May 15, 2024 – The Powers Mansion, located at 357 West Decatur Street, saw more visitors Wednesday night than it has in years. The new owner, Norma Fick, opened the doors for a community open house to raise awareness of the mansion’s restoration needs.
Fick purchased the property in June of last year for $175,000 following an earlier attempt by another party to purchase the mansion fell through. Fick said she purchased the mansion because her husband, who passed four years ago, felt it was an essential structure for Decatur.
Hundreds of people came to tour the mansion Wednesday evening, some waiting up to two hours. Each attendee was asked to pay a $5 donation that will go towards restoration efforts for the mansion.
Fick said she would ultimately like the home to be used for a community or civic purpose rather than a home, but a lot of work needs to go into restoring the mansion first. “The roof right now is the first priority,” Fick said. “After we get that accomplished, we will need to do major restoration of the ceilings. Some of them have collapsed from years of water damage.”
Fick said she is welcoming assistance, donated services, and volunteers to help return the mansion to its former glory. A local restoration company, Peerless Restoration, volunteered their time and service to clean the carpets before the open house.
The 7730 sq ft home was originally built in 1910 by Charles Powers. It was later owned by the Jarvis family and then the Bachrach family, which completed the mansion’s last restoration.
“It’s so wonderful that so many people turned out tonight,” Fick said. ” I think it just proves that my husband was right. It’s not just a home, it’s part of Decatur.”
To help with restoration efforts, contact History of the Heartland by emailing aynproductions@yahoo.com. Donations can also be sent to Ms. Norma Fick, 357 W. Decatur Street, Decatur, IL 62522, C/O Powers Mansion.
To see more photos from the open house, Click HERE.
By Traymar Brown
Photos by Isaiah Bradford and Ahsaan Spence
