Historic Preservation Awards: Frink cited for restoration

Compared with some of the projects receiving awards from the Rock Island Preservation Society, Robert Frinks rebuilding of a front porch along 30th Street may seem small.

It is not.

Porches are one of the most vulnerable parts of a homes exterior, and if extensive repairs are needed, owners often simply remove the porch, said Diane Oestreich, a member of the society. When that happens, a home is diminished, as is the entire block on which it sits.

At 2401 30th St., not only did Frink replace the porch, but he also did it right, Oestreich said.

The railings, deck and ventilated skirting under the porch were completely restored with new wood and then stained, and all of the parts are in keeping with the look and scale of the 1920s home, she explained.

Frink said that, for several reasons, he never would have considered removing the porch.

To a lot of people, (the neighborhood) is not that interesting, but to me it is very interesting, he said. Workmens cottages and period homes give the street a nice feel and he wanted to retain that.

Second, regardless of whether one sits on the porch, the structure benefits the homeowner by serving as a sound barrier. There is enough mass in the front that the sound is deadened, Frink explained.

Third, the character of the house needed it (the porch) to stay there, he said.

The porch columns were salvaged with rebuilding, but virtually everything else was replaced with new wood, including the custom-made skirting.

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Historic Preservation Awards: Frink cited for restoration