Preservation group to learn about restoring old windows

View Larger Local More Local Stories US & World More US & World Stories Local Stories from ThisWeek More Articles By Mark Ferenchik The Columbus Dispatch Thursday March 12, 2015 6:04 AM

The quaint Dutch colonial revival house in Columbus Westgate neighborhood is being renovated, with new drywall, new sinks, new vinyl flooring and kitchen countertops.

But no new windows. Though it would be easy to install vinyl replacements, a group of young preservationists will learn this weekend how to repair the wooden windows in the 90-year-old house on Binns Boulevard.

The Young Ohio Preservationists, a year-old group, has formed a partnership with Homes on the Hill, the local nonprofit that redevelops and builds houses for low- and middle-income residents on the West Side.

Homes on the Hill acquired the Binns Boulevard house from JPMorgan Chase last year. The house was in foreclosure, and Chase donated it.

This weekend, the house will be a workshop. Volunteers from the Young Ohio Preservationists, affiliated with Heritage Ohio, will learn how to install weatherstripping, repair weight ropes, replace broken glass and apply glazing techniques.

The house has 14 windows. Repairing the windows will cost about $2,500, including the training, while new vinyl windows would run $4,500 to $5,000, said Steve Torsell, Homes on the Hill executive director.

Just as important, the work will help maintain the character of the house in a neighborhood that prides itself on just that.

We celebrate that, said Betty Jaynes, president of the Westgate Neighbors Association. We have a lot of people who are moving to this area, who embrace these older homes.

Torsells niece, Rebecca Torsell, is a member of the young preservationists group and looking forward to its first project.

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Preservation group to learn about restoring old windows