The transformation of Evanston’s Harley Clarke Mansion — a nearly 100-year-old landmark along the lakefront — took a major step forward last week.
The Evanston Historic Preservation Commission approved Celadon Partners’ plans to turn the Harley Clarke Mansion into an event space with amenities like a coffee shop and restaurant.
“This project has been an evolution, and it’s been because we’ve listened to the community,” Celadon Partners CEO Scott Henry said. “I think it’s good, [with] time invested up front, to make sure we’ve got a really great project.”
About two years ago, Celadon responded to Evanston’s Request for Proposals for the mansion with an adaptive reuse project that would include a boutique hotel.
Some portions of the initial proposal, including the hotel, have been axed due to market conditions, but Henry said the team remains committed to keeping the mansion as a public asset while honoring its history. The redevelopment cost remains at $30 million, and the developer’s seeking $12 million in federal and state historic tax credits.
When the event space isn’t booked, it will be open for public uses such as fitness classes and co-working spaces. In addition to the restaurant and coffee shop, an ice cream parlor operated by an Evanston business will also open. And the mansion’s billiards room will become a jazz club-style speakeasy, Henry said.
Celadon will also launch Harley Clarke Beer Co. with more than a dozen beers brewed through a partner brewery in the North Side. Some of the beers, along with some cocktails, are based on recipes Celadon found in the mansion’s walls during demolition and due diligence work on the building. Henry said some of the beers will be brewed in French oak or gin barrels, giving them a taste “you just can’t get anywhere else.”
“Harley Clarke’s going to be different and special, even above the amazing things we’re doing with the mansion,” Henry said. “We really want people to come back again and again because we’re always going to be introducing these new, fun things that you just can’t find anywhere else.”
The project includes the entire Harley Clarke Mansion grounds at 2603 Sheridan Road. The mansion was built for utility magnate Harley Clarke in 1926, and the grounds, designed by renowned landscape architect Jens Jensen, were completed in 1928. Evanston landmarked the property in 1982.
Celadon is giving the nonprofit Jens Jensen Gardens in Evanston $3.5 million to restore the property’s gardens to reflect Jensen’s original vision. The nonprofit will be a lifetime partner of property to help maintain the gardens, according to Henry.
Celadon will restore the property’s coach house into a hub for the nonprofit, including offices, equipment storage and a learning center for the public. Henry said it’s also mulling a program where members of the public who volunteer with the Jens Jensen Gardens, or another nonprofit, can receive food and drink discounts at the mansion.
Henry’s firm is no stranger to adaptive reuse. It’s set to begin construction on Pullman’s historic Hotel Florence in March 2027, turning the site into a “mind-blowing entertainment experience.” His firm also converted the former West Pullman Elementary School into senior housing.
Henry said the Harley Clarke Mansion is in great shape compared to other historic properties his firm has worked on.
“This is a dream,” he said. “We’re going to do our best to look at historic photos to try and bring back what [the mansion] was, but really … the mansion is super intact and a really nice starting point for us.”
There are “so many hidden treasures” Celadon plans to honor in the mansion’s future, Henry said. Clarke’s daughter’s bathroom is one of the most complete rooms, with original tiling depicting fairy-tales and children’s stories. The tiles are serving as the inspiration behind the ice cream parlor’s flavors, he said.
Other elements being preserved are an original copper Juliet balcony and ornate copper gutters.
Celadon still needs approvals from the Evanston Land Use Commission and the City Council.
The firm hopes to start work in March 2027 and kick off operations in the first quarter of 2028.
In the meantime, Celadon has hosted pop-ups ranging from a weekend coffee stand to ice cream and beer garden events on the mansion’s east lawn. Watch parties for Northwestern University and the Bears games are also taking place in the beer garden.
The attendance at its events has affirmed to Celadon how much the community values the mansion, Nick Jefferson, director of community development and engagement at Celadon, said.
“There’s so many different people that are just using the space like a public park,” Jefferson said. “When you turn around in the back and see the beer garden, it literally feels like a hidden treasure. Folks are super excited about what’s to come.”