There's a Taste of Chicago in a May Award Home

Tom and Jane Clayton have lived at 929 Prange Drive since 1973!

Prange gets little traffic so you might not have ever noticed this cute little Tudor revival home, which Jane rightly calls a doll house.  I love our diverse architectural styles so their home has always been a favorite of mine.  Jane and Tom also value our neighborhood's mix of architecture. And even more so, they value their great neighbors on Prange.

Tom enjoyed sharing a bit of his house's history:  the story of a previous owner's 12 year old son, who grew up to be a Pepsi executive, who flooded the basement when he was told there would be no swimming pool in the back yard.  I'm glad his parents were evidently able to channel his ingenuity.

Over the past two years,  they have restored the brick porch entry.   It sounds simple,  but it was a real challenge to match the brick and tuck pointing of the entry porch to the existing facade of the house.  And that's where the "taste of Chicago" connection comes in ... the "new" brick is Chicago yellow.  It is reclaimed from lost Chicago treasures, even possibly Chicago fire survivors.  They also added the second story shutters - original but stored away for 25 years - and railing to match details they found in an old photograph.   A new professional landscape of hydrangeas, rhododendrons, and boxwoods completes the picture.  It's a winner and worth a drive by or walk on Prange to see.

-- Pat Thomson