Charnley-Persky House Flood Restoration Work Complete

We are pleased to report that repair and restoration work on the Charnley-Persky House has been completed following flood damage sustained in August 2014. The walls and flooring in the house’s lower level have recently been restored, and the house is looking better than ever. Our thanks go out to the friends and organizations that contributed funds to assist with the restoration of the house, particularly The Richard H. Driehaus Foundation, Cynthia and Ben Weese, Alphawood Foundation Chicago, and Petersen Aluminum Coorporation, whose generous donations made all the difference in our ability to restore the house to the highest U.S. Secretary of the Interior’s standards.

In January, the walls of the house’s lower level, which includes a historic kitchen and tour center, were professionally cleaned to remove efflorescence. The walls were then plastered, sanded, and repainted. The lower level’s vinyl tile floor from a 1980s renovation was in desperate need of replacing after withstanding four episodes of flooding and periods of standing water. At the recommendation of restoration architect John Eifler of Eifler & Associates, terra cotta quarry tile was chosen as the most historically appropriate flooring for the area. We extend our heartfelt thanks to Daltile Midwest and its Regional General Manager Brad Capel for their generous donation of the quarry tile and necessary trim pieces to create the beautiful, new lower-level floor.

In February, SAH hosted a reception to thank the Friends of Charnley-Persky House and give them a view of the newly restored CPH. We invite you to take one of our Wednesday or Saturday tours to see the results for yourself. 

In April of this year, SAH received a multi-year general operating grant from The Richard H. Driehaus Foundation Fund at The Chicago Community Foundation. A portion of the grant is designated for landscaping and exterior lighting of the Charnley-Persky House. The process to select consultants for this work is now taking place. We thank The Richard H. Driehaus Foundation and the many other Friends of Charnley-Persky House for the generous donations that will ensure that the house will celebrate its 125^th anniversary in 2017 in renewed shape.