Lombard designates 143-year-old house a local landmark
A Lombard home built in 1875 - one of the last vestiges of the village's early history in the heart of the downtown - has been named a local landmark.
Village trustees on Thursday night awarded the landmark site designation on the sage-colored, gable front house, a conspicuous monument to the past between a condominium complex and restaurants on the north side of St. Charles Road.
The property owners, Tom and Cynthia Masterson, submitted an application to Lombard's historic preservation commission in April seeking the status.
The Mastersons, who did not attend the village board meeting Thursday, own the neighboring Tudor-Revival building that houses Bricks Wood Fired Pizza and also successfully petitioned the village to make that 1920s-era structure a landmark.
The designation for the two-story, 1,039-square-foot house to the west - one of the original buildings that formed Lombard's downtown - adds an additional layer of scrutiny should the Mastersons or a future owner want to make any major changes to the building.
With the status, the village recognizes the historical value of the home that has occupied it current address for nearly 140 years since it was moved from the south side of St. Charles Road.
A 2014 historic survey of more than 100 buildings in Lombard noted that Conrad Fabri, a harness maker who emigrated from Germany in 1871, appears to have been the home's original owner. Fabri ran his harness shop from the basement of the house, which stayed in the family until 1946, according to the survey, commissioned by the village and completed by architect Douglas Gilbert.
In their review, historic preservation commissioners found that Fabri also served on the village board.
The landmark site designation applies to the exterior of the building on its current property at 134 W. St. Charles Road.
The ordinance approved Thursday requires the homeowner to secure a certificate of appropriateness from the historic preservation commission before any significant exterior work other than maintenance or any proposed exterior painting other than the existing colors.
Today, the house is used as a single family home, considered a legal nonconforming property in the downtown.