Your home doesn`t need to be a Frank Lloyd Wright to find a place in the housing archives.
Just ask Jordan Maclay of Maywood.
Maclay and his wife, Mary, moved into their three-story brick home at 316 N. 4th Ave. in 1986. They thought their turn-of-the-century Queen Anne with stone trim and towers might be of museum quality, Mary recalls. ”I was amazed how wonderfully preserved the house was, and I wanted to somehow publicly recognize its significance and beauty.”
So the Maclays called the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency in Springfield, the government group responsible for surveying and monitoring historic preservation in Illinois.
The agency told them how to ensure their not-so-humble abode would receive the recognition and protection it deserved as a national resource.
Ann Swallow, who coordinates the preservation efforts of the agency, told the Maclays about the National Register of Historic Places, a nationwide listing of cultural resources deemed worthy of safekeeping.
Established by the 1966 National Historic Preservation Act and maintained by the National Park Service, the register has put more than 1,000 Illinois properties on its version of the endangered species list.
They range from entire districts, like Quincy Ill.`s East End and the Tudor Manor in Evanston, to the Spring Valley House in Utica, Ill.
Although older, well-established cities like Chicago, Evanston, Highland Park and Springfield have the most register listings, other communities, such as Quincy and Danville, are ripe with potential, according to Swallow.
”The communities with the strongest register showing are often those with the fewest development pressures,” she says. ”Towns that are viewed as development-poor are rich in preservation possibilities.”
The process
Although the wheels of government turn agonizingly slowly at times, those of the register move surprisingly quickly, says Swallow, who says it`s possible to get your home on the map, so to speak, in four to eight months.
The price tag for achieving landmark status doesn`t have to be prohibitive, either. Most of the expenses (film and film processing, copying and printing) are related to the nominating process. Swallow says the costs average $700 to $1,200.
So, if you think you have a historical or architectural jewel in your yard, what are you waiting for?
Here`s what you need to do:
– First, contact the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency regarding qualifying for a preliminary staff review, which requires an applicant to send in information and photos (including historical ones, if possible) showing a residence`s potential for nomination consideration. If the agency staff finds the property an apt candidate, the nominee will receive an application complete with instructions and sample nomination forms.
– Successfully completing a nomination form requires research into the history of a property-including its historical context, its architecture and authenticity (how it has been altered over time). An applicant must also provide interior and exterior photographs of the property that show its historical and/or architectural significance.
– Once the form is completed and returned to the agency, a property will be scheduled for consideration at the next meeting of the Illinois Historic Advisory Council, which comprises 15 preservation-minded architects, archeologists, historians and laypeople who meet quarterly to evaluate register nominations.
– If approved by the council, a nomination advances to the state historic preservation officer, who in Illinois is Michael Devine, director of the Historic Preservation Agency. The preservation officer has the authority to officially nominate the property to the register.
– If an application survives to this point, it is sent to the keeper of the National Register at the Department of the Interior in Washington, D.C., who has the final say-and 45 days in which to act-on the nomination.
– If neither the council nor the preservation officer approves the nomination, an appeal may be made to the keeper.
Swallow says she receives half a dozen calls every day from individuals interested in pursuing register listing; of those 1,500 or so calls annually, only 30 to 40 end up being declared landmarks.
A landmark in Maywood
In August, 1989, the Maclays` Maywood residence became one of them.
Jordan Maclay says he began to familiarize himself with the history of his house from the moment he stepped foot in it.
”Mary and I have always been preservation-minded, and I felt comfortable doing the research on the house myself. I freely admit, though, that I got a little advice from a friend,” says Jordan, referring to Susan Benjamin, an architectural historian from Highland Park. Benjamin is one of several historians on the Historic Preservation Agency`s list of consultants available to help register nominees.
Although a majority of applicants purchase the services (for a nominal fee) of agency-recommended architectural historians to help prepare nominations, about one-third, like Maclay, prefer to conduct the bulk of the research themselves, Swallow says.
”A sort of subculture of preservation-minded people exists to aid your search for information and in preparing the nomination form,” says Maclay, who began investigating the history and architecture of his home at the local library and historical society.
He also utilized the resources of the Chicago Historical Society. Another good source of architectural literature turned out to be the Burnham Library of the Art Institute of Chicago, he added.
From musty, old documents and original handwritten deeds, Maclay discovered much about his house and its original owner, Jacob Bohlander, he says.
Bohlander was a leading merchant and politician in turn-of-the-century Maywood and was village president when he built his home around 1894, Maclay learned. ”I discovered old newspaper clippings at the local library that dated back to the 1890s.
”One, dated July 23, 1897, mentioned Bohlander had installed electric fans in his home. Back then, that was front-page news,” Maclay says, laughing. That tidbit of news provided a clue to the age of his nearly century-old home.
Behind all of Maclay`s careful investigations was the desire to fulfill the register`s standards of integrity and significance. Districts, sites, buildings and objects are eligible for listing only if they meet these standards, which, although a bit ominous-sounding, are not unattainable.
What`s a landmark?
In fact, the standards are relative, says Swallow. A simple bungalow in Park Forest has the same prominence, by register standards, as a castle in Carmi, located 145 miles southeast of Springfield.
”Ninety percent of the nominations I review are of local significance,” she says. ”That means they`re unusual or important historically or architecturally within the context of their community.”
In fact, 59 percent of the register`s listings nationwide have local significance while 32 percent are state gems and only 12 percent are national treasures.
Before all else, says Swallow, a site worthy of consideration must display continuity, with ”integrity of location, design, setting and workmanship.”
In other words, it must still be in the spot where it was built, unaltered and in good condition.
”Even if a (residence) sits in the middle of modern skyscrapers, it can still be significant,” says Swallow.
”An old stone house whose natural beauty is covered by aluminum siding doesn`t qualify,” notes historian Benjamin.
The exception to the rule of integrity is when a property is significant because of its association with historic events or famous people, says Swallow.
The homes where Abraham Lincoln or Carl Sandburg were born, for example, would be historic no matter where they were.
But Swallow is quick to point out that all historical events are not created equal: ”A visit (to a property) does not constitute significance. If Abe Lincoln stopped for tea at somebody`s home, that`s not historically significant.
”On the other hand, if it turns out that Abe Lincoln signed an important document at a local residence, we`ll get excited.”
A structure may be architecturally significant for two reasons, according to Swallow. It may represent the work of a master architect or ”embody the distinctive characteristics of a type, period or method of construction.”
History in Schaumburg
The Paul Schweikher House and Studio in Schaumburg fulfills both criteria.
The one-story, flat-roofed residence of brick, redwood and glass is unique, Benjamin says. ”There is no finer residence in the Chicago area that better reflects the state of modern architecture during the 1930s.”
Owned since 1953 by retired University of Chicago physicist Alexander Langsdorf and his artist-wife Martyl, the property is located well off the beaten path, accessible only by Meacham Road. The 2 1/2-acre property is tucked into seven acres of wooded land owned by the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District.
Paul Schweikher, the architect who designed the home in 1937, is considered a master of modern Midwest architecture. Widely published and admired, he was the chairman of the architecture departments at Yale University and Carnegie Mellon University in the 1950s.
His house and studio, which owner Martyl Langsdorf calls ”the last of the prairie houses,” is truly that, and Benjamin says the property
”possesses high artistic values in and of itself.”
This architectural gem-48 years old when it made the register in February, 1987-merits an exception to the register`s golden rule, which states that no structure or property less than 50 years old will be considered eligible for listing.
Why 50 years?
Because, says Swallow, historians need the perspective such a period of time allows to see what structures have survived and evaluate those worth preserving.
The Langsdorfs feel the uniqueness of their wooded hideaway is something of a mixed blessing.
It is a blessing because it earned them landmark status before its time;
but, encroaching on all sides is a rapidly developing suburbia.
”It was with a sense of urgency that we pursued landmark status. We felt the need to protect our work of art,” says Martyl Langsdorf, who adds that she needs no reminder of the threat posed by the constant hustle and bustle of Schaumburg lurking just beyond the horizon.
Seeking protection
Swallow confirms that some people are motivated by necessity rather than prestige when they approach the register: ”Some individuals seek listing to take advantage of the limited protection it provides.”
Cities can condemn properties for development despite landmark status. However, the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency has a voice in these matters and will comment on the alteration or destruction of a register property.
On the positive side, says Swallow, 9 out of 10 projects requiring agency decisions ”are resolved to the satisfaction of preservationist and developer alike. One thing an agency recommendation can do is to stir up public interest and involvement in preserving a historic landmark.”
A perk that comes with register listing involves the property tax assessment freeze, which provides tax incentives to owner-occupants who sink at least 25 percent of their property`s assessed market value into
rehabilitating their homes.
In this program, property values are assessed and frozen for eight years at pre-rehabilitation level. After completion, valuation is brought back to market level gradually, over a four-year period.
Participants must demonstrate to the Historic Preservation Agency-through paid bills and canceled checks-that they have spent enough money and show, usually through before-and-after photos, that all completed rehabilitation is conducive to preservation.
The Maclays are late-comers to the tax program; since early this year they have been busy digging up receipts and canceled checks long forgotten, according to Jordan Maclay. ”We figure we can save $10,000 overall with the tax freeze. Since 1986 our property values have almost doubled.”
Both the Maclays and the Langsdorfs agree that the prestige and honor that come from register listing are benefit enough.
The Maclays have a bronze plaque in front of their house announcing their status, whereas the Langsdorfs have a certificate in their front hallway.
”It`s a matter of civic pride and public record,” Jordan Maclay says.
”Listing promotes the housing stock of other area properties and encourages community interest in preservation.”
If there is a drawback associated with register listing, says Martyl Langsdorf, it is the ”living-in-a-glass-house” syndrome.
”Early one cold, wet, winter morning a bus pulled up in our driveway and a group of determined-looking people started pouring out and heading towards the house,” she says.
As it turned out, these inquisitive visitors were architectural students from Canada there by invitation: ”They spoke earlier that month with my husband about viewing the house, but he marked the wrong date on the calander,” she recalls.
Quickly recovering, she invited the visitors into the house and started a fire in the huge stone fireplace in the living room, she says. ”First, I insisted they take their shoes off.
”Then, I ran about the house making five beds faster than I ever have in my life.”
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For more information on the National Register program in Illinois, write or call: National Register Coordinator, Illinois Historic Preservation Agency, Old State Capitol, Springfield, Ill. 62701. Telephone: 217-785-4512.
For general information about the program and whom to contact outside Illinois, call the Department of the Interior, Washington, D.C., at 202-343-9536, or your local or state preservation or historical society.
