Nominations Sought for Preservation Awards
The Oak Park Historic Preservation
Commission is now seeking nominations for the 2004 Historic
Preservation Awards Program. Nominations must be submitted by
April 9. Nominations are sought in four categories --
restoration, rehabilitation, adaptive use and additions. The
building need not be in an historic district, and may be a
single-family residence, apartment building, commercial
building, public/institutional building, religious structure or
manufacturing facility. Projects should have been created
within the past five years, and located within the boundaries
of the Village. The judges' decisions will be based upon
the Historic Preservation Commission's Architectural
Review Guidelines, which are based on the Secretary of the
Interior's Standards for Rehabilitation, as well as
considerations of contextual and design appropriateness.
Nomination forms are available at the customer service desk in
Village Hall, 123 Madison St., by contacting Community Services
at 358.5400 or by email at comsvcs@oak-park.us. A nomination form
also can be downloaded from the Village website www.oak-park.us -- click on
news, then the historic preservation button along the right
margin. Any resident, owner or tenant of eligible structures,
members of local preservation and historical societies, and
members of the Oak Park Community Design Commission and
Historic Preservation Commission may make nominations. Awards
will be presented in May in conjunction with National
Preservation Week. For more information call 358.5417 or email comsvcs@oak-park.us.
Landmarks approved
The Odd Fellows Hall, 812–818
Harrison St.
The Albert and Kittie Ernst House, 1023
Wenonah Ave.
Two buildings in south Oak Park were
recently designated as Oak Park Landmarks. The buildings are
the Albert and Kittie Ernst House, 1023 Wenonah Ave. and the
Odd Fellows Hall, 812-818 Harrison St. The Ernst House,
built in 1906, is a single-family wood frame structure that
represents a transition between the Queen Anne and Dutch
Colonial Revival styles. The Odd Fellows Hall, built in 1916
for a local chapter of a fraternal society, is an example of
the two-part commercial block, which house first-floor
storefronts, while the upper floor was for office use. Historic
landmark status is awarded to a property that meets certain
architectural or historic standards. Designation recognizes
that the property is significant to Oak Park and that its
historic character and architecture should be preserved for
future generations. Landmark status also brings eligibility for
tax incentives, as well as technical assistance and
architectural advice from the Historic Preservation Commission.
For more information call 358.5417 or email comsvcs@oak-park.us.
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Fires caused by electric space heaters
result in more than 160 deaths per year and cause $50 million
dollars in damages. Please follow these precautions:
• Keep
anything that can burn at least three feet away from heaters.
• Unplug
the heater when not in use.
• Never
leave an electric heater unattended.
• Never
use an electric space heater near water, in a bathroom or damp
basement.
• Don’t
overload wiring by using a lamp extension cord.
• Buy
only heaters with Underwriters Laboratories safety listing
label.
• Choose
a heater with a thermostat control that shuts down if the
heater gets too hot, a tip-over switch that turns the heater
off if it is knocked over and a grill designed to keep the
heating elements beyond the reach of children's fingers
or toys.