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Walking the walk Naperville
Sun, Sunday, Jan. 4, 2004 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- YOUR TURN
Longtime commissioners to be recognized
They weren't born in Naperville, but longtime residents Cliff Preston, 77, and Frank Allston, 73, have adopted the city as their own. Through the years, they have been instrumental in creating, preserving, enhancing and extending one of the premier attractions of downtown Naperville: the Riverwalk. During a recent interview, the two men, who each completed close to 20 years on the Riverwalk Commission, talked about their involvement and how the Riverwalk has evolved over the years. "It's the crown jewel of Naperville," Allston said. "Every relative or friend who comes to Naperville, the first thing they see is the Riverwalk." Preston, former chairman of the commission, added, "I get a lot of calls from people from all over who want to come and look at the Riverwalk." The Riverwalk is a 4-mile, brick-paved, landscaped walkway that fronts the DuPage River. Dotted with covered bridges and distinctive shepherd's crook lampposts, the Riverwalk extends from Jefferson Avenue and winds east through downtown Naperville underneath the Washington Street bridge. It continues along an area that borders North Central College called the east extension, which ends at the Hillside Road bridge. Fredenhagen Park, on Washington Street just south of Chicago Avenue, is the newest addition to the Riverwalk. The park opened to the public in late November and will be dedicated in the spring. Allston and his wife, Barbara, moved to Naperville in 1969 from Hendersonville, N.C. He said he remembers the banks of the DuPage River were trash-filled and dirty, but that was before the transformation into the Riverwalk almost 25 years ago. In 1981, he was serving as vice chairman on the Sesquicentennial Committee when Naperville was planning its 150th birthday celebration. Allston then was appointed chairman by then-Mayor Chester Rybicki when the first chairman resigned because of a job transfer. Allston was commuting to Chicago and had an extensive travel schedule, so he asked local businessman Al Rubin to be his vice chairman on the committee. Allston said the concept of the Riverwalk came about when the late Jim Moser, president and chief executive officer of Moser Enterprises, commissioned architect Charles Vincent George to design a linear park along the DuPage River. George presented the plan to Rybicki and to the executive committee of the Sesquicentennial Commission. The one thing Rybicki, Allston and George had in common was they were familiar with the Riverwalk in San Antonio. Rybicki had been stationed there with the Army Air Corps during World War II. Allston participated in a mini-World's Fair held in 1968 in San Antonio when he was working for General Electric. "I don't know who proposed it first," Allston said. "Chet and Chuck were very strong about the Riverwalk. As soon as they told me all about it, I got on the bandwagon while there was a seat." Allston encouraged the Sesquicentennial Commission to adopt the Riverwalk as the commemorative gift to the city. The first segment extended from Main Street to Eagle Street. As the Riverwalk was being constructed, Allston took a hands-on approach to his duties as chairman. One Saturday morning, his wife wondered where he was. Turns out, he was helping a small group of volunteers install 250 brick pavers. In the mid-1980s, the Riverwalk Commission was formed to oversee the design and construction of the project. Around that time, Allston was asked to join the commission. A few years later in 1987, Preston said then-Mayor Peg Price called him while he was vacationing in Florida. She was going to appoint him to the Riverwalk Commission and wanted his resume to arrive before the City Council meeting, which was scheduled in a few days. Preston and his wife, Eleanor, both Mendota natives, moved to Naperville in February 1952. Involved in the construction business, he built his house near the DuPage River in 1965. In 1968, he started his own construction company, Preston Builders. "Back in those early days, Eagle Street only had a footbridge," Preston said. He said the river was very clean at the time because all the septic systems hadn't been built. His longtime friendship with the Fredenhagen family that started in the 1950s eventually led to the creation of Fredenhagen Park, named in honor of Walter and Grace Fredenhagen, founders of the Cock Robin ice-cream parlors. Preston said he broached the idea of the park in the mid-1990s to the Fredenhagens' daughter, Rita Harvard, but she had to convince her brother, Ted, of the park's viability. In 1996, Ted agreed to donate the land. The ice-cream parlor operated for another five years until 2001, when it was torn down to make way for the park. Two years later in late November, a ribbon-cutting ceremony was held at the park. "I think it's going to be the new southern entrance to downtown Naperville," Allston said. "It will rapidly become a landmark." Allston points to the Riverwalk as the catalyst for the development of the downtown area. "While downtowns are being boarded up all over the Midwest, Naperville is expanding $150 million of infrastructure within two blocks of the intersection of Washington Street and Jefferson Avenue," Allston said. "At least we believe that people are willing to make this kind of investment ... partly due to the presence of the Riverwalk." Preston agreed. "The Riverwalk has brought the downtown back to life, and it's so vibrant downtown now," Preston said. "People come downtown not only to the Riverwalk, but to do their shopping. The stores are staying open later, and with the 44 restaurants we have downtown, they all seem to survive." Although the two men reluctantly stepped down from the Riverwalk Commission because of term limits, both will keep busy with their families and volunteer activities. The Allstons have two sons, Jim and John, and four grandchildren, Christine, Nathan, Perry and Justin. Retired from the Naval Reserves in 1985 as a rear admiral, Frank Allston is still a regular contributor to Navy Supply Corps Magazine and is the author of two books. He is a DuPage County representative on the Metra Citizens Advisory Board and is an elder with United Presbyterian Church. Preston's son, Tom, joined him in the construction business, and the couple also have a daughter, Marcia, and three grandchildren, Matthew, Christopher and Shanya. Preston remains active with the Naperville North High School varsity football team's chain crew, which he started in 1975. He and two of the original members still participate during the football season. He is vice president of the Naperville Cemetery Board. Both men hope those who will determine the future of the Riverwalk will do so with compassion and care. "I have been so blessed with having a good committee," Preston said. "They've always done anything that I've asked them to do and sometimes beyond. You don't just do things yourself. You have to surround yourself with the best there is." "It helps to have a leader that encourages and inspires people to get aboard," Allston said. While he was a member of the commission, Preston said his usual routine was to visit Tasty Bakery on Main Street. By 6 a.m. each day of the week, he would walk a section of the Riverwalk. "(The Riverwalk) has meant an awful lot to me, to be able to see something that you could help create for people to enjoy," he said. "Will I miss it? Certainly I will miss it." Contact staff writer Donna
DeFalco at ddefalco@scn1.com or (630) 416-5279. |
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