Letter: ‘Landmarking’

This date’s issue (Jan. 18) of the Record, p. 18, requests county residents to apply for historic renovation awards to the 5-member Historic Preservation Commission appointed by the county.

We residents should be grateful for the voluntary efforts of the commission in evaluating award applications. May they be kept busy!

This is a welcome change from a decade ago when the board of County Commissioners approved the ordinance allowing a supermajority vote to “landmark” buildings over owner’s objections and require them to restore buildings as directed at owner expense. Can this still be done?

Those owning older buildings also face insurance costs due to Illinois/insurers requiring buildings to be rebuilt “as originally.” In my case, a quarter-million 1847 farmhouse is charged $4,000/year because it may cost $2 million to rebuild. The result is I dropped my insurance. It will not be rebuilt if extensively damaged. And the possibility of “landmarking” is part of the reason.

The new commission might help with these problems.

Alphonse I. Johnson

Lisbon