This Historical Society Takes a Hands-On Approach

When Maura Ona’s century-old Victorian house burned down in the Richmond Hill section of Queens, she had a choice to make: Put up a quick-and-easy brick modern structure on the old lot, or rebuild the house in the mold of the original.Located amid the dozens of other Queen Anne Victorian homes in Richmond Hill, she said she “owed it to the neighborhood” to rebuild the original. She needed help, though, the kind of help only the Richmond Hill Historical society could give. Unlike most historical societies, Richmond Hill’s is not focused on searching out documents and photos about the neighborhood. Instead, its members are devoted to the restoring the hundreds of old and often decaying homes in the neighborhood.Led by the founder and former president Ivan Mrakovcic, the organization meets each month to discuss such varied topics as methods for cleaning old wood, places to find antique wallpaper, and how best to strip asbestos siding from old walls. The society greets new homeowners with a “goody bag” that comes with catalogues of information on original-looking fixtures and places to find period antiques. It even includes two door hinges.For Ms. Ona and her family, the society offered the able assistance of Mr. Mrakovcic, an architect by trade, and help during four long years of coping with contractors and regulations from the Department of Buildings. The process took so long that by the end of that period, the house sold for triple the 1995 purchase price of $285,000.They used the money to buy a smaller Victorian home in the same neighborhood.Even the most enthusiastic restoration hobbyists in the neighborhood conceded that much of the gains come from the increase of real estate prices in New York City. But realtors in the neighborhood say restoration can add as much as 10% to the value of a home, or even more if the original building was considered decrepit.The area was first settled by the Dutch about 300 years ago. A lawyer named Albert Man purchased in 1869 much of the land that became Richmond Hill and nearby Kew Gardens. He planned the community and named it and began selling plots in the 1870s. The expanding middle class, mostly descendants of German and Irish immigrants, were quick to buy them. The area became a bustling village in the early 1900s, when the Long Island Railroad established a station there, making an easier commute to Manhattan.Nearly all the houses were designed and built by a Norwegian architect and engineer named Henry Haugaard. According to the president of the historical society, Nancy Cataldi, Haugaard built more than 1,000 houses in the Richmond Hill-Kew Gardens neighborhoods by 1900. His trademark bay windows, spacious front porches, and multicolored shingling became symbols of the community. His remarkable career ended when a contractor, believing he had been cheated by Haugaard and his brother William, shot both men. Haugaard was saved when the bullet intended for him hit a cigarette case stored in his front pocket. He fled to upstate New York and then disappeared from recorded history until his death in 1936 in California.Except in cases where owners took special care, many of Haugaard’s houses have become run-down, renovated beyond recognition, or even demolished. The Richmond Hill Historical Society’s mission is to help new owners restore their homes and to protect the houses still standing.In addition to the goody bag, the society invites lecturers and retailers to an annual expo for home restoration hobbyists, and they connect buyers interested in restoration with historic homes. And Mr. Mrakovcic has found that when there’s a discovery at one home, the rest are sure to follow.Two of the original members of the society, Thereza Rodriguez and Lourdes Marzan, were near their house on 109th Street when they noticed some of the asbestos siding had come off. They tore off a few of the tiles and discovered much of the original wood shingling intact. At a cost of $80,000, they spent the next year ripping off siding and restoring the original shingling. Once it was noticed, other homeowners followed suit, taking off the siding and making discoveries of their own.The society has lately started to insert itself in development issues. Residents have started to fight for their preservation goals against the development of large-scale apartment buildings, or what Ms. Cataldi calls “ugly brick boxes.” The society has organized two approaches. First, it would like to secure historic status for the neighborhood to slow down any planned destruction. Second, it would like to have the area zoned down to prevent construction of multifamily residences. The first community board hearings to discuss down-zoning are planned for later this month.

This Historical Society Takes a Hands-On Approach

This Historical Society Takes a Hands-On Approach

More from the New York Sun

Trump-Nominated Judge Appears Skeptical of White House Press Ban, Promises Swift Ruling

Young Blood and High Stakes: Snedeker Gambles on Rookie Jackson Koivun at Presidents Cup

Getting Rid of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps and the Houthis Is Better Than a Diesel Export Price Control Ban

Inside Gaza: Hamas Sends Children To Test IDF on New Frontline

‘Neria Needs a Miracle’

Britain Reappraises Its Global Retreat

China-Watching Means Watching China’s President Xi for Signs of Ill Health as He Arrives for Summit with Trump

Has Social Media Killed Pot? Teen Marijuana Use at Historic Low

More from the New York Sun

Trump-Nominated Judge Appears Skeptical of White House Press Ban, Promises Swift Ruling

Young Blood and High Stakes: Snedeker Gambles on Rookie Jackson Koivun at Presidents Cup

Getting Rid of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps and the Houthis Is Better Than a Diesel Export Price Control Ban

Inside Gaza: Hamas Sends Children To Test IDF on New Frontline

‘Neria Needs a Miracle’

Britain Reappraises Its Global Retreat

China-Watching Means Watching China’s President Xi for Signs of Ill Health as He Arrives for Summit with Trump

Has Social Media Killed Pot? Teen Marijuana Use at Historic Low