January 15, 2020
Homes
Powered by the Oak Park Area Association of Realtors
Oak Park names preservation award winners
Home and business owners recognized for stewardship efforts By LACEY SIKORA
L
Contributing Reporter
ast month, the Oak Park Historic Preservation Commission awarded seven historic preservation awards to homeowners and business owners who tackled sizeable projects to improve their homes or businesses. Susie Trexler, historic urban planner for the village, said that each year the historic preservation award winners are chosen by a panel of professionals and says that this year’s panel was really excited about the nominees. “The winners are all examples of homeowners going above and beyond what was required,” Trexler said of the property owners who chose to renovate in a manner that upheld the historic character of the buildings. The award categories for 2019 included adaptive reuse, addition/new construction, rehabilitation and restoration. This year, the panel also included a Stewardship Award for the first time. Trexler notes that the Stewardship Award recognizes that there are several worthy projects in the village that were not major in scope, but which still played an important role in the historic preservation conversation. “These might not be giant, transformational renovations, but they are putting a lot of effort in over a period of years,” Trexler said. See PRESERVATION on page B6
Courtesy Oak Park Historic Preservation Commission
OLD IS NEW AGAIN: Steve Dorman and his team discovered that his porchless house at 326 N. Cuyler Ave. (at right) originally had an open front porch. Adding that porch back (above) transformed the home and won Dorman the village’s Restoration Award.
New year, new name, new look. Same amazing agency.
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