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Berwyn council approves purchase of landmark 6804 West Windsor Avenue, 6-1
Summary
The Berwyn City Council voted 6-1 to approve a purchase-and-sale agreement that will transfer 6804 West Windsor Avenue to the city. City staff said the acquisition is intended to protect the building’s historic status and allow the city to control future redevelopment.
The Berwyn City Council on Feb. 5 voted to approve a purchase-and-sale agreement giving the city control of 6804 West Windsor Avenue, a locally landmarked Art Deco building that city staff said has been vacant for four years.
BDC Director David Halsberg told the council the property was sold for $300,000 and that the seller’s outstanding taxes — about $144,000 — were deducted, making the effective purchase price roughly $150,000. Halsberg said the city agreed only to reimburse the seller for the daily carrying costs they incurred while holding the property, not for other holding-company expenses.
"We said that we would not recommend to council anything more than the basic cost of them carrying the property," Halsberg said, listing the carrying costs as $54.52 per day and taxes of roughly $415 per day until the city places the deed in its name.
The item was introduced as a resolution authorizing and approving a purchase-and-sale agreement for 6804 West Windsor Avenue. Alderman Scott Lennon moved to adopt the resolution; the motion was seconded by Alderman Roy Wood. At roll call, six aldermen voted aye and one voted no. The council later read the oath of office for a separate agenda item and moved on.
Jamie Franklin, a First Ward resident who said she prepared the building’s landmark application under the Berwyn Historic Preservation Ordinance, raised the property’s historic status during public comment. Franklin said the building was sold for $15.3 million in 2011, foreclosed in 2022, and was recently purchased by an LLC. She asked the council why the building’s apparent market value had dropped sharply.
Halsberg told the council the city sought to control the property to avoid an investor “sitting on the property and trying to flip it” and to issue a request for proposals to find a redevelopment that meets community needs.
The resolution passed on a roll call: Lonham (aye), Boywood (aye), Leija (aye), Faith (aye), Ruiz (aye), Harinella (aye); one no vote was recorded. The council did not specify a timeline for issuing a request for proposals or for any preservation work.
The council’s action next requires staff to complete the purchase paperwork so the city can place the property in its name and proceed with a community-centered redevelopment process.
