The Doings Newspapers, Thursday, August 23, 2001, NEWS 7 WS
by Jennifer Larsen
STAFF WRITER
Hard work and hours of research will not go unrewarded for home owners whose residences preserve the past , the present and the future, garnering them the 2001 round of the Western Springs Historical Society Preservation Awards.
Four homes are receiving preservation awards and one home is receiving the Good Neighbor Architecture Award for new construction. Judges David Choleviak, Lesley Gilmore, Jan McDermed and Patricia Rothchild chose winners based on preservation of historic materials and features defining each home's historic character.
The winners will receive plaques at the society's annual ice cream social, scheduled from 2 to 4 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 9, at the Tower Green.
Lisa and Pete Najarian purchased their Victorian home at 1018 Chestnut Street three years ago. The home immediately caught her attention, Najarian said, and the home's two-car attached garage was a welcome change.
"We lived in the city and there's nothing worse than walking in the rain, juggling a child and groceries with two dogs, trying to get into your house," Najarian said, adding the attached garage provides much-needed shelter from bad weather.
The house was built in 1892, Najarian said, and in the 1950s, wood posts on the front porch were replaced with wrought iron. The couple has replaced the wood posts, removed layers of wallpaper and repainted the home's exterior, she said.
The roof will be replaced this fall, Najarian said, and storm windows were made to complement the existing windows. The couple considered converting the attic to a master suite, but the work required removing the staircase, she said. Instead, the couple kept the attic to save the home's character, she said.
"I just love my home," Najarian said. "It's on the corner and I look out the kitchen window and look out at the church across the street. I just love the view."
The purchase of a 1901 Victorian house at 4312 Grand Avenue also was love at first sight for Holly and Jon Fraleigh. Immediately attracted to the old house. Holly said she and her husband jumped at the chance to purchase it three years ago.
"I think we saw it was for sale at 5 p.m. on a Saturday and put a bid on it Sunday morning," Fraleigh said.
Previous owners kept written records, Fraleigh said, reducing the need for research. The home is known as "The Red House" and once housed a winery, she said, adding a picture of the home appeared on the winery's label.
Exterior work has been confined to rebuilding a chimney and repainting, Fraleigh said, but inside nearly every room has been renovated and an addition was built on the back of the house.
"There was no room that has been untouched," Fraleigh said. "It's perfect, I'm going to die here."
Ann Porter thought her prairie-style home at 4804 Lawn Avenue was dreary when she first saw it in 1993 with her husband, Doug. An addition and a couple of coats of paint later, she said the house now is functional for her family.
The window trim was dark brown, Porter said, which added to the home's dreary appearance, and the interior had a small kitchen, living room and dining room. The trim was repainted and and addition to expand the kitchen and create a family room was built behind the home years ago, she said.
Marilyn and Tom Cahill purchased their 1930 Tudor home at 4118 Howard Avenue three years ago and immediately began an eight month restoration project which included replacing windows, painting and replacing broken panes. The home's steel windows attracted them to the home, Marilyn said.
"Tom and I really have a passion for restoration," Marilyn said. "our family's always had good memories in historic homes."
Unlike the other home owners, Clare and Bert Schafer's Tudor-style home at 4921 Woodland is a new construction, so new the family just moved in the March (2001). The couple wanted a new home but did not like the look of new homes, she said.
The couple toyed with the idea of new construction for years and made their move after two of their children graduated from school. The home was built from a list the couple had compiled for years, and no small detail was missed, she said.
"We had an idea of what we wanted to accomplish, but didn't know about the style," Bert said. "We started in May and finished in March. Things went real smooth.
The couple credit architect Jeanette Graziano and Kenna Builders with creating the home they had envisioned and one that fit in with the surrounding homes.
"It's just all in the details," Bert said. We started with details and branched out out based on the size of the lot."
The Doings Newspapers, Thursday, August 23, 2001, NEWS 7 WS