'Nefarious Game' By Hinsdale Builders, Realtors: Official

HINSDALE, IL – The chairman of the Hinsdale Historic Preservation Commission had pointed words Wednesday about a prominent architect, builders, real estate agents and even the village government.

The commission held a meeting on whether to permit the demolition of the historic house at 425 E. Eighth St., on the village's southeast side.

After Chairman John Bohnen refused to allow a vote, the demolition's opponents and the owner's representatives left. They included architect Michael Abraham and Julie Laux, owner of Hinsdale's J. Jordan Homes.

Commissioner Shannon Weinberger said she was happy to see the room was full.

"I don't think I have sat here with a room full of activists. That says we're moving forward," she said.

Bohnen said that sometimes a town must lose monumental houses before historic preservation efforts gain traction. That was the only good result from the recent demolitions of key historic houses, he said.

He said when he received the meeting packet about the proposed demolition, he felt the commission was being taken advantage of.

"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," Bohnen said.

Bohnen couldn't be reached for immediate comment Friday.

He suggested a "nefarious game" was happening between certain builders and real estate agents.

"They have been preying on us. Maybe that day has come to a screeching halt," he said.

He also had critical words about other players in the village government.

"There had been some mishandling of a moratorium on teardowns by the Plan Commission, causing a lot of furor in the town. A little too much legaling on the part of our village attorney," Bohnen said. "A lot of things caused more problems than they solved. And the effect was a lot of vitriol in town."

He said it took too long for the village to create a program of incentives for owners to preserve, rather than demolish, their homes.

"Guess that's government. What are you going to do?" Bohnen said.