Historic 100-year-old White House replica built by lawmaker for his wife will be DEMOLISHED because current owner doesn't want to spend cash needed to renovate it

Published: 18:16, 18 August 2026 | Updated: 18:19, 18 August 2026 Residents of an Illinois town have voiced their anger after discovering a piece of their history is set to be destroyed. A 123-year-old White House replica, called Castle Eden, sits more than 20 miles west of Chicago and will face the wrecking ball after its owners decided not to pursue costly renovations. Suzanne Valliere, 60, who lived in Darien her entire life told the Chicago Tribune: 'I think a lot of local people are getting upset.' 'They are shocked that this is happening because it has stood there as sort of a monument. We’re just all so used to seeing it.' The beloved landmark, constructed in 1903, is a one-tenth replica of the White House. It originally served as a home to Republican US Congressman Martin B Madden who built it for his wife Josephine Smart as a 25th wedding anniversary gift. He named the house after a historic mansion in the UK. The building has served many purposes since they both passed until, in 1959, the Catholic group Order of Carmelites bought the property for $65,000 and used it as a spiritual retreat. Last month, the order's application to demolish the building was approved. A statement available on the Carmelites' website said upkeeping the building 'requires extensive, systemic repairs to meet basic safety codes and modern operational standards' which would exceed 'what is economically feasible.' 'After careful and informed deliberation' the group decided that 'demolition is the most prudent and responsible way forward.' The 123-year-old Castle Eden is located more than 20 miles west of Chicago and considered 'an irreplaceable gem of historic architecture and a testament to early 20th-century design' by locals An online petition was started to save the White House replica but the Carmelites said that 'demolition is the most prudent and responsible way forward' Martin B Madden was the original owner of Castle Eden who built the house as the 25th wedding anniversary gift for his wife Josephine Smart in 1903 Politicians keep receiving calls from people who share their anger. Debra Kieras grew up in the neighborhood. She launched an online petition to stop the demolition calling the building 'an irreplaceable gem of historic architecture and a testament to early 20th-century design.'  'Preserving Castle Eden means preserving our roots,' Kieras wrote and called for the building to be recognized as an official landmark that should be 'turned into a museum or cultural center.' The Daily Mail contacted Kieras for comment. Darien Mayor Joseph Marchese said: 'It's like losing a piece of our history. I feel badly about it but there is nothing the city can do to stop it.' Marchese estimates renovation to cost several millions making it 'beyond what we're capable of doing.' Marchese further said that he would like to keep the building as a historic landmark but that 'it's not going to happen.'  Some preservationists said that the Carmelites did not consider applying for a true landmark status which would have both protected the building from demolition and opened it up to financial grants. President of the Darien Historical Society Dean Rodkin claimed the Carmelites 'were not interested' in any suggestions like that. 'We have reached out to them in the past, asking if they wanted assistance in getting landmark status for the building or in writing grants,' he told the Chicago Tribune.  'It's apparent that they want it to be gone so they can put a building in its place that suits their purposes.'  The Daily Mail contacted Mr Marchese and the Order of Carmelites for comment.  Darien Mayor Joseph Marchese ruled out that Castle Eden can be preserved by the city as the cost is 'beyond what we're capable of doing' The Carmelites have not revealed their plans for the property and provided no timetable for its demolition. The online statement only mentioned their goal to make the house a place for 'the Carmelite mission of prayer, contemplation, and community presence.' For that, the order wants to keep Castle Eden's entrance gates, stained-glass windows, dining-room paneling, and chandeliers to integrate them in the future plans for the property but not the building itself. They also want to keep the 400-year-old oak trees on the land and add a commemorative plaque to acknowledge the place's history. The Chicago Tribune reported that the property was seen marked off by sawhorses with no trespassing signs and workers with ladders and tools last week.