11/06/2026
Are you enjoying the trial and error fun of the Steamport Manor restoration? Do the parquet floors perk your interest? Do the chandeliers catch your eye? Does your heart ❤️ skip a beat at the sight of our green glass hearth?
If you 🫶 love what we're up to here are some active, highly watched historic home restoration projects that are being passionately brought back to life by dedicated private stewards:
🏛️ Illinois Restorations
Rawleigh Mansion Restoration (Freeport, IL): Built in 1908 for W.T. Rawleigh, this prominent 7,000-square-foot Prairie-style limestone mansion sat condemned and facing demolition. Purchased in mid-2026 by stewards Kurt Jacob Miller and Jen Zacharias, the property has officially been lifted out of condemnation. Initial work focuses on system overhauls, exterior masonry cleaning, and reopening a historic back porch that had been enclosed for 50 years.
Bruch-Guertler House (Alton, IL): This unique 1854 Neo-Gothic stone cottage was hand-built using limestone quarried directly from the local Mississippi River bluffs by master German stonemason Ignatz Bruch. Stewards Yvette and James Paris stepped in to save the structure from catastrophic structural failure. Current projects include complex roof stabilization, framing new interior joists, and meticulously uncovering and restoring original window sashes long hidden behind drywall.
The Wild House (Sycamore, IL): Known historically as the George Wild House, this 1869 Victorian estate was purchased in 2025 by owners Dave and Nicole. Taking it over as an intact estate complete with its historic contents, they are executing an unhurried, purely historical DIY restoration. Efforts have focused on massive baseline infrastructure updates (water, sewer, and boiler lines) alongside highly specific preservation work like tracking down period-accurate 1890s lighting fixtures and oil-finishing 160-year-old attic flooring.
🌳 Iowa & Michigan Restorations
Drake Hall at Bradley Gardens (Centerville, IA): Originally commissioned in 1908 by wealthy banker D.C. Bradley, this massive Gilded Age mansion features a highly rare architectural blend of Arts and Crafts style with distinct Anglo-Japanese interior motifs. Stewards Kyle Shiroma and Gerhard Spillmann are currently reversing decades of commercial use. While keeping the interior craftsmanship intact, a massive component of the project is taking place outdoors across its 1.3 acres—reversing a 1960s gravel parking lot to rebuild the once-famed historic rose lawns and event gardens.
The Iron Victorian (Howell, MI): Formally known as the Greenaway-Ballard Mansion, this sprawling 7,000-square-foot 19th-century home gets its name from its original builder, pioneer blacksmith George Greenaway. After sitting vacant for a decade, it was acquired by Michael Pack and Cristy Mazaris. Operating as a multi-year, slow-design project, they are blending structural restoration—including unearthing original corbels and front porch framing pieces hidden in the garage—with a rich, maximalist interior style showcasing antiques and a greenhouse room.
