Former Chicago Bear Walter Payton
Helps Save Historic Roundhouse,
Wins National Preservation Award.

  
Washington, D.C., October 7, 1999
 
Who would have guessed that football legend Walter Payton could help turn a hub of 19th-century Midwestern railcar repair into the hub of Aurora, Illinois nightlife?

But he did. The former Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Roundhouse is now Walter Payton's Roundhouse Complex, housing facilities as diverse as a brewpub and a museum. The project brought significant tax revenues to Aurora while preserving the oldest standing limestone roundhouse in the country.

That's why the National Trust for Historic Preservation has awarded the Complex and the City of Aurora a 1999 National Preservation Honor Award. The award will be presented on Oct. 22 during the Trust's National Preservation Conference in Washington, D.C., a week-long event marking the Trust's 50th anniversary as the leader in the national preservation movement.

'Not only have Walter Payton and his partners saved an irreplaceable part of our past, they have also shown how historic structures can be reused in almost any capacity,' said Richard Moe, president of the National Trust. 'Now the public can see and enjoy this local treasure, this model example of successful preservation.' The Roundhouse was built in sections, starting in 1855. It grew to a diameter of 264 feet and a height of 18 feet, and became the heart of the largest railcar construction and repair shop in the Midwest. The first American dining car was constructed there, as were Pullman 'hotel' car and steam engines. But when diesel replaced steam, the new locomotives were too big for the roundhouse. The CB&Q Railroad used it as a parts repair facility before closing it in 1974. When no developer was found for the site, the railroad began an unauthorized demolition before the city halted the destruction.

The Roundhouse was nominated to the National Register of Historic Places in 1978. It had long been a community landmark, as many residents were descendants of the original railroad workers. A newspaper poll showed residents overwhelmingly supported its preservation, but its condition made redevelopment difficult. The Roundhouse remained vacant until 1994, when Payton and associates Scott and Pam Ascher proposed a multi-use preservation effort. The city approved the project and $5.5 million in Industrial Revenue bonds as well.

Restoration happened in phases. First, the exterior was rehabilitated. Then a brewpub, a museum and banquet facilities opened in 1996. The courtyard was finished in 1997; a cigar and cognac bar, conference rooms and areas for live entertainment were completed in 1998. The railhouse's truest role continues: it is still a stop on a local rail line.

Developers involved the community in the project. Scott Ascher hired the homeless to help in the construction; the Aurora Historical Society was allowed to have its annual fundraiser in the Roundhouse during construction; developers met with former railroad employees to learn the site's history; and courtyard bricks were sold to commemorate ancestors who worked for the CB&Q. Payton also published a history of the Roundhouse.

'It was an architectural ruin,' said Jan Mangers, of the Aurora Preservation Commission. 'To go from that state to a regional entertainment center was a major accomplishment. It's a win-win situation for the public and for the restoration.'

'When I first proposed the renovation of the Aurora Roundhouse, I said that even though it was the oldest roundhouse in America, I was not there to reminisce about the past but to talk about the future,' Payton said in a statement. 'Her past has been great but even more importantly I was there to promote her future thanks to all of you who gave us that opportunity, we all know that she does have a future. A very good future.'

Each year, the Trust bestows National Preservation Awards on a select few organizations with distinguished preservation achievements at its annual Preservation Conference. Media interested in attending the conference, which runs Oct. 19-24, should contact Gary Kozel at (202) 588-6013 as soon as possible. Registration is free to the media, as are the plenary sessions, educational sessions, the opening reception and the Honor Awards ceremony.