The Gifford Park Association has posted photos of the homes (see the homes) to be featured in this year's Historic Elgin House Tour. The GPA does such great work. It would be nice to see them have a permanent home (how about the one above?) and a full-time staff member so they can qualify for grants that require it.

The permanent home of the GPA would also double as a museum and resource center for people who want to learn more about historic house preservation, and more specifically how they could go about the process of rehabbing their own homes or other property they have their eyes on. There could be exhibits and staff or volunteers can act as informal consultants to people looking to restore their historic homes. I think it would be a very important community resource.

One side benefit is that they can reduce neighborhood density by converting one huge house that has a half dozen renters into an office/museum. The house would also be an important standardbearer throughout the neighborhood and city, representing the potential beauty of each historic home.

And imagine how much more inspiring it would be to hold GPA meetings in a grand historic house rather than Elgin High. I hope to see this happen in the coming years.