Gina Schaal's real world experience with Historic Preservation
Read the story in the Chicago Tribune printed Nov. 3 2006. The following snippet is from the article. The whole story is available through the Chicago Tribune website.
Staying In Character
"Gina Schaal, broker-owner of Circa Realty in Joliet, keeps a stack of brochures in her car for potential buyers who are considering buying a home in a historic district. A former resident of Joliet's Upper Bluff District, her home was listed on the national register but she lived just outside the district. Still, when she went to her local commission to receive a painting grant for her 1910 Tudor Revival, she learned firsthand about how picky some preservationists can be. She heard complaints about the paint colors she chose, and the fact that she wasn't going to replace the aluminum trim on the windows or take the old stucco off a chimney.
"There's always the few that go `No, no, we're not going to let this be easy,' " Schaal said. "It was like a parade of cars outside my house while we were painting. They were checking colors, checking how it was being done."
"People are very passionate about historic preservation," she said. "You may find you're up against people that are going to give you a hard time because they don't want that done in that neighborhood. It's a good thing in some ways, and it's a bad thing too. The values hold up as long as you know that old homes need care. It takes twice the patience, time and money."
Call me for a copy of the whole article if you have any problems finding it. Thanks for your interest!
Gina