Organizations Urged to Come Together for Wadlow House Restoration

Our Daily Show Interview! Upper Association: Update on Wadlow House!

ALTON - Upper Alton Association Vice President Michael Batchelor urges the community to come together to repair the Wadlow House.

The Wadlow House is a historic Alton building that was damaged in last weekend’s storm when a tree limb fell onto the roof. Batchelor has been curious about restoring the home since he toured the property last summer and “saw how bad it was looking.” He is now asking community organizations to partner in the work to repair the house.

“Instead of just having one particular organization or group in charge of everything, we can get all the brokers back to the table,” he said. “I think we could easily work through all of these problems we’ve been having.”

Batchelor explained that the Upper Alton Association doesn’t have a “true connection” with the Wadlow House. Their “Rockin’ With Robert” concert series takes place near the house every summer, and so they “love it when the park looks great.”

But Batchelor wanted to take on the house’s restoration as a personal passion. He estimated it would take three years to complete, and then, eight months later, the storm further damaged the house last week.

“It was just an act of God on that one,” he said. “The fact that the entire thing did not collapse is what surprises me.”

The tree has been removed from the property, but the house has faced significant damage. Batchelor noted that the front received a “touch-up” by the Alton-Godfrey Rotary in 2012, but the back of the house is “rotted out” and needs considerable repairs in addition to the storm damage.

As far as Batchelor knows, the home is insured. He suggests that community organizations like the RiverBend Growth Association, Alton Main Street, or SIUE could come together with the Upper Alton Association to start the restoration process.

Since posting on social media about the storm damage, Batchelor said he has received more responses than he previously did about the house’s restoration. He hopes this encourages people to work together to fix the house.

“Those conversations are at least now flowing a lot quicker, and that’s because a lot of these people are finally coming to the table. But also, the eyes of the world are on them right now,” he explained. “Everyone wants to get it done.”

He added that Alton’s history is “one of the greatest things” the city can offer, and he argued it should be protected. He also noted that a lot of tourism is driven to downtown, but he encourages people to patronize and support Upper Alton as well.

You can visit the official Upper Alton Association Facebook page for more information about their beautification work and the “Rockin’ With Robert” summer concert series.

More like this:

Alton Alderman John Meehan Provides 5th Ward Updates, Reflects on City's Growth

Today

Alton Postpones Purchase Of Downtown Planters

Apr 22, 2026

Alton Museum of History and Art Faces Ongoing Closure and Repair Challenges

Mar 27, 2026

Alton Advances Plans For Planters Along Broadway

Apr 20, 2026

IDNR And NOAA Award Nearly $1 Million In Grants For Illinois' Lake Michigan Shoreline Protection And Management

Apr 20, 2026