Real Estate

Construction Underway On Time and Glass Museum

Property owner Cameel Halim is moving forward with construction of a time and glass museum at 1560 Oak Avenue, where a landmark Victorian home burned to the ground in March 2011.

The steel girders of a new museum are rising next to the Margarita European Inn at 1560 Oak Avenue, where a historic Victorian home burned to the ground in March 2011. 

Property owner Cameel Halim has planned to build a museum for his collection of timepieces and Tiffany glass on the site for years, according to city records. Now, it looks like the building may finally be taking shape.

Halim bought the property in 2007 from the Catholic Woman’s Club of Evanston for $1.4 million, according to the website Blockshopper. That same year, he sought city council approval to build a museum on the city, telling aldermen that he had collected more than 1,000 historic time pieces and Tiffany glass windows, including several bought at auction from a time museum closing sale in Rockford.

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According to city documents, Halim said he planned to showcase his collection in a new museum of time and glass at 1560 Oak Ave., restoring the Queen Anne home to “its original beauty,” and building a three-story, modern addition.

Four years later, while undergoing renovations, the property went up in flames, causing a three-alarm fire that drew 80 firefighters from around the area and required hotel guests to evacuate the Margarita Inn. The Evanston Fire Department demolished what was left of the building the next day, saying it was unsafe to rebuild. 

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Later that summer, architect Adam Wilmot of Wallin Gomez presented a new plan for the property to the city council. He proposed a four-story, modern building to house the time and glass museum, with an exterior designed to look like limestone. Wilmot told the Chicago Tribune that the property would be 25,000 square feet with a design inspired by Prairie and Craftsman style. Halim and his daughter, Nefrette, said the museum could open as early as summer 2012, the Tribune reported.

That didn’t happen, but it appears that progress is finally being made. Today, the bones of a new structure rise four feet above the ground at 1560 Oak Ave., and the site is fenced off for construction. Halim has obtained several preliminary permits for construction, but has yet to file a final building permit with the city, according to city spokesperson Eric Palmer. 

Multiple voicemails left with Halim and Wilmot were not returned before this story was published. 


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