If you live in or around Kirkwood then you may have seen some signs popping up. They say either "Preserve our National Historic District" or "Protect Historic Kirkwood." They are red and white, Kirkwood colors, and revolve around 407 E. Argonne. Why you ask?
In recent years there have been a tremendous number of in-fill housing, where a builder comes in, tears down the existing home and builds a new home on the same lot. Most homes being torn down are small, old and not in the best shape. They are being replaced with bigger, brand new custom homes. The problem with this, among others, is that Kirkwood is slowing losing the smaller homes that are perfect for young families starting out and only leaving these huge million dollar homes. They also are tearing down, one by one, the historic charm Kirkwood is known for.
Here at Kuhn, we are in the business of preservation. We want to come into that old home and make it FEEL new again by renovating the kitchen and bathroom or adding square footage with an addition. For some homes all they may need is new flooring and some paint to make them look like new again! Kirkwood is BEAUTIFUL in it's history, so let's help keep it that way by supporting businesses that will preserve that natural beauty!
This is the house that sparked the "Protect Historic Kirkwood" campaign. This house was bought by someone who made it clear he wanted to renovate it, but then turned around and sold it to a builder for a profit. The neighbors have come together and offered the builder a purchase price higher than what they paid so that the builder would still make a profit, while the neighbors would be able keep the historic nature of their street. The builder turned down their offer and is proceeding with construction. This issue is what has caused the home owners in Kirkwood to come together and try to fight in-fill houses.
To give you a sense of the neighborhood that house is in I will include some photos of neighboring homes.
Isn't this neighborhood beautiful?
This is an example of an in-fill house. It's going to be nice, but it's so much bigger than the ones next door it just doesn't fit in, in my opinion at least.
We're not saying it's bad to buy a big new house, we're just saying, consider calling us to give you a bid on a remodel before you decide to tear down a house and rebuild from scratch! Let us convince you that preservation is the way to go!
written by: jodie allen
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