New owners, modern touches keep historic homes vital
Historic preservation groups provide a great service to their communities in keeping historic structures and homes in the forefront and, in many cases, saving them from the wrecking ball.
In other cases, people who want to buy homes from the 1800s and provide modern twists will, on occasion, run into a lot of resistance from those passionate about local history. The same can happen when a developer wants to create a business, hotel or restaurant in a place that preservation groups hold dear to their hearts.
The compromise, these days, seems to be finding a way to keep the historic structure somehow intact to complement or be part of a new structure.
Our cities have many examples of this. Geneva's Herrington Inn, Patten House Restaurant and Geneva Bank and Trust have utilized this game plan. Much of Batavia's municipal complex and nearby businesses are part of buildings that fed historic windmill and World War II munitions businesses, or the former Dunbar Kapple warehouse.
Though it didn't work out over the long haul, St. Charles tried it with the Piano Factory Mall in converting the old Howell plant into a retail mall for a few years, before eventually giving way to the Brownstone townhouse setting.
On the residential side in St. Charles, we have noticed excellent additions put on The Chamberlain House, an 1854 structure at the corner of Third and State, while a block away at 304 Cedar Ave., new owners Edward Snyder and Annette El-Sherif look to be putting plenty of renovation and sweat equity into the 1841 Dunham Hunt House they purchased in late 2013 from the city.
The St. Charles History Museum operated the Dunham Hunt House, which is considered the oldest brick house in St. Charles.
When these old places that mean so much to a city get some new TLC, it helps keep the past a vital part of the present.
Sad, poignant timing
How strange it was to be thinking about all of the families that lost kids in the horrific Orlando nightclub shooting, then opening my mail to see a book by Rod Mebane, a Geneva father who lost his daughter Emma in July of 2011 when she died in her sleep.
"Tributes to Lost Children," a snapshot of how 147 families have honored their children who have passed away, hits home for so many, whether a child is lost through illness, accident, violence or suicide.
In publishing the book, Mebane states in his opening dedication that he hopes that "aspects of this report bring some measure of comfort, peace or renewal" to those who have suffered such a loss.
The book, available through StarshineGalaxy.org, was definitely written and conceived long before the Orlando tragedy, and maybe some others, but the message holds true for all - and its timing is poignant, indeed.
Pit stop for air
It's fairly easy to know what to do when noticing the tires on your car need some air. Some stations still have free-air pumps, others have pumps that request money for a certain amount of time.
But what if you are peddling your bike along the trails and the bike tires are obviously low on air?
A new air station for bikes near the pedestrian bridge in Batavia, located near the City Hall complex, appears to solve that problem for those riding in that area along the river trails. It's the work of the Batavia Bicycle Commission, and obviously it can't put these units all over the area, but the station does ease the minds of bicyclists in knowing where such help is located.
Sugar Grove sports bar
Sports bar fans will have another option soon, if things move along as planned for owner Jim Ratos and his Burnt Barrell Inn across Route 47 from Waubonsee Community College.
The new restaurant, expected to open later this year if ground is broken during the summer or fall, at Waubonsee Drive indicates that some development will begin to take place in that region.
It's just a matter of what types of businesses would find being close to the college to be an advantage.
Golf or tennis, anyone?
TriCity Family Services set aside its annual golf outing fundraiser during the recession, but it is looking to get it revved up again.
Those interested in the Monday, June 27 golf and tennis event at Eagle Brook Country Club in Geneva can sign up at any time, including as a walk up the day of the fundraiser.
It's always better to sign up in advance, of course. You can do so on the agency's website for the 18-hole scramble, lunch and dinner at $150 per player; the tennis event and dinner at $60 per player; or the dinner only at $50.
dheun@sbcglobal.net