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Park Ridge council designates Malone Fountain and Berry Parkway gates as city landmarks
Summary
The Park Ridge City Council unanimously approved landmark designations for the William H. Malone Fountain and the Berry Parkway gates, citing local history and neighborhood stewardship; the votes were 7–0 on both final readings. Staff said the city is the applicant and will follow a public process for any future changes.
The Park Ridge City Council unanimously approved final readings to designate the William H. Malone Fountain and the Berry Parkway gates as city landmarks.
The council voted 7–0 to adopt the Malone Fountain landmark after Historic Preservation Commission (HPC) members and staff recounted the fountain's history: dedicated July 3, 1926, it sits at the corner of Cedar and Meacham and was donated to the city by William H. Malone. Drew, representing city staff, told the council the city was the applicant and the HPC recommended adoption after a public hearing and a 5–0 recommendation. Staff said landmarking the fountain preserves it as a civic asset and that any later decision to remove or relocate a landmark would require a public process involving the HPC and city council.
Joan Mattingly, chair of the HPC, urged council members to support the Berry Parkway gates designation, tying the action to the nation's semiquincentennial and the neighborhood's long history. "I'm asking you all to vote yes," Mattingly said.
Resident Paul Ziegenhorn, who identified himself as living at 155 Berry Parkway, described the block's close‑knit stewardship and said neighbors previously funded major repairs. "We rebuilt them 2 years ago... We paid for that as neighbors," Ziegenhorn said, noting a prior vehicle accident had damaged part of the gates and a monument. Council discussion clarified that the gates sit on city right‑of‑way, that Public Works inspects them, and that the city had established consensus in a prior budget session to assume maintenance responsibility going forward.
Both landmark ordinances were presented as city applications that had been considered by the Historic Preservation Commission. The Berry Parkway gates application was identified in staff materials as LDDash26Dash02 (recorded in the council packet). The council approved the Berry Parkway gates designation by roll call vote, 7–0.
The council concluded the items by thanking volunteers and reminding residents that landmarking preserves community history while leaving future decisions subject to additional public review.
