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In Naperville just east of where Oswego Rd. meets Aurora Ave. - across the street (north) from Naperville Central High School - there is an old quarry that is flooded with water - to the north of that between the quarry and the river farther to the north, is the building. It is now owned by the Park District. It is part of the River Walk property in Naperville.
The exterior has been substantially altered. Despite this, it is still recognizable as a Van Bergen. The interior has been completely altered. It is difficult to ascertain the original plan. The house has been turned into a few large meeting rooms and the kitchen into what seems to be a workshop or craft room.
The house has a flat roof and plain lines. However it is not stark and is quite domestic and warm feeling, lying low and faced up to the window sills with a brownish rough-cut stratified stone. Above was probably stucco, but is now covered with a new board-and-batten siding.
Some window sashes (casements) are original, but all are re-glazed with thermal panes. The front entry door is not original. The side of the house that looks out over the quarry contains the kitchen which looked out onto a long balcony or veranda (with large plate glass windows over a short stone wall), which looked out to a patio which looked down into the water. In the stone of the house on this patio are two niches. The balcony is now altered and enclosed. The balcony was entered from a double door from what seems to have been the dining room.
It was inevitable that this house was altered, considering its central location in an urban park area in a city that is growing uncontrollably with little respect to what was before. It is surprising that the building was not already demolished - and may be yet, due to the serious erosion of the land around the quarry.
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