Talk of the Town - A little elbow grease December 12 2001

Twenty years ago when Tom Jennings moved into Grant Park, he and his partner purchased an 1886 boarding house with dreams of renovation. Now the house is the centerpiece of the neighborhood, inspiring neighbors to rejuvenate their own homes, and kicking off the gentrification and beautification projects that transformed Grant Park.

Pioneers in the neighborhood, Jennings and his partner Tony Raffalovich continue to beautify their home, making sure the Queen-Anne style structure remains consistently authentic inside and out.

Filled with stained glass, Raffalovich’s original artwork, a unique collection of crystals, rare hand-cut glass lamps and unusual antiques, including a cedar armoire and organ from the 1800s, the house doesn’t bear the slightest resemblance to what Jennings originally purchased.

First, Jennings began by restoring the outside of the home to its original state, modeling it after photographs from the original owner’s descendants and from a book of Victorian-style architecture. After adding a large wrap-around porch, he hand-cut gingerbread style molding to accent it. Original doors and windows were found in the attic. He chipped away the painton the stairs by hand, slowly refinishing them to their natural beauty. Then the real work began.

The couple completely gutted the house, ripped out dirty carpet and linoleum to display the original heart pine floors. Together they even rewired the electricity and plumbing. Hand-crafted molding was Jennings’ next step, dramatically altering the home’s atmosphere. Once the interior was refinished, Jennings decorated the home with his personal antiques.

Almost as impressive as the home itself, is that the retired French teacher did all the construction and decorating without professional assistance.

More than just a perfect restoration, Jennings and Raffalovich’s home is an inspiration to neighbors.

“People first saw this house being done, saw us putting on the front porch, the trim, and lots of residents became excited about their own homes,” says Jennings. Now there are dozens of fully restored structures throughout the area.

“People coming into the neighborhood need to know that most of these homes have had a lot of work done to them,” says Jennings whose original purchase price was $17,000.

“It’s not just the pleasure of enjoying the fruits of my labor, but watching the whole area grow,” he says.

“Grant Park is a perfect example of the new urbanism; people are always walking their dogs, kids in strollers — this is one area where you don’t feel at all isolated,” says Raffalovich.

A major chain grocery store and other developments planned to open within the next year promise to create a self-sufficient ‘hood.

Jennings and Raffalovich are proud forbears of Grant Park’s present resurgence.

“How could we leave this picket-fence neighborhood? We love just being at home, knowing our neighbors, and enjoying our beautiful home,” says Jennings.??