Hinsdale Home Won't Be Torn Down, But It Was Advertised As Possibility

HINSDALE, IL – Like many Hinsdale houses, one on Clay Street had been marketed as a teardown possibility.

In 2021, Rene and Gus Wonais bought the house at 232 S. Clay St. for $615,000. The Wonaises have no interest in demolition.

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In the spring, the couple asked for a village subsidy. So have the owners of another house. The Historic Preservation Commission recommended both.

Under a 4-year-old village incentive program, homeowners can propose things such as rear additions while keeping the historic character of their houses.

In return, Hinsdale grants property tax rebates, building fee waivers and sped-up processing of applications.

By contrast, the village has a slower, more involved process for reviewing proposals to demolish historic houses.

For the Clay Street house, the Wonaises are seeking a $9,000 subsidy to help pay for the replacement of the inoperable windows in the enclosed front porch. The new windows, they said, would fit into the home's character.

"We have spent the past several years going room by room, making improvements to the house so that we can enjoy our senior years near our children and grandchildren," the couple said in a letter to the village. "Although it is a smaller home compared to many in the area, it proudly sits on the corner of Clay and 4th Street directly across from St. Isaac Jogues Catholic Church and has been an original cornerstone to the area since 1898."

If Hinsdale approves the subsidy, it will rebate its portion of the Wonaises' property tax bill.

The other house, built in 1926, is at 633 S. Washington St. The owners want to replace a back addition that was built in the 1990s. The new one will be more consistent with the home's historic Tudor Revival architectural style, according to the owners.

The owners, Denise and John Noell, who are seeking a $10,000 subsidy, hired architect Richard Olsen, a historic preservation commissioner. He recused himself from taking part in the panel's discussion and vote.

Olsen said the addition would be relatively modest, totaling about 400 square feet, according to the meeting minutes.

The Village Board plans to review the subsidy requests at its meeting Tuesday.