Whether the Zeta Tau Alpha female fraternity house will be designated a historic landmark is to be decided by Urbana City Council at Monday’s meeting. Whether it should be designated was discussed at last Monday’s Urbana’s Committee of the Whole and was voted to move to council to be voted on. 

The house was originally nominated for historic designation back at the end of April and was approved by the Urbana Historic Preservation Committee to be designated a historic landmark. But because the owner, the Zeta Tau Alpha Housing Fraternity Association, objected to it being designated a landmark, the Urbana City Council has to approve its designation as well with a two-third majority vote.

After initially being discussed at the June 14 Urbana City Council meeting, it was unanimously voted on to be sent to committee to be more thoroughly discussed. This was motioned by Charlie Smyth, Ward 1, who to amending the ordinance so that the owners could replace the current windows with safer, more efficient ones and allow the house to be occupied again in the future. 

Robert Myers, planning manager for the city, addressed council at the beginning of discussion about the city’s suggestions. In response to Smyth’s question at the previous city council meeting, Myers said that the council can pass an ordinance that would have amendments or exceptions. Although he did warn against this because if council were to make some kind of exemption or amendment, they can make owners of other landmark properties feel like they’re being treated unequally.

Myers also advised against it because changing the windows on the house could drastically change its character, saying that windows on historic buildings hold a large part of the identity of the building. 

After Myers’ report, Colleen Ramais, an attorney of Meyer Capel in Champaign, represented the Zeta Tau Alpha Housing Fraternity to pose the housing fraternity’s reason for their objection to the historic landmark designation. Ramais said there is a burden that would be put on the property owners and that she believed that the application submitted by Kraft was not properly supported by evidence. 

In response to a question from Michael Madigan, Ward 6, Ramais confirmed that the property owners have no intention of making any major exterior changes. She said in terms of fixing the roof, they have tried to source materials in the past of the original material used but were able to find very little. 

She also said the current windows were of concern because not only are they very energy inefficient, but they can also be opened from the outside, therefore a safety concern. 

When opened up to comment, Madigan and Carol Ammons, Ward 3, both expressed concern in the application process saying that they should make it a requirement for those who nominate a building for designation should be present at meetings. 

“I’m really concerned about the process,” Ammons said. “I really can’t support the designation at this point until a couple things have been addressed by the Historic Preservation Committee before we force designations on people.”

Eric Jakobsson, Ward 2, however was not concerned about the process, saying he thought that the application was legitimate and that the presence of the nominator should not change the outcome of the house’s designation. 

Roberts, Smyth and Diane Marlin, Ward 7, also spoke in support of the historic designation. Roberts said that the house is very worthy of the designation and that the nominator’s presence does not change the facts of its historic significance. 

However, Madigan agreed with Ammons in concern with the process, saying that the property owners should have the right to question the nominator and that this isn’t possible when the nominator isn’t present. 

If the city council were to vote Monday to designate the property, the owners do have the option of bringing it to court. Ramais said that this has not been discussed with the owners yet, so she does not know if they would take this option.

“We’ll cross that bridge when we get there,” she said.

Kat can be reached at [email protected].