Cairo Association of Teachers - Newsletter

CAT Tracks for June 22, 2009 SHOTGUN HOUSE

Restoring architectural history

By Adam Testa, The Southern

CAIRO - Many people have questioned - and even doubted - whether Jim Schmidt and Toni Lettiere will be able to finish restoring a 100-year-old home on the city's main drive within the next seven weeks.

But the two Southern Illinois University Carbondale architecture seniors don't seem to mind.

"That just makes us want to make it even more," said Lettiere, originally from Oak Lawn. "We're going to get as much done as we can with the zero amount of money we have."

Restoration of the home, located at 2910 Sycamore St., began as part of the Preservation Summer workshop, a collaboration between SIUC's architecture and history departments and several community organizations. The program ended Friday, but Schmidt and Lettiere will continue to lead the project and are looking for volunteer assistance.

Bill Black Jr., a Paducah architect who has been supervising the project along with SIUC architecture associate professor Robert Swenson, said while many in the city may view the house as an eyesore, it's actually a historic treasure worth saving.

"It really is a sound house," he said. "Most of its problems are ones we can solve."

Priorities for the project team include repairing a front porch, repainting and restoring the exterior, and fixing a sagging roof. For parts of the structure that need to be replaced, the team has tried to use materials as close as possible to the originals.

Schmidt said the opportunity to work on a historic home offers a chance to take the learning process a step beyond the classroom setting.

"In class, we're learning about ways things are done now, but we're starting to learn how they built things 100 years ago," he said, adding that combining these techniques can help improve architectural design in modern society.

Bill Harrell, a Cairo resident and one of the organizers of the grassroots Vision 2020 program, said he has seen more people taking pride in their historic homes lately.

"It could be a way of lighting the fire," he said. "We've had a lot of people come up and say they want to have their house done."

While the architecture students have been working on restoring the home, which will be occupied by the Cairo Chamber of Commerce upon completion, a group of SIUC history students have been working under the leadership of Rachel Malcolm Ensor to trace the history of the house and the city.

Anyone wishing to volunteer with restoration efforts will be able to find Schmidt and Lettiere at the house between about 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. on weekdays for the next seven weeks.