Heritage Restoration has been accepted as the historic restoration contractor to restore Reddick Mansion in Ottowa, Illinois. This home, built in 1858, is one of the largest private residences in Illinois that predate the civil war. The first Lincoln-Douglas debate was viewed from its galleries. This exterior restoration will consist of the refinishing the over eighty window panels, cleaning of the historic glass, and abating of the lead paint.

Press Release:

The Reddick Mansion Association (RMA) is pleased to announce that the exterior restoration of the building will begin this spring. “After more than 18 months of determining what needs to be done, working with professionals, meeting with architects and contractors, we are ready to start the largest and most costly restoration the Mansion has ever had done,” said Steve Meyer, RMA board member and co-chair of the Restoration Committee.

As part of the restoration, the RMA has signed contracts for more $1.2 million worth of work. Anne Sullivan, of Sullivan Preservation, LLC, is the RMA’s preservation consultant for the project. Sullivan did the Historic Structure Report (HSR) for the Reddick Mansion approximately 5 years ago. This document was the starting point for the evaluation and determination of what work needed to be done. The Ottawa-based Basalay, Cary and Alstadt Architects are the architects of record for the project. Matt Lamps and Angela Kalsto from that firm have been and will continue to will work closely with the RMA and the contractors on-site to guarantee all work is completed correctly.

The general contractor who is also the certified lead paint abatement contractor is Heritage Restoration and Design Studio out of Peoria. IL. The asbestos removal work will be done by Valor Technologies, Inc from Bolingbrook—a specialized asbestos removal company. According to Stephen Berlinger, principal of Heritage Restoration and Design (HRD), “We are excited to begin this project. After learning how important this building is to the history of Ottawa, we are looking forward to completing the necessary and important repairs required for the preservation of this historic structure.” During the past 35 years, HRD has worked on more than 25 private and public buildings in LaSalle County including St. Columba Church, the Third District Appellate Court building, Zion Lutheran Church, First Federal Bank of Ottawa and St. Bede Academy. In 2017, as part of another specialized project, HRD restored all the historic millwork in the Unity Temple in Oak Park, IL.

Weather permitting, work should begin in late March or early April and, according to Meyer, “We hope to have the exterior work completed before the snow flies.”

“After one and half years of preparation, we are excited to see all our efforts come to fruition,” said Lorraine McCallister, president of the RMA. “We are anxious to see the scaffolding in place and the work begin,” she added. The Reddick Mansion, at 100 W. Lafayette Street, was built in 1858, and is listed in the National Register of Historic Sites. It is open to the public for tours and also has meeting/reception rooms available for rent for special events.

Further Details can be found in the article below:

https://www.mywebtimes.com/2019/02/26/reddick-mansion-to-begin-1-2m-restoration-in-spring/ahfkfv3/