Comments on: Save This House: An Italianate Manor in Central Illinois

By: mike

mike — Sun, 26 May 2013 05:03:48 +0000

As long as the water is kept out, she’ll be fine.

It’s not cost effective for those who don’t have the funds.

By: mike

mike — Sun, 26 May 2013 05:01:30 +0000

You must not be a Hungarian finisher.

Might as well burn it if all you would want to do is strip it. If you have the talent to replicate what you like (which you stated you don’t) then be gone.

She’ll easily stand for another 50 – 100 years with or without you.

By: hookedonhouses

hookedonhouses — Sun, 28 Apr 2013 12:36:42 +0000

Thanks, Nick–I appreciate the new link!

By: Nick B.

Nick B. — Sun, 28 Apr 2013 06:10:36 +0000

The video has been moved to a different YouTube account. You can now find it here… http://youtu.be/oTfsJkjwAU8

As it’s my video, I hereby grant consent to use it. I just wanted you to be aware of the new link, because the old one will disappear in a few minutes.

Enjoy!

By: AJ

AJ — Sat, 02 Mar 2013 19:48:53 +0000

This house is hardly in the middle of nowhere. It is 5-10 minutes from I-55 and/or Veteran’s Parkway in Bloomington-Normal. There are two universities, two headquarters for major insurance companies, and Mitsubishi Motors. With the right renovations and some attention to the landscape, this would be a lovely place to stay for those interested in a B&B experience. I could easily see the house hosting weddings with rooms for family members to stay.

By: hookedonhouses

hookedonhouses — Mon, 07 Jan 2013 12:25:49 +0000

Thanks, Robert!

By: Robert Kelly

Robert Kelly — Mon, 07 Jan 2013 04:53:06 +0000

Here’s a link from The Pantagraph newspaper that has quite a few details on what the Sullivan’s have done, and what remains to be completed.

http://www.pantagraph.com/lifestyles/home-and-garden/revisiting-duncan-manor-owners-see-progress-and-a-long-to/article_754e0a87-24aa-517f-b89c-c65531ae6459.html

By: Robert Kelly

Robert Kelly — Mon, 07 Jan 2013 04:48:26 +0000

This home is situated south of Chicago near Bloomington Normal Illinois. It’s about 2 hours drive to Chicago via Interstate 55. I live about 10 minutes away from it and it’s on the edge of town, but certainly not “in the middle of nowhere”. It’s 15 minutes away from the world headquarters of State Farm Insurance who employs 14,000+ white collar workers locally. Our local newspaper, The Pantagraph, ran some articles on this place a couple years back. here’s an excerpt of one of the articles…

“Duncan Manor, the largest Italianate farmhouse in McLean County, was built for William R. Duncan as a symbol of his success in the livestock business. It was later purchased by James Scott and then the D.W. Kraft family.

The manor was a family home for most of its existence, and eventually was a rental property. It then was vacant, open to the elements and the target of vandals for a couple of years before Diane and Bud Sullivan purchased it in the spring of 2008.

The Sullivans completed the necessary exterior work, including repairing the foundation, tuck pointing the brick and repairing or replacing the corbels. Bud Sullivan said interior electric work is roughed in and the plumbing is half done. The house needs a well and a heating unit.

“The rest is cosmetic work,” Sullivan said.

The Sullivans had planned to complete the house, but Diane Sullivan… has a chance to become involved with historic preservation work on a national basis. She won’t be in the Twin Cities full time, said Bud Sullivan.

That prompted the couple to place Duncan Manor on the market”.

I hear it’s listed for sale by owner currently.

By: hookedonhouses

hookedonhouses — Sun, 18 Nov 2012 14:31:37 +0000

Did you really? Wow. Thanks, Rob!

By: Rob

Rob — Sun, 18 Nov 2012 06:05:41 +0000

I grew up in Towanda directly across the street (Lamplighter subdivision in Towanda in the early 1970′s) I could literally see the house from my window and it was always the first things you saw on the way to Normal. This placed scared the hell out of me as a young kid. Since moving to Chicago over 30 years ago, I have never forgotten this place and always wondered about it. I have stopped by it a few times over the years while passing by Bloomington and still find myself fascinated with it. This house really does need to be saved regardless of cost.