'Complete Fiasco': Hinsdale Historic Panel Meeting Criticized

HINSDALE, IL – The proponents of the replacement of a historic Hinsdale house questioned the handling of their request at a meeting earlier this month.

At the session, the chairman of the Historic Preservation Commission refused to allow a vote on the demolition.

"The public hearing last night was a complete fiasco as I'm sure you are aware," Julie Laux, owner of Hinsdale-based J. Jordan Homes, emailed the village's planning employees on Dec. 7.

Laux said she wanted to make sure the hearing would resume Jan. 3.

"There was no motion made to ensure this," Laux wrote. "However, given that there was no vote (either yes or no), we are assuming that this is the case."

On Tuesday, Patch left a message with the village's planner, Bethany Salmon, to see whether Laux's assumption was correct.

Clarendon Hills architect Michael Abraham emailed village staffers later the same night of the meeting, labeling his message "Fun Meeting." He said he needed the details on commission Chairman John Bohnen's assertion that his design did not meet the village code.

Patch obtained the emails through a public records request submitted a couple of days later. The village provided the documents two weeks later.

Both Laux and Abraham have repeatedly dealt with the village on historic houses.

After Abraham left the Dec. 6 meeting, Bohnen told his colleagues, "For Mike Abraham to even think that the house is going to get built in this historic district shows his lack of understanding, so anyway, everybody got to go to school tonight."

Patch obtained the emails to the village through a public records request.