Housewalk will spotlight Tudor revival architecture in River Forest
From sunken living rooms to ceiling murals to timber beams, housewalk to feature the unique style

By Lacey Sikora

In search of a fascinating glimpse into this community’s architectural past? This year’s housewalk, put on by the Historical Society of Oak Park and River Forest, will spotlight examples of Tudor revival architecture in River Forest, and each of the estate homes offers unique insight into the style.

Kelly Kline, president of the Historical Society of Oak Park River Forest, started the housewalk eight years ago along with Jean Guarino to raise money for the not-for-profit community organization. “We have such a wonderful array of historic homes here in Oak Park and River Forest. It’s like a candy store,” she says. “You can’t touch the history and uniqueness of these two communities.”

Kline said the organization zeroed in on the Tudor architectural style because of its beauty, with plenty to choose from on the north side of River Forest. The tour will showcase five homes, four Tudors and a “unique Cotswold cottage.”

The Tudor style is defined by incredible use of details throughout the exterior and interior of the homes. Steeply pitched roofs, massive chimneys, decorative half-timber framing, leaded casement windows and herringbone brick give Tudors their distinctive curb appeal. In the interiors, timber beams, stone fireplaces, step-down livings rooms, wrought iron and interior arches continue the style.

Peggy Tuck, a board member with the historical society, notes that three of the homes on the walk were built by the Burma Brothers, builders who built many homes throughout the village.

“Most of the homes were built in the 1920s to 1930s,” she says. “When automobile use skyrocketed, the neighborhoods in northern River Forest became more developed as there was no longer a need to be so close to public transportation. The homes on the walk are good examples of this new era of building.”

On Franklin Street, two distinctive homes sit side by side. Oak Park architect Arthur Maiwurm designed 1036 Franklin in 1931, and the home has been meticulously restored by current owners Kathleen and Douglas Kurtenbach. One of its most impressive rooms is the library: a wood-paneled room that features built-in cabinetry and a ceiling that features hand-painted details from the Canterbury Tales.

Kathleen says that although most of the original details remained in the room, everything had to be restored.

“The Art Institute recommended a company called Parma Conservation to restore the mural on the ceiling and the mural over the fireplace,” she remembers. “Workers spent weeks on their backs with cotton balls, cleaning years of grime and dirt off the paintings. In addition to the paintings, we also cleaned and restored the original wood fireplace and the andirons.”

Kathleen notes the importance of looking up and down in Tudor design.

“Tudors are known for having a fifth plane: the four walls, plus the floor and ceiling. The walls in our house are original, restored plaster. In our living room, you see a common Tudor element, wooden beams. We were convinced they were really made of wood timbers, until we discovered that these original beams were actually made of plaster and faux-finished. In the entryway, the slate floors with their insets of black slate, are another detail often found in Tudors.”

Next door, the Tudor has a slightly more eclectic design. The home was built in the late 1920s, and according to Tuck, “with the predominance of lannon stone on the exterior and some chateau style elements such as the rounded turret, pepper pot roof and battlement-style wall in the rear, this home is a mixture of styles.”

Like the Kurtenbachs next door, homeowners Maureen and John Osborne enjoy a spectacular library. The walls appear to be wood-paneled from floor to ceiling, but on close examination, the “wood” is revealed to be amazingly detailed plaster work, much like the Kurtenbach’s living room ceiling beams. The library ceiling is decorated with a mural depicting the signs of the zodiac. More Tudor details echo throughout the home in the arched doorways, wrought iron balustrades on the staircase and the dining room’s plaster ceiling medallion.

Around the corner on Park Avenue, Michelle and Noel Moore’s Burma-built Tudor features a brick exterior and original banded front door, with a brass-covered peep hole. From the entry, visitors will enjoy the four arched entrances to other rooms in the house, a curving wrought-iron staircase, and a view of one of two built-in wall niches that decorate the staircase walls. The step-down living room — another feature commonly found in Tudors — includes the home’s original stone fireplace and two original sconces, which the Moore’s contractor was able to match to re-create the two sets that originally graced the room.

The Moore’s collection of antique furniture from different eras marries well with the Tudor style of the interior. Victorian eclectic furnishings predominate, with lovely examples in the dining room set, and Michelle’s dining room desk which features carvings of four faces meant to represent the four seasons. In the office, a burled walnut bookcase built around 1865 features black tear drop handles meant to honor the death of Abraham Lincoln. In the living room, an Irish pub table has barley twist legs that mimic the curve of the original fireplace’s scrolls. In every room throughout the home, the creative use of antiques imbues the setting with a distinctive personality.

from oakpark.com

Create own secret garden

Beauty may be in the eye of the beholder, but it’s the details that make the difference. So Mother Nature is delighted to get a helping hand in decorating these two urban retreats.

Lovingly framed with stone pavers and colourful bedding plants, this pond, top right, brings a calming, unanticipated forest element to a compact city yard. Water lilies drift casually across the surface; look carefully just at dusk, and you might even spot fairies using the floating greenery as stepping-stones. Or perhaps simply pour something cool and refreshing, grab the chessboard and pull up a couple of chairs at the wrought-iron table for an afternoon of friendly competition.

Tucked onto a terraced ledge amid foxgloves and heather, this seating area, bottom right, makes a tranquil getaway. A log bench, smooth and stained just enough to enhance the natural graining, reflects the grandeur of stately cedar trees directly behind. Whether alone or with your sweetheart, give in to the invitation to savour time in nature.

Vertical gardening: Make the most of minimal space

Lee Gugliada

No, today’s topic is not an April Fool’s joke, but an evolving trend brought on by efforts to maximize our increasingly smaller gardening spaces, while creating outdoor “rooms” that extend and enhance our entertaining areas.

The inclusion of an arbor to your landscape, one type of vertical gardening, does more than just provide additional growing space. It adds visual appeal and becomes a focal point in the garden. Many factors must be considered when choosing an arbor, most importantly, where it will be placed.

In the back yard an arbor encompassing a bench can provide a shady retreat for the gardener. In the front yard it becomes a welcoming feature, transitioning your guests from the public space at the curb to the more private area closer to your home.

In a small front yard, situate an arbor at the junction of the street sidewalk and your entrance walk, possibly with a gate, to indicate to guests that they’ve entered a more private space. A secluded seating area for relaxing with family and friends could easily be created in the front yard in the space between the arbor and your home.

If you prefer to site an arbor close to or attached to your home, it is important to consider one that complements the houses’s color and architecture. Whether you choose a white or stained wood arbor, or even a wrought iron structure, will depend on the style of your home.

Although some of us have very limited gardening space, with only a balcony within which to create our own special retreat, we still can enjoy the calming and meditative benefits of working with plants.

The addition of a tall, vertical shelving unit on a balcony brings the eye upward, as will the inclusion of a wall pocket planting container. Combining such a planting area with additional containers placed at ground level and some small pots on tables or benches can easily let you create a multi-level container garden.

Creating a living wall is the ultimate form of vertical gardening, especially when floor space is restricted to only two or three feet. There are various systems of planters on the market today featuring planting pockets or other prefabricated units.

In a sunny area, succulents such as Sedums, Sempervivums and Crassula, which need very little soil and water, are good choices.

An edible wall showcasing a variety of lettuces or combinations of herbs or trailing strawberries also makes for a stunning vertical element. Combining Impatiens, Begonias and shade-loving herbaceous foliage plants would be suitable in an area with less light.

Creating a focal point wall as a feature in a small garden, courtyard or garden room can make a bold statement and effectively demonstrate the value of “Gardening Up.” Be sure to take advantage of all layers — bottom, middle and top — by incorporating plant material, art work or other design elements throughout the composition.

We all have utilitarian areas in our gardens, with items like air conditioners or barbeques that are eyesores we’d like to make disappear, or at least blend in better with their surroundings. Using finely textured plants such as a grass like Miscanthus, or vertical plants such as Euonymus, can soften the unattractive feature more effectively than plants with large, bold leaves.

Fences, while often necessary, are many times bare, devoid of greenery, offering little beauty or charm to an area. Adding a vertical gardening feature like a series of wall planters or a wooden or wrought iron decorative trellis, is an easy way of decorating and turning unused wasted yard space to your advantage.

For a wealth of information and ideas on this topic consult Susan Morrison and Rebecca Sweet’s new book “Garden Up: Smart Vertical Gardening for Small and Large Spaces” (Cool Springs Press, 2011).

This beautifully illustrated book features many inspiring before and after photos, along with suggestions sure to help you make the most of your outdoor living space.

from SILIVE.COM

English Village undergoing more changes

By NATHAN BRUTTELL

A sign that warned visitors using the English Village lot that they could be towed is gone and a fresh smell of paint are two more changes in what is expected to be many at the once vibrant Lake Havasu City tourist destination.

Nathan Bruttell/News-Herald Photo Volunteers Bob Walter and Mona Hester help paint the wrought-iron gate at the entrance of the English Village Thursday afternoon. Volunteers are painting the gate all week as part of restoration projects in the area.

Volunteers with the Visitors Information Center began putting a fresh coat of gold paint on the wrought-iron gate that marks the entranceway to the English Village this week. The gate, which originally stood as part of an English palace, was brought to Lake Havasu City decades ago. Volunteers previously painted over the gold color in a separate project a few years ago — but visitors and volunteers alike say they are happy to be a part of the restoration project this week.

“It’s absolutely wonderful. It’s just gorgeous,” said visitor Mary Lou Carlson from Minnesota. “We come down here almost every year and this is much better. It really is gorgeous.”

Visitors Center volunteer John Kendig said he was originally a part of the group that painted the gate black.

“This project is just dear to my heart,” Kendig said. “I’ve lived here 44 years. I remember the way it used to be, and it will probably never be that way again, but this is a start to get people thinking about this place again.”

Kendig said those looking to volunteer to help paint could come to the gate as early as 10 a.m. today. Those with questions are asked to call the Visitors Center at 855-5655.

English Village parking lot property manager, St.Louis-based Virtual Realty Enterprises, removed a sign that previously warned Havasu Landing Resort and Casino patrons from parking in the lot. Chemehuevi Indian Tribe Chairman Charles Wood confirmed Wednesday Havasu Landing signed a new lease to reserve spaces in the lot. Wood said the group originally held a $4,000-per-month lease for spaces when Meritan owner Chris Read ran the lot.

Paul Sharpe, VRE Development Partner, said Thursday he was happy the group could come to a new agreement.

“We have resolved that issue,” Sharpe said. “The tribe, after being aware of the magnitude of the cleanup — because we’re making major improvements in the parking lot — agreed to pay a little more rent for their patrons as a contribution to that effort.”

Previously, customers would typically use the spaces to park vehicles and take the Dreamcatcher boat across the lake to Havasu Landing. But that lease expired when VRE representatives took back the title earlier this year after Read failed to make payments on the property.

CVB president/CEO Doug Traub said earlier this week he was pleased with VRE’s management of the property.

“They’ve taken major steps to improve the look of the area,” Traub said, adding that the CVB’s Visitor Information Center in the English Village has seen record sales and customers in the last two months. “They’ve made major cosmetic improvements from landscaping to the bathrooms and I even understand they’re going to resurface the parking lot itself. They’ve made good on everything they said they’d do for us. The cleanliness and upkeep has never been better.”

from havasunews.com

Lake at Golfcrest 4-bedroom for sale

by Matt Pelc

A four bedroom, 3.5-bath home at 2504 Golf Ridge Creek in the Lake at Golfcrest is listed for $229,990.

One of our most desirable homes features a newly designed second floor that is sure to please. An elegant foyer opens to the formal living room and study. This home is located on a cul de sac homesite with a covered back patio. Beautiful wrought iron spindles enhance the upstairs walkway showcasing the living room.

The upstairs game room is great for entertaining guests. The master suite is secluded downstairs for privacy. Other highlights include stainless steel appliances, granite countertops and security system. This home meets the EFL Platinum criteria and Windstorm certified.

from houston.blockshopper.com