HP_022119

4 | February 21, 2019 | The highland park landmark news
hplandmark.com
City postpones decision on Central Avenue home
Hilary Anderson
Freelance Reporter
The City of Highland
Park’s Historic Preservation
Commission postponed
its decision on
granting or denying a Certificate
of Appropriateness
(COA) for an alteration
to the landmark William
Walter Witten house at
1014 Central Avenue, at its
regular monthly meeting
on Feb. 14.
The Commission uses a
list of standards by which
to evaluate requests for
COAs and makes a finding
based on those standards.
Capitol Senior Housing
Development bought the
house and others in the
surrounding area. All were
razed except for the Witten
House because of its landmark
status.
The developer proposed
removing the parquet
flooring and woodwork in
the house—the proposed
alteration.
Witten, a woodworking
craftsman, made the flooring
pieces and first used
them for the dance floor at
Chicago’s 1893 Columbian
Exposition. Witten removed
the flooring pieces
at the end of Columbian
Exposition and placed
them in his house.
The developer’s plans
included rehabbing the removed
flooring and woodwork
and replacing the
historical pieces in a public
area in its new Highland
Park Capitol Senior
Housing Development.
That brought discussion
from the public about the
1985 landmarking of the
house with its reference to
the house’s parquet floors
and woodwork.
One question was
whether taking out the
flooring and woodwork
would affect the house’s
landmark status.
Some comments followed
about whether
landmarking a house can
include its interior or only
the exterior.
John P. Green, principal-
Groundwork, Ltd. and
whose client is Capitol
Senior Housing, gave an
overview of historical research
his team did about
the Witten house and the
condition of its basement
and original flooring
upon which he placed his
uniquely designed wood
pieces.
Capitol Senior Housing Development has purchased several homes in the area surrounding
1014 Central Ave., and has razed all of them except for 1014 Central Ave.
due to its landmark status. Erin Yarnall/22nd century media
That led to a discussion
about the possibility of
moving the Witten House
to the end of the HP Capitol
Senior Housing property
or some other place.
“It would be a travesty
for the community if the
house was demolished,”
said HP resident Sharon
Dershin who once lived
across the street from
the house. “It is a stun-
Please see home, 27