Sun City’s gatehouse is like an old, worn out antique – “what do we do with it?”
Take it down? Restore it to its original condition? Try to figure out how it can be put to use? Or just leave it alone, as the community has done for the last 15 years?
The future of the Sun City gatehouse is currently uncertain. (Photo by Chris LaPelusa/Sun Day)
It was the first structure or landscape feature built at Sun City, probably in 1998, according to early residents. With the possible exception of a few early homes under construction, it existed before the waterfalls, ponds, fountain, golf course, recreational lodges, and sports facilities were created. Even though it now stands empty and unused, it remains one of the most visible symbols of Del Webb’s active adult lifestyle in Huntley. Its location at Route 47 and Del Webb Boulevard is seen by hundreds of residents, visitors, and passersby every day.
Newcomers to Sun City in recent years frequently ask what it’s used for, and inquire about its history. Opinions among volunteer leaders and residents today range from “maintain it better and keep it looking nice,” to “bulldoze it.”
The future of the “entry house,” as it is now called on community maps, was scheduled to be a topic for discussion, and possible decision, at the regular board of directors meeting on September 23.
It always has been called a gatehouse, which has probably led some residents to assume that Sun City was built originally as a gated community. But the 1996 land use agreement between Del Webb and the Village of Huntley defined Sun City as a large subdivision. The Prime Group annexed most of the current Sun City property into Huntley in 1992, and that agreement with the village was amended in 1996 when Del Webb came along. Sun City was never intended to be a gated community. But the building nevertheless has created a variety of perceptions among sales associates, residents, and community leaders.
When construction began in 1998, the building served as a security guard house, to control traffic and visitors coming to the site in steadily larger numbers.
“We signed our initial housing contract with Del Webb on August 28, 1998, in Neighborhood 2,” said Jeannie Bulmahn. She and her husband, Fritz, moved into their new home on Stone Creek Court in June 1999. “When we signed on, we noticed the small building at the main entrance to the community on Del Webb Boulevard off Route 47,” Bulmahn recalled. “Sales associates we spoke to told us it was used by security guards who controlled traffic in and out of the community. When I came back in the early spring of 1999, I planned to take pictures of our home under construction. A security guard at the gatehouse told me I could come to my property only with an established resident or a sales associate. By the time we moved in that summer, construction on Prairie Lodge was underway.”
Jane and Robert Ackley, who are Sun City’s first residents (they moved into their Cold Springs home on April 15, 1999), also recalled seeing the gatehouse when they first came to the sales offices at the outlet mall. They echoed the Bulmahns’ comments about security guards. “The gatehouse was operated like a gated community,” said Bob Ackley, “but it was for worker convenience and resident safety. Construction workers and material were coming in from a south entrance near Sun City Boulevard, and it was unsafe for visitors to wander around.”
Bob Ackley also has an opinion on the gatehouse today. “I’d like it to be maintained well in its outward appearance, keep it up properly,” he said. “It is part of the attractive curb appeal of Sun City that was built along Route 47 originally.”
By early 2000, after Prairie Lodge was opened and the sales center was opened on site, the security guard activity was discontinued. Ever since, the gatehouse has been empty and unused. It now has two functions: it identifies Sun City’s main entrance, and it’s a great location for the display of holiday lights at Christmas. A few years ago, an association committee asked residents for opinions on uses for the building. Real estate and other organizations in Huntley, including the police department, were asked if they were interested in using it. There have been no takers or acceptable ideas.
Previous discussions focused on options for using it. Today, conversations are turning more toward other kinds of solutions.
Late in August, there was a brief discussion of it at the association’s board of directors committee of the whole meeting. The building also has been the subject of discussion by the new marketing committee. “The building’s condition is deteriorating and it will soon become an eyesore,” one board member said.
Chris Leuck, landscape manager, said there is a recommendation in the 2016 budget to paint the facility’s exterior next year. “We maintain the inside and exterior of the building each year, and minimize use of the air conditioning and heat to reduce expenses,” he said. The building also contains a small bathroom and drinking fountain.
