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On Tuesday, November 6, the people of Evanston, Illinois, made their wishes known about the impending demolition of the Harley Clarke House and Garden. In overwhelming numbers—more than 80 percent—voters answered “Yes” to an advisory referendum asking whether the City of Evanston should “protect from demolition and preserve the landmark Harley Clarke buildings and gardens next to Lighthouse Beach, for use and access as public property, consistent with the Evanston Lakefront Master Plan…”      

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These public sentiments reinforce the recent actions of Evanston’s Historic Preservation Commission, which, in a 10-0 vote on October 23, 2018, unanimously denied a request from the City of Evanston to permit the demolition of the historic property and its grounds.

As the Blair Kamin reported on the vote’s outcome, “now the question is whether elected officials in the left-leaning city will listen or whether they’re so arrogant and obstinate that they’ll stick with their misguided plan to tear down a city-owned Tudor Revival lakefront mansion.”

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That plan could still move forward because the measure on Tuesday’s ballot was only an advisory referendum, which the City Council is not legally bound to uphold. Moreover, the City Council could still overrule the recent decision by the Preservation Commission by filing an appeal and then reviewing the application—which the Council itself put forward—to carry out the demolition.

Still, Tuesday’s vote was an unmistakable indication of public sentiment, and Mayor Steve Hagerty that the results of the referendum must be “taken seriously” by the city’s alderman.