Webinars

This is the second talk  in our series,  "Ten Commandments of Timeless Design for Houses of any Age!" that began on March 13, 2025.  This talk, “Good as New — Second Lives for Dated Houses”, provides an overview of the challenges and benefits of transforming dated houses, explains how it reduces harm to the environment (and your wallet) and examines three local examples. It was held on April 10, 2025

Our series "Ten Commandments of Timeless Design for Houses of any Age!" began on March 13, 2025.  This series will distill timeless residential design into memorable bite-size chunks for use in remodeling, additions, and new construction for projects of any age, budget, size or style.

The first talk, “Be Trendy with Your Clothing, Not Your House,” gives an overview of the concept of timelessness, shows why it's important for everyone to know, and discusses trusted sources of inspiration, both in print and online.

This NCTV17 Spotlight features Bill Simon, President and  Tom, Chief Preservation Officer discussing the benefits and importance of historic preservation as well as  Naperville Preservation Inc's role regarding historic preservation. 

Harold Moser, a Naperville developer, was so influential to the development of the City that he was called “Mr. Naperville.”  Beginning with East Highlands subdivision in the 1950s and continuing on through the early 1990s, he is credited with building 21 subdivisions, as well as the Cress Creek Country Club.  This video was produced in 1994 on the occasion of his retirement. He passed away in 2021.

This video was shown at the March 13, 2024 Naperville Preservation event about Harold Moser's Legacy held at Naperville Settlement.

Please enjoy John Curley's presentation on a presentation panic-free approach to pre-planning a building’s possible next life for its highest and best use with owner and community in mind. Mr. Curley is the Chief Development Services Officer in City of Aurora and instrumental in Aurora’s many preservation successes. He spoke about:

• How to identify and preserve historic buildings that make a community unique.

• How historic buildings can be repurposed often at lower cost and less harm to the environment than new construction.

• How genuine communication between various community groups can lead to successful outcomes for all.

His presentation was made at the January 24, 2024 Naperville Preservation event held at the Naperville Municipal Center.

Check out the presentation of our architectural surveys of East Highlands and River Haven Estates in Naperville, both developed by Harold Moser in the 1950s. Learn how these innovative subdivisions paved the way to today's Naperville.

The survey is conducted by Elizabeth Blasius and Jonathan Solomon, partners of Preservation Futures, Chicago. They made this presentation at an event held by Naperville Preservation Inc. on September 25, 2023 at the Naperville Municipal Center, attended by over 100 people.

In this presentation, Naperville Preservation board member Bill Simon of Naperville Preservation Inc. shows how total lifecycle carbon emissions can be reduced by repurposing existing buildings instead of building new from the ground up.

Bill is also with the Naperville Environment & Sustainability Task Force (NEST) community and gave this presentation at their January 16, 2023 meeting.

A neighborhood corner grocery in the past, Kreger’s Brat and Sausage Haus is Naperville’s favorite sausage shop.  At this store, located on the corner of 6th Avenue and Ellsworth, you can find 20-40 fresh and frozen varieties of sausage.  In this video, you’ll learn how this Naperville institution came to be.
This video is brought to you by Naperville Preservation Inc., professionally produced by NCTV17, and paid for with SECA Funding through the City of Naperville.

Get the inside tour of this cool mid-century house in Naperville’s East Highlands subdivision.  Jen and Adam have taken a very unique home by builder Don Tosi and made it even more interesting and cozy at the same time.

This video is brought to you by Naperville Preservation Inc., professionally produced by NCTV17, and paid for with SECA Funding through the City of Naperville.

North Central College’s Old Main is one of Naperville’s finest buildings. Over the last 150 years, Old Main has had a distinguished history and will continue to have an “unlimited future,” to quote past NCC president Hal Wilde. 

This video is brought to you by Naperville Preservation Inc., professionally produced by NCTV17, and paid for with SECA Funding through the City of Naperville.

This NCTV17 Spotlight features Becky Simon, President and  Jane Ory Burke, Director of  Naperville Preservation Inc. They discuss the benefits and importance of historic preservation as well as  Naperville Preservation Inc's role regarding historic preservation. 

 Please enjoy this holiday tour of a historic home in our very own Naperville Historic District.

Check out Naperville’s Millennium Carillon Visitor Center, a repurposed midcentury modern home built by Bud Goetsch in 1948, as we toured it in May, 2021. The Netzleys bought the house in 1964, so most people now know it as the Netzley House. Sometime in the ‘80s or early ‘90s, the Naperville Park District purchased it.

The building illustrates the 3 fundamental elements of a building: the setting, its materials, and the building's scale.

The home’s architect was John Van Bergen, who worked briefly for Frank Lloyd Wright, supervising the construction of the Robie House. Van Bergen had his own practice from 1911 into the 1960s.

Come visit the historic Greene Barn with us! Please alse support the Greene Barn. Find out more at their website.

Learn about current historical preservation successes in Illinois!  On 4/28/21, Naperville Preservation Inc. talked with Lisa DiChiera of Landmarks Illinois about

• Historic preservation victories and losses in Illinois

• Most endangered historic places in our state right now

• Potential tax and economic benefits

• Resources for homeowners

It is one of those buildings that everyone recognizes! A landmark red brick Italianate built in 1867, it has been home to generations of Naperville’s leading citizens from several families.  Congressman Harris Fawell held meetings there to organize formation of Naperville’s school districts and the Naperville Park District.

He also committed to preserving and restoring this beautiful building so well that it still has its original front doors, and the 19th century autographs inside the rooftop cupola have all been carefully preserved.

As another successful example of adaptive reuse, the Willard Scott House is home to several law offices and two generations of Fawell attorneys.  Current co-owner, Bob Heap, generously allowed Naperville Preservation to film the interior for our first video.