Home improvements are possible despite historic district restrictions, several preservation experts told a small group of residents of the proposed Oakton Historic District on Saturday.
The meeting was the second in a three-part series on living in a historic district, held at Evanston Police Department’s Howard Street Outpost, 633 Howard St.
Architect Ellen Galland said that in her experience going before the Evanston Preservation Commission to get projects approved, the concerns of neighbors often make the difference.
“If a neighbor doesn’t want (the project) to happen, it rarely goes through,” she said.
However, Galland added realtors should be “more positive” about selling homes in historic districts because neighbor objections are rare and making changes to the homes is not difficult.
Ross Bismark, who runs a roofing company, said it’s easy to take care of tile roofs, which are common in older buildings. District requirements may prevent people from replacing these tile roofs with lower-cost alternatives.
“The thing about tile roofs is they are expensive,” Bismark said. “They are extremely expensive.”
Maintenance is routine but not taxing for tile roofs, and the cost may be worthwhile because these roofs last about 100 years and look good, Bismark said.
“They look amazing when they’re done right,” he said.
Byron Wallace of Restoration Works Inc. in Kankakee, Ill., told the residents restoring old windows is easier to have approved and often preferable to replacing them. He said older windows use more durable wood.
“You can have everything you want through restoration,” Wallace said.
Oakton Historic District would be bounded by Oakton Street to the north, Howard Street to the south, Ridge Avenue to the east and Asbury Avenue to the west. It would be Evanston’s fourth historic district.
Barbara Gardner, chairwoman of the preservation commission, said the area deserves historic status.
“This is a very cohesive neighborhood,” Gardner said. “The houses that are in this district are of finer quality than any other houses in town.”
The final meeting in the series will take place June 8 and will focus on how historic district status affects property values.
