Fox Valley Habitat goes historic with Elgin rehab
One of the Fox Valley's hundreds of foreclosed homes is receiving a major makeover, thanks to the sluggish economy and the generosity of a local company.
A 1920s-era home at 355 Ann St., just off Dundee Avenue on Elgin's near northeast side, will receive a new look, as the first historic rehab project undertaken by Fox Valley Habitat for Humanity.
The nonprofit, which has built 34 new homes since its inception, is taking advantage of slumped real estate prices and the offer of Mueller & Co. LLC in Elgin to bring the three-bedroom home back to life.
To help celebrate its 40th anniversary, Mueller & Co. is raising $75,000 toward the project, which is enough to purchase and fix the house, said Barb Beckman, executive director of Fox Valley Habitat.
"This is our first rehab project in the Fox Valley," said Beckman.
"We've always wanted to do rehabs as a way to revitalize older communities. This house met our criteria, with having three bedrooms and being in a decent neighborhood. It needs some work but not all that much, considering its age."
Mike Dixon, a preservation architect with Dixon & Associates Architects of St. Charles, responded to Mueller's call for help, and is volunteering his services in developing a new floor plan and other "fixes" for the property.
"The house is a fairly typical American Foursquare style and is in good shape structurally," said Dixon, who has done other similar architectural surveys all over the country, including in post-flood New Orleans.
"We'll renew the kitchen and upstairs bathroom, revamp some of the closets and try to rip out ceramic tile the previous owner installed on the first floor. The tile really doesn't fit with the character of the house, which has beautiful oak woodwork, an open grand staircase and several leaded (glass) windows."
Crews will also install a new roof, rebuild the front and back porches and repaint the original cedar clapboards, which are flaking deep blue paint. The home's backyard meets with the rooftop of the Elgin Car Wash, and will provide a new 355 Ann St. resident with views of downtown Elgin stretching to the west side of the Fox River.
Beckman said Habitat will also tackle quirky projects, such as the removal of a toilet inside one of the closets.
In addition to helping raise cash, Mueller is providing resources to Habitat -- such as Dixon -- as well as tradespeople and donated building materials and supplies. The company will also schedule 10 work days at the house in hopes of involving as many of its 110 employees as possible from Elgin, St. Charles and Oak Brook.
"I can honestly say Mueller is doing this because we really want to give back to the community," said Elaine Lameka, the firm's marketing director.
"We've been around for 40 years and the community has been very good to us. But we're not necessarily looking for a 'Kodak moment' and recognition for this," she added.
"Our biggest joy is in seeing our employees take pride in this, and doing it because it is the right thing to do."
Bill Klaves, Fox Valley Habitat's development director, said the nonprofit plans to invest a total of $155,000 into the property between acquisition and repairs. The home should be ready for a new family by the fall.
Once completing Habitat's extensive screening process, applicants can sometimes wait up to one year for a new home. Single-parent households must also donate 250 hours in sweat equity toward the property; a couple is required to donate 500 hours of sweat equity.
Applicants must also prove they can repay the home mortgage, which Habitat offers with a zero-percent interest rate.
Habitat's rehab at 355 Ann St. is one of the latest pieces of good news for the challenged Dundee Avenue corridor between Summit Street and Kimball Boulevard. The house is situated directly across the street from the Boys & Girls Club of Elgin's new 15,000-square-foot clubhouse scheduled to open in June.
A neighborhood association has also formed east of Dundee Avenue, and is working with the city, the Boys & Girls Club and Elgin Community College on constructing Elgin's first sculptural neighborhood monument sign.
When unveiled on June 28, the sign will commemorate the historic name of the nearby neighborhood -- the Settlement -- and will feature the names of 50 individuals, groups and businesses on commemorative bricks.
Bricks are still available by sending a $100 contribution, an 18-character inscription covering no more than four lines, and contact information to: The Summit Park Neighborhood & Settlement, P.O. Box 5380, Elgin, IL, 60121-5380.