Landmarking our historic home
Historic home living
We have always chosen to live in historic homes. We appreciate the history and interesting architecture. Historic homes tend to be located near charming towns and parks, allowing for a very walkable lifestyle. Landmarking our historic home was easy and we learned some interesting facts in the process.
Over the years, we lived in a loft in a 1920’s converted factory (Chicago, IL), a 1920’s brick colonial (Oak Park, IL), a 1920’s Spanish bungalow (Long Beach, CA) and now a late 1800’s Italianate Victorian (Saint Charles, IL).
Our Victorian house has provided a home to many families for over a century. At one point, it was even a two-flat. The house was converted back to a single family dwelling at the time of our purchase. Unfortunately, in the process of all of these changes, some of the original features were lost. However, there is so much to love about the house including the 9-foot ceilings, 4 bedrooms, 2.5 baths, some closet space (unusual for the period), a small laundry room on the first floor and pocket doors. We also have a beautiful back porch and patio with an outdoor fireplace.
Living in a historic district
Our river front town is filled with so many beautiful historic buildings. We also have a wonderful History Museum. We chose to landmark our home despite its location in an Historic District. There are many landmarked houses in our town and there are several benefits to landmarking. First, it provides protection and makes it difficult for developers to tear down the home and replace it with a mini mansion that might crowd the lot. Old homes tend to add variety and character to a neighborhood that new construction doesn’t typically provide.
Several homes in our neighborhood have been demolished in recent years. Very sad. I remember driving home one evening and in a single work day an old victorian house in our neighborhood was gone. I had nightmares that night about our home being demolished and made the decision that we would landmark our home. It’s not 100% protection, but if the home remains in structurally sound condition, developers will have a tough time knocking it down.
When we recently repainted our home and replaced the porch surfaces and some of the siding, we were able to apply for a facade improvement grant. This helped us cover some of the renovation costs and allowed us to expand the scope of our original project. With some of the siding replaced, we were able to install a Tyvek barrier which has really helped keep the house warmer in our brutal midwest winters.
Landmarking our home
The process of landmarking varies by city. My hometown is very friendly and supportive. We were provided help with the landmark application and great material recommendations when we completed restoration work on the exterior of our home. Typically you need to provide information regarding the provenance or ownership of the property and house. Highlighting the architectural style and features that contribute to the historic value are important to the landmark application. I have provide the overview for our home at the bottom of this article. Most information can be found in library archives or through city fire maps and construction permits.
Some towns can be more limiting. Making landmarking difficult prevents people or scares them from purchasing historic homes. Our experience living in historic homes over the years has been nothing but positive.
Benefits of Landmarking
Owning a historic home allows us to be part of history as we serve as stewards of the Balis house. Receiving a facade grant for exterior restoration work was a benefit and it’s also rewarding to have our home featured on a Historic Museum walking tour. Significant renovations can also qualify a home for an historic tax freeze. We were able to leverage this benefit when we renovated the Queen Anne Locke-Marchialetti house converting it from a duplex back into a single family home and updating the kitchen and baths, adding central heating/cooling and landmarking that home as well.
The history of our home
The house was constructed circa 1892 in the Italianate style by William Balis. The structure is a clapboard 2-story house that features key Italianate characteristics, including, decorative trim under the cornice, tall narrow windows and a decorated bay window.
In 1885, William Balis bought the land from prominent St. Charles lawyer, Judge William D. Barry. Balis built the home on the property for his family. The home remained in the Balis family until 1923.
Mr. Balis was a developer in the area from 1911 to 1916 and created the William Balis Subdivision, located on West Main St. stretching north to Dean St. There were 19+ acres for future development.
Of note, three families owned the property/home for 110 years of its existence (Barry, Balis and Melson).
Summary provided courtesy of Tom Pretz.
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