After nearly entire rebuild, Finnerty house is on the market
The dormered two-story house with the new porch at Park Street and Evergreen Avenue in Arlington Heights looks much different from when it saw terrible tragedy in the spring of 2009.
The final renovations are being done on the three-bedroom, 2½-bath house that will be listed for $519,000, said Dina Skinner of Meritage Realty Group of Arlington Heights.
“It's all new construction, and you couldn't buy the lot and build a new house for that amount, said Adam Skinner, Meritage broker.
In Arlington Heights the words, “the Finnerty house speak volumes. In June 2009 a depressed Kevin Finnerty set a fire that killed him, his wife, Patricia Murphy Finnerty, and their 11-year-old son, Garrett.
Two other children, Bridgit and Pierce, escaped the blaze by climbing out an upstairs window. Today they live with their mother's sister and her husband, not far from their old home.
Giving the exterior a different look was the highest priority for Jennifer Murphy-Cazares, who with her husband, Jerry Cazares, is guardian of the surviving children.
The couple decided the house should be remodeled and sold, with any profit going to Bridgit and Pierce.
The tragedy will be disclosed to potential buyers, but only after they show they are serious by requesting a second visit, said Dina Skinner. She said she is seeking legal advice on how to handle disclosures.
Murphy-Cazares said altering the home's exterior and making it attractive is important payback to people in the neighborhood, who have supported the family so much and want to see a home that is not such a raw reminder of the tragedy.
When the Finnertys lived there, the brick on the home's rather plain front was painted white, and a picket fence outlined the corner lot.
Now, the brick has been sand blasted, the home gutted, remodeled and slightly expanded, and the fence is gone.
The post-World War II home was gutted and rebuilt according to a plan by Jean Reibel, a Mount Prospect architect. The main level of the two-story colonial is very open, and the large front room has a fireplace. A wide doorway leads to the dining area in the rear. On one side of that room is the kitchen that features cherry cabinets, and on the other side is a sitting area with windows on three sides.
The sitting area has a door on the front that leads out onto a flagstone patio in the side yard.
Finishes will include hardwood flooring, granite countertops and tile.
The second floor has three bedrooms and two baths as well as an attic over the attached two-car garage that could be expanded with dormers and finished as a fourth bedroom, said Adam Skinner.
The home is almost 1,600 square feet plus a family room in the basement.
Its location near downtown Arlington Heights and the train station as well as parks and public and private schools is a big plus, Adam Skinner said.
Dina Skinner wants to put a positive spin on the house, emphasizing the good that proceeds from its sale will do.
“There are angels in heaven who will bless this house because its sale is taking care of those children, she said.
And David Buenzow of KDH Builders, the general contractor who organized the many people, like the Skinners, who donated labor and materials or provided them at reduced prices, agreed.
“It's a labor of love pulling this back all together for the family, he said. “It's too bad it took such a tragedy to bring out such good in people.
The sale could bring some closure, said Dina Skinner.
“It's a final chapter for the children, she said. “When they see life and kids playing in the yard and happiness, it will help them.
Murphy-Cazares said Thursday the family is ready to be done with the house.
“I think for sure it will provide closure for the family and I think for the whole neighborhood, she said. “I think everybody on the block would benefit from seeing a fresh start.