Restore Sensible Preservation

Our historical districts effectively lock our housing supply in amber, preserving what was, as it was, 50-100 years ago.

Though we respect historical preservation for truly historical architecture, we do not support such preservation for entire neighborhoods. Almost half of the single family homes in Oak Park are covered by historical districts.

The purpose of these districts was to prevent the construction of new multi-family homes, and they were formed entirely as a reaction to the changing racial makeup of Oak Park.

The Frank Lloyd Wright district was formed shortly after Oak Park passed and began to enforce its own fair housing ordinance, which, for the first time, allowed Black people to move into Oak Park in significant numbers.

The Ridgeland district, whose founding documents praises the advent of 'stucco' dozens of times, was founded in response to the 1980 census, which showed a dramatic increase in the Black population of Oak Park.

Historical districts also stand as a layered barrier against zoning reform. Even if zoning is amended to support missing middle housing, the Historical Preservation Commission would need to approve any new housing. It is unlikely that they would approve demolition of, or significant additions to an older structure covered by the district.

Bulks preservation of entire districts of housing is an exclusionary practice founded in racial animus and it should end. We advocate for a return to preserving specific buildings of architectural significance.