It was in 1997 that Tom and Kelli Kline purchased this 1887 house at 209 South Grove in Oak Park, Illinois. In a nutshell, the place needed some work. But it had potential. The building still retained much of its original fabric, and even better, the local Historical Society had in their archives some historical photos and other information.

Kelli, who works at the Historical Society of Oak Park and River Forest, did the research and planning necessary for the couple to undertake a first class restoration. One bit of research led her to descendants of the original owners and they still had some old photographs. The Klines used one old photograph to reproduce the original front veranda - others to reproduce the top of the original chimney, which was missing. On the exterior, they stripped the paint from all the old wood that was retained, and used similar materials to replace the shingles and whatever else was needed. For cost considerations, they chose not to reproduce the original cedar shingle roof, but instead, used architectural asphalt shingles that mimic the cedar ones.

This is not their first home restoration. They restored a house in Delaware where they lived prior to moving to Oak Park. Kelli and Tom, who works as the External Communications Director for Whirlpool Corp., were prepared to do a lot of the restoration work themselves. But they were not afraid to hire out to other skilled tradesmen when the work required it. The result, so far, speaks for itself. After three years, the Klines are only about half way through with the restoration, but they are patient and conservative because they know that, to do a first class job, it takes time.