interior design consultants from Chicago, St. Louis, Nashville and Atlanta to inspect and review the Mansion project. Of this group, Architectural Conservator Alan Kemper of Building Conservation Technology in Nashville was hired in 1980 to oversee the continuing restoration, and in spring of 1981, Frank Sakulenzki, a local specialist in restoration, began Phase IV of the project – internal finishing and furnishing. According to Sakulenzki, the Historical Society had workers duplicate the original 1835 materials and architecture on as many details as possible. “They’re really making an effort to take it back to 1835,” he said, when interviewed by The Quincy Herald-Whig in September 1981.
In 1982 the Mansion opened for the first time since 1973. A Grand Opening was held June 4-6 for donors, special guests and members of the Historical Society, followed by a public opening on July 4 and 5. The July 7, 1982 Quincy Herald Whig said, “Those who remembered the old house from its earlier days were just a bit awestruck. For the house has been lovingly, painstakingly returned to the atmosphere and décor of the times when it was home to John Wood and his family. It is a tasteful and scholarly restoration, one that should set a standard for restorations of other homes and buildings in the community and the state….It has now been restored over these last nine years to a condition fully benefitting its importance. This has been done by an organization dedicated to the house’s preservation … and most certainly by the devoted labors of many caring citizens. The community owes a debt of gratitude to all those who … had a hand in this generous endeavor.”
On Sept. 17, the Society will celebrate the 40th anniversary of this restoration, a project which required unprecedented leadership; hundreds of thousands of dollars from the community; a multitude of opinions from experts in the areas of period-appropriate landscaping, furniture, wall colors, floor coverings, mantels, lighting, window coverings, and more; and hours and hours of hard work from Board members and their families — as well as the better part of five years of planning, designs and labor from four architectural firms.
Beyond the historical significance of the structure, the Mansion is an important example of a specific architectural style. “The Mansion restoration marks the start of the preservation movement in Illinois, because it was the first building to be saved from destruction by a historical society in the state,” said Janet Conover, a chair of the Restoration Committee in an interview with Kittredge Cherry of the Herald-Whig. Betty Madden of the Illinois State Museum, a guest lecturer at a Society meeting in 1976, considered the John Wood Mansion one of the outstanding historical houses in Illinois. “The John Wood Mansion is the second most important home in Illinois — second only to the Galena restoration [of the Ulysses S. Grant home],” she said.
The home has been described as the finest example of Greek Revival architecture in the state and is on the National Register of Historic Places. James Allen, Chief of Interpretation and Collections for Historic Sites, Division of Illinois Department of Conservation, said, “The John Wood Mansion is important because it is one of the top three purest Greek Revival facades in Illinois.” Samuel J. Dornsife, one of the top Victorian architects in the country, said of the restoration, “I think they’ve done a marvelous job! I don’t know how they got the energy to do all they’ve done.” In 2007, the home was named one of Illinois' 150 most important architectural structures, and in celebration of the 2018 Illinois Bicentennial, it was selected as one of the Illinois 200 Great Places by the American Institute of Architects Illinois.
We appreciate the diligence of all of the project leaders, Board and community members who spent hours and even years working on the Mansion and raising the funds for the $400,000 restoration. After 40 years, we still owe a debt of gratitude to those who restored and preserved the home for our community. And although there is probably no way to accurately acknowledge the magnitude of their contributions, we do salute and honor them for giving back to the area this superb example of architecture, still loved and used by the public in this anniversary year of the restoration.
Ankrom, Reg. “Tours Spotlight the John Wood Mansion.” Quincy Herald Whig, December 11, 2011.
Dittmer, Arlis. “To Save the Home of Quincy’s Founder.” Quincy Herald Whig, March 22, 2020.
Minutes of the HSQAC Board of Directors’ meetings, 1970-1982
Scrapbooks of the HSQAC, 1970-1982
Susi DeClue in the Office Manager of the Historical Society of Quincy and Adams County.
The Historical Society of Quincy and Adams County is preserving the Governor John Wood Mansion, the History Museum on the Square, the 1835 Log Cabin, the Livery, the Lincoln Gallery displays, and a collection of artifacts and documents that tell the story of who we are. This award-winning column is written by members of the Society. For more information visit hsqac.org or email info@hsqac.org
One of Illinois’ little known architectural treasures is the Historical Society of Quincy an…
This is the second article in a series of Quincy’s architectural or cultural gems, all of whom are open to the public.
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