Designed by renowned Chicago architect Benjamin H. Marshall in 1919, Mayslake Peabody Estate was acquired by the Forest Preserve District through a voter referendum in 1993. In the years following the acquisition, the District made improvements to the building’s life safety systems, including adding a basic sprinkler system, abating hazardous materials, and installing a heating, ventilation and air conditioning system. 

Several incremental historic restoration projects have also taken place at Mayslake Hall, funded in part through donor contributions. The third floor of the retreat wing was adapted for storage of the Forest Preserve District’s artifacts and collections.

While portions of the estate have been used for education programs and events, much of the property remains unusable because of accessibility limitations and the lack of funding needed to upgrade the interior for expanded education programming. 

In 2019, the Forest Preserve District’s Master Plan approved a certified project to restore the exterior of Mayslake Hall. That work is now complete. While most project expenses were covered by District resources, the effort benefited from partnerships, including funding through the Illinois Department of Natural Resources’ Public Museum Capital Grants Program and philanthropic support through The Friends of the Forest Preserve District of DuPage County. 

However, the retreat wing, nearby Portiuncula Chapel, and other smaller structures were not included in that restoration project, and the interior of the estate remains largely unchanged.

In addition, issues with the estate’s HVAC system have been identified, requiring an increasing and unsustainable amount of labor, materials and services to keep the system operational. Air conditioning has never been extended to the event hall, limiting use of that space. Portions of the existing electrical and plumbing systems are also outdated and require evaluation and potential upgrades to meet current code requirements.

In support of the 2019 Master Plan initiative to update education center master plans, the Board of Commissioners approved a contract with a consultant specializing in restoration and adaptive reuse of historic buildings. The consultant conducted a building and systems assessment and a code analysis, developed recommendations for repairs and restoration, and gathered feedback from the public and stakeholders to help create an improvement plan for the facility.