Broadway Historic District

Amidst springtime's chirping robins in Rock Island's Broadway Historic District, don't be surprised if you hear a chorus of creaks, thumps, and shouts of amazement. Those are the man-made sounds of the neighborhood's annual Great Unveiling, a spring ritual for local volunteers who strip artificial siding off the exteriors of historic homes. In its fifth year, the event has mobilized a neighborhood, uncovered hidden architectural treasures, and provided a boost to individual homeowners starting improvement projects.

The Unveiling, organized by the Broadway Historic District Association, is held each year on one Saturday in mid-April. Typically, thirty-five to fifty neighbors pitch in to tear, pry, and pull siding off anywhere from four to eight houses. Aluminum, vinyl, steel, asphalt shingle, transite, fake brick composite, and even Permastone have been removed to expose original wood clapboard, friezes, decorative shingles, and other examples of nineteenth-century craftsmanship.

"It's great to hear the oohs and aahs when someone uncovers something special," Karen Williams, Broadway's (former) president, said. The overall effect on the five-block by six-block neighborhood has been no less dramatic. Between the annual event and the additional "unveilings" it has inspired, more than forty-five houses have been stripped of artificial siding in and around the historic Broadway District.

A lumber center in the late 1800s, Rock Island enjoyed a construction boom of - what else? - wood-frame houses. Italianate, Queen Anne, and Classical Revival styles dominated Broadway and adjacent neighborhoods. By the 1930s and 1940, however, artificial siding began to appear with regularity, sheathing one clapboard house after another.

Siding materials came in many different forms. The "look" of brick carried a sign of prestige and security. While a few of the wealthiest actually bricked over their Victorian exteriors, many other aspiring homeowners wrapped their houses in a thin layer of artificial brick. Two types were commonly nailed over the wood clapboard - rolls of asphalt-single style "bricks" and squares of cork-like composite "bricks."

While it seems a strange fad to us today, homeowners had a valid reason for seeking lower-maintenance alternatives: paint was not as durable as it is today. The imitation brick, when it was new, probably looked more realistic than it does now after nearly fifty years of wear.

Not everyone chose the brick look-alike to solve their maintenance woes. By the 1950s, metal siding became the fashion. The uniform, fresh-from-the-factory look, turned block after block of clapboard residences into rows of large boxes. The maintenance problem had vanished-at least temporarily-but along with it went the interesting architecture that defined the neighborhood character.

For the last ten years, the Broadway District unveilers have rediscovered some of the neighborhood's personality. Initially, Great Unveiling volunteers were sometimes disappointed at what they found beneath the siding. They often encountered only the "shadow" of ornate molding; decorative work was literally backed off many houses to prepare a smooth, flat surface for aluminum siding.

Organizers have since taken the element of unpleasant surprise out of the project. The association prepared homeowners by advising them about what they can reasonably expect to find under their siding. By comparing types and applications of siding and by comparing houses of similar design, experienced Broadway Association members can predict the amount of exterior reconstruction needed once the siding is stripped.

The condition of the wood clapboards is the main consideration. Organizers report that on three-quarters of the houses clapboard is found is very good condition. The remaining homes require scraping and caulking, with a few needing some boards replaced.

In its promotions, the association has used the question "What is your Siding Hiding?"- a phrase intended to conjure up images both good and bad. Besides hidden architectural detail, unknown problems can also be uncovered. Moisture build-up and water running beneath siding sometimes cause unnoticed rot, and eventually serious damage. But better to take action sooner than later, say volunteers.

There may be even other things under the siding. "Show me an artificially sided house," says one annual volunteer, "and I'll show you critters." Bird infestation is common, especially inside boxed-in soffits and eaves. Bees, wasps, ants, and other insects find a protected home in the gap between artificial siding and the wood clapboard. So do mice and their cousins, bats. Perhaps the most unwelcome but not uncommon residents are snakes. We find snakes, Williams said with a cringe, at least one place each year.

For those who argue that aluminum, vinyl, and other types of siding have their positive features, Broadway members point to technical reports that say otherwise. In a Washington Post story on January 27, 1979, the Federal Trade Commission observed that the purported energy efficiency of aluminum siding was so low as to have "little or no insulation value." The U.S. Department of the Interior reported in its Preservation Brief Number 8, "Aluminum and Vinyl Sidings on Historic Buildings," that keeping a house painted is usually cheaper than siding it. Properly applied, paint now lasts eight to ten years on average. Comparisons show that the high up front cost of siding does not save money in the long run.

One Broadway example proves that siding does not always increase property value as some claim. Six years ago, an 1870s two and a half story Italianate home received a costly siding treatment- an $18,000 job for steel siding and storm windows that boxed over the unique rounded windows of the house. While the values of nearby houses increased, this house sold two years later for $17,000 - $1,000 less than the cost of the exterior modernization. Neighbors claimed the house had no other major problems that would have brought down the selling price. Ironically, that steel siding, like most new aluminum and vinyl styles, displayed raised wood-grain effects, a poor imitation of the very material it covered up.

In addition to the architectural rediscovery, the Great Unveiling has offered unexpected rewards. The Landmarks Preservation Council of Illinois presented the Association with its Preservation Advocacy Award in 1993 for their diligence in what was characterized as "a barn-raising in reverse." The project, which has become a lively social event, has also fostered neighborhood pride and camaraderie. Perhaps the biggest reward is that the Unveiling continues as an annual event, a sign that Broadway homeowners keenly support preservation. The sound of the creaking pry bars is a hopeful harbinger that the Great Unveiling will continue to reveal Rock Island's architectural legacy.

Written by: Paul Fessler

Paul Fessler, a native of Rock Island, is employed as a community organizer in Davenport, Iowa. In his spare time he is a free-lance writer and a previous board member of the Broadway Historic (Area) District Association; he and his wife, Carol, have restored their Rock Island home, the landmark Cook-Pearce House.

Pictures from the article...

Undaunted by the challenge of removing permastone, a fabric meant to be permanent, tenacious volunteers chipped away at the siding. Pictured here is the satisfying result of the unveilers' springtime effort.

The siding on this two-story house hid many treasures. Rock Island's Economic Growth Corporation sponsored this restoration project, giving volunteers the financial boost necessary to purchase materials for renovation.

Stripped of its artificial siding, this Broadway home awaited the hammers and paint brushes of volunteer carpenters and painters to finish the transformation.

Broadway volunteers used a lot of elbow grease to remove not one, but two layers of artificial siding from this home.

Recent Great Unveiling

Volunteers from Broadway, Rock Island Economic Growth, and other historic neighborhoods gathered to participate in the "Great Unveiling". This annual event encourages homeowners to remove artificial siding from their homes.

This home at 1049 17 Street, a circa 1900 Queen Anne whose personality was obscured by a layer of aluminum siding, was one of the recent Broadway projects. Workers appeared with hammers and crowbars in hand to unveil the home. There were ooohs and aaahs as windows and decorative trim hidden for many years by siding were uncovered.

A ripple of pleasure went through the crowd of onlookers and volunteers as ornamental detail was revealed on the gable on the south fa�ade. It was in great condition. Shadows of the skirting, window drip ledges, and window ornamentation, which had been removed from the house in preparation for the aluminum siding, generated discussion of restoration and multi-colored paint schemes.

The high point was the revelation of the very ornate front fa�ade. The aluminum siding had buried intricate fish scale shingles, a starburst, and stylized relief decoration. The boxed-in front porch was reopened and a simple arch and original beadboard was discovered. The formerly uninteresting structure once again sparkled with Queen Anne personality. The discovery of lost architectural beauty and wood in good condition is the hope of each Unveiling. This home had an abundance of both!

After the "Unveiling" shows what a difference restoration and preservation can make in bringing a house back to the way it was originally designed.

Tips for a Great Unveiling

It may float like a butterfly, but it can sting like a bee. Aluminum siding (and almost any other type) is dangerous when dropped to the ground from twenty feet up. Following is a recipe for a successful program, ranging from safety tips, to morale-boosting ideas, to selling the idea to the community.

Volunteers must be careful. It is the responsibility of the clean-up worker on the ground to look up! The person on the ladder has little control over the pieces he drops. Hard hats are not a bad idea.

Only persons experienced with ladders should use them, move them, or climb on them. Never take both hands off the ladder in order to yank a piece of siding! Prying, tapping, and wiggling should work in most cases.

A few ladders are enough. No more than two per side of a house. Four on a house at any one time will get the job done.

Flat pry bars, sometimes called Wonder Bars, are the best tools. Ask volunteers to bring their own.

Gloves are necessary. Aluminum is sharp. So are the many nails that attach all types of siding.

Top down is easier. Because most siding is hunt starting at the bottom, take it off top row first. Lightly nailed siding of several varieties often falls off with ease when pried from above.

Plan your disposal. Recycling the aluminum helps pay for paint. Other siding will have to go in the trash. (In Rock Island, the Unveiling is held one week before the city's annual bulk-waste pick-up, a savvy way to avoid hefty waste disposal charges.)

Reward your volunteers. Snacks and soft drinks keep crews happy and working longer. A pizza party (or some other meal provision) afterwards is always welcome.

Call the media. This makes for great television. Newspapers are often looking for weekend stories, which by the way, is the best part of the week to get your volunteers.

Call on carpenters to advise homeowners as much as possible before, during, and after. While few houses in Broadway needed extensive reconstruction, nearly all required replacement of some trim.

Residual nails and their holes inspire much debate. A few nails may be pounded into the clapboard harmlessly. With many nails present, you will have to pull. Use that pry bar. Go easy to avoid cracking the wood. Small holes may fill with primer paint. Experiment. Larger holes may require filling. Exterior wood filler takes more work than caulk, but unlike most caulks, will be invisible once you apply primer and your topcoat of paint.

Take before, during, and after photos. These will provide some of the most dramatic examples and serve as strong visual arguments for historic renovation in your community.

By: Paul Fessler