Four proposals to save the mansion were considered, with the winning bid submitted by Audrey Niffenegger, the author of best-selling novel The Time Traveler's Wife, who bagged a 40-year lease. The world-famous writer planned to reinvent the mansion as the Artists Book House, comprising a library, bookshop, arts studio, and cafe.

However, in January 2023 the Artists Book House withdrew from the project due to lack of funding, following a three-year attempt to revitalise the building.

https://www.cityofevanston.org/about-evanston/arts-and-culture/harley-clarke-mansion