Diane (Ficke) Malaker with the Fabyan Villa in the background. Photo taken by Andrew Young, 1995.
When the Forest Preserve District of Kane County purchased the Fabyan Forest Preserve in 1940, they used the Fabyan Villa for staff apartments on the second floor with a natural history museum and nature center on the first floor. In the 1970s, the last staff moved out and the Villa remained closed and vacant for many years.
Friends of Fabyan, an organization started by Darlene Larson in 1979, worked with the District to reopen the Fabyan Villa Museum in July 1981 and they operated it until the end of that season. The following year, Marie and Ed Frasz were hired to be caretakers of the museum and live on its second floor. Ed passed away in 1983, but Marie remained at the Villa until her retirement in 1994.
At that point, the District had a difficult decision: hire a new caretaker or contract with another organization to operate the museum. Preservation Partners began operating the Fabyan Villa Museum on July 1, 1995, with Friends of Fabyan continuing to support restoration efforts. Diane (Ficke) Malaker, a recent graduate in Art and Architecture with experience at the DuPage County Historical Museum, was hired by Preservation Partners to be the Villa Museum's Director.
Thank you for reading! If this story interested, inspired, or informed you, please consider subscribing to our monthly e-newsletter so more of these stories come right to you!
SOURCES: "Villa Reopens Tomorrow," St. Charles Chronicle, July 24, 1981; Darlene Larsen, "Friends of Fabyan," Advocate (Fall/Winter 1994): 5; "The Fabyans' Vision on View at the Villa," Advocate (Summer/Fall 1995): 1.