Actor-comedian Dick Van Dyke's childhood home in Illinois will be brought down if efforts to save the dilapidated building from demolition prove unsuccessful.
City officials had no idea of the significance of the Danville house when they voted to condemn the property in December last year, three years after its last owner died, but it has since been discovered the "Mary Poppins" star spent his high school years in the pad after his family relocated from Missouri, reported Fox News.
Van Dyke, 89, admits he is upset at the prospect of the house being knocked down as he has fond memories of his time in Danville.
"I was sad to hear it. That's where I spent my whole childhood and so did my brother (actor Jerry Van Dyke). I have a lot of great memories there."
Van Dyke isn't the only youngster who used to hang around the property who went on to find fame.
"My best buddy was Bob Hackman, Gene's uncle. Gene used to hang around with us and was a lot younger and we used to say to him, 'Why don't you find your own friends?' I saw him years later and said, 'Gene, if I would have known you would have been such a big movie star, I would have been a lot nicer to you!'"
Van Dyke said he would be interested in helping city officials restore his childhood home, adding, "I'd like to know if it's fixable. Then, maybe we can do something... Danville is my home and I do still care."
Mayor Scott Eisenhauer is keen to have the home rehabilitated, but only if the city gains ownership from the family of the deceased.
