Landmarking Lost

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These twin buildings in Oak Park stand side-by-side. The condo board for the building on the left decided to replace their windows with vinyl-plastic windows, and wrapped their exterior wood trim with aluminum. The building on the right repainted the exterior trim and installed storm windows. Later, the condo boards for both buildings independently applied for property tax relief, available to owners of Landmark buildings.

The condo owners for the building on the left were shocked and dismayed when their application for tax relief was rejected, because they had damaged the historic character of the building by their actions. The owners of the right-hand building are reaping the tax savings because they proceeded carefully and thoughtfully, realizing the inherent value of the original windows and vintage wood trim.