A survey of Park Ridge's oldest neighborhood found 121 homes with architectural integrity and 10 that may qualify for national landmark status, a preservation expert told the City Council.

Erica Ruggiero, a lead historic preservation specialist at Evanston-based McGuire Igleski and Associates, presented the preliminary findings at a council meeting. The Chicago Tribune first reported the presentation Oct. 20. It came roughly a month after the council voted unanimously to impose a six-month moratorium on establishing new historic districts.

Community Development Director Drew Awsumb invited Ruggiero's firm to present ideas for future preservation, according to the Tribune. Ruggiero focused on the L. Hodges development and adjacent parcels, Park Ridge's earliest subdivision, first laid out in 1873. A grant funded the survey.

193 homes, varied styles

Ruggiero surveyed 193 homes in the area. Most date not to the 1870s but to a local housing boom between roughly 1890 and 1930, the Tribune reported. She said 89% of the homes fit a recognized architectural style, including Craftsman, Queen Anne and Colonial Revival. Ruggiero described the subdivision as "a blank canvas" that gave early homeowners freedom to build in varied styles.

Of those 193 homes, 121 had what Ruggiero called architectural integrity. Ten are eligible for national historic landmark designation, she said. The survey recommends the city take steps to preserve the homes as historically or architecturally significant.

Ruggiero also said some neighborhoods outside the studied area could qualify as historic and deserve further study.

Moratorium looms over next steps

The council took no vote on the presentation. It was informational only.

That distinction matters. On Sept. 21, the council voted unanimously to pause new historic district designations for six months, according to the Journal & Topics. Some alderpersons objected that the existing process allowed homeowners to effectively pull neighboring properties into a district, the Journal & Topics reported. City leaders also worried preservation efforts could stifle development or limit homeowners' ability to modify their own homes, according to the Tribune.

The concerns surfaced during approval of the Spanish Town Historic District, Park Ridge's first. The council approved Spanish Town on a 6-1 vote in September, minus one property that had prompted the petition in the first place. The designation gives homeowners in the district access to tax breaks and preservation grants.

Alderperson Joseph Steinfels asked Ruggiero whether homeowners in the surveyed area had been notified of the historic value of their properties.

"It's up to the city or the municipality to take it further if you would like," she said.

The survey will eventually be published as an interactive web map, according to the Tribune.