Madison Home for Sale: Orginally designed by Frank Lloyd Wright mentor Louis Sullivan

Recently listed for sale one of the coolest homes in Madison, Wisconsin,

Carriage house, now a home, designed by Louis Sullivan, mentor of Frank Lloyd Wright and originator of the Prairie School.

113 Bascom Place.  Designed by Frank Lloyd Wright mentor and leading Prairie School architect Louis Sullivan in 1909 as the carriage house for the renowned Bradley House; it was converted to a home by noted Madison architect Hamilton Beatty of Beatty and Strang in 1932.  It was completely updated with reference

to the Bradley House by University of Wisconsin landscape architecture professor Sue Thering.  Today it is surrounded by maintenance-free natural landscaping of native plants, designed by prominent naturalist James Zimmerman.

Currently it is listed for sale and is a rare opportunity to own in University Heights, and is as care-free as a condo.  Has a one-bedroom sleeping loft, and one and a half baths, a completely new kitchen, and lots of storage.  For a private showing contact Realtor Geoffrey Gyrisco at 608-354-9456.

Brick wall extensions are characteristic of Prairie School architecture and the gable ends match those of the renowned Bradley House, confirming the long forgotten connection.

The Bradley House and its associated carriage house, constructed in 1909, are the work of Louis Sullivan.  Louis Sullivan certainly ranks as one of the 10 most important American architects, and among the 100 most important American artists of all fields.  Sullivan can be considered the creator of the Midwest-based Prairie School, and along with Frank Lloyd Wright, the pre-eminent practitioner. The carriage house and its association with Sullivan only recently has been rediscovered.

Based in Chicago, Sullivan, more than any other person, created the design of the modern skyscraper.  Sullivan is also noted as a designer of banks, one in Columbus being the only other work by Sullivan in Wisconsin.  Sullivan designed a wide range of buildings including the now demolished Chicago Stock Exchange as well as houses.  The Bradley House has a significant entry in Wikipedia.

Frank Lloyd Wright began his career in Sullivan’s office and even a casual look

Gable end matches that of the Bradley House, proving the connection between the two properties.

at the Bradley House shows where Wright gained much of design ideas.  In debates among scholars, some attribute much of the detailed design work on the Bradley House to Sullivan’s assistant, George Elmslie, a major Midwestern Prairie School architect in his own right.

Interior showing row of windows designed by Louis Sullivan, characteristic of the Prairie School.

The gable end of the carriage house matches that of the Bradley House and the brick wall extensions are a key element of the Prairie School design. The row of windows also appears to be part of the design of 1909.

In 1932, Hamilton Beatty, a locally prominent Madison architect converted the carriage house to a small residence.  The blocky

Modernist fireplace designed by notable Madison architect Hamilton Beatty

Dressing area designed by Hamilton Beatty

fireplace, square cabinets and book shelves are typical of Beatty’s modernist designs. Many blocky flat-roofed houses of the mid-twentieth century in Madison are the work of Hamilton Beatty. They reflect in a distinctive Midwestern way the work of internationally prominent modernist leaders, Le Courbusier in France and the Bauhaus in Germany.  The architectural firm of Beatty and Strang evolved into the current Strang architectural firm.  Many references can be found on Google.

The landscape to the south of the carriage house, looking very natural, is a

Maintenance-free landscaping of native plants by prominent naturalist James Zimmerman.

carefully created product of noted Wisconsin conservationist, James Zimmerman.  It is deliberately planted with native Wisconsin plants, such a trilliums, and is much respected in the neighborhood.  Many references to it can found on Google.

The new kitchen design is the work of UW landscape architecture faculty member Sue Thering, trained at Cornell University and Syracuse University.  It draws on elements of the Bradley House without attempting to exactly replicate them.  However, the

Kitchen designed by professor Sue Thering with reference to Bradley House and constructed with meticulous craftsmanship by Bill Muir Cabinetry

quality of the construction by Bill Muir Cabinetry and Construction is equal to that of the Bradley House; Muir is responsible for all maintenance and recent interior work on the Bradley House.  I believe that you will agree that in the recent work on the carriage house, the meticulous attention to every construction detail is matched on very few homes in Madison, even in the upper price brackets.

 

 

 

 

All the Quiet & Seclusion of Wisconsin’s Northwoods; All the Cultural Amenities of Madison

Prairie School influenced Mid-century Modern Home for Sale

Own a rare piece of paradise. 200 feet of glorious Lake Waubesa waterfront. 2.5 spectacular acres of private hilltop.

200 feet of Lake Waubesa shoreline

Set Among burr oaks, Prairie School influenced Mid-Century Modern home, unaltered design by notable Frank Lloyd Wright disciple John Steinmann. Secluded large lot neighborhood, surrounded by extensive natural areas, only 5 minutes from Beltline, 15 minutes from downtown restaurants, shops and entertainment of Madison. Cathedral ceiling, expansive windows, mahogany finish. Loads of storage.  (SF & acres per appraisal; house plan angled; measurements approx; buyer to verify.)

Set on crest of hill, house commands unparalleled views over Lake Waubesa

All the quiet and seclusion of Wisconsin’s Northwoods; all the cultural amenities of Madison; so much closer to Chicago.

For details google  or point your browser to www.GeoffreyHomes.com “Featured Properties”  or CLICK HERE.

It would be my pleasure to arrange a personal showing or provide further information.  Call or text me, Geoffrey Gyrisco, Realtor, KW Realty, Cell 608-354-9456.

The house was constructed to the specifications of Dr. Maxine Bennett, the first woman to head a department at a major medical school in the U.S., at the University of Wisconsin.  She was also a renowned mountaineer.  The house remains largely unaltered since Bennett’s ownership.

Cathedral ceiling, expansive windows, deck overlooking Lake Waubesa

As research has progressed on  Steinmann Architects, the significance of the firm has become apparent.  For example, one of the draftsman on the Bennett House had previously worked for Le Corbousier and returned to Europe to engage in a prominent architectural practice in Switzerland.  The house is regarded as one of the best home designs of the Steinmann firm.

Wrightian Mid-Century Modern with Prairie School Influence

 

Related articles

• Cultured Traveler: Touring Wright Buildings in Wisconsin (travel.nytimes.com)

Madison Waterfront Frank Lloyd Wright Style Home for sale with 200 Feet of Frontage

Prairie School home by disciple of Frank Lloyd Wright

Own a rare piece of paradise, 200 feet of glorious Lake Waubesa waterfront,  2.5 spectacular acres of private hilltop. Rarely available on the market is so much lake frontage with so much acreage.  Dry hill-top lot with easily walkable slope down to lake.  Set among burr oaks, true  Prairie School home, unaltered design by notable Frank Lloyd Wright disciple John Steinmann.  Many wonderful Prairie School details.

Located in secluded large lot neighborhood, surrounded by extensive natural  areas, only 5 minutes from Beltline, 15 minutes from downtown Madison.   Dock and boat included.  As secluded as a house in the North-woods, yet only minutes from all the

200 feet of frontage, 2.5 acres, rarely on market

cultural amenities of Madison.  Great place to relax, to entertain, to raise a family, for inspiration.

Has over 2,800 square feet,     3 spacious bedrooms,       2 baths,  2 car garage, attached by breezeway.  Cathedral ceiling, expansive windows, mahogany finish.  Loads of built-in storage.  Energy efficient window covers.  Priced at only $940,000, the property would command a price of over $1 million if it had been updated.

Dining and living room with expansive windows

Square footage & acres per appraisal; house plan irregular; measurements approximate; buyer to verify.

For a private showing call me at 608-354-9456.

Historic preservation as economic stimulous

Congressman Mike Turner, Co-Chair of the Congressional Historic Preservation Caucus, has introduced legislation to encourage homeowners to preserve homes of historical significance across the country. The Historic Homeownership Revitalization Act (H.R. 2555) extends the tax credit currently in effect for commercial property owners to families living in historic homes. This legislation encourages the maintenance and rehabilitation of buildings which exemplify the culture and heritage of our communities. Furthermore, the Act incentivizes new construction on historic buildings; creating jobs.

“Across the country there are a number of communities with aging homes, with homeowners unable to keep up with their maintenance. Extension of this tax credit ensures that the history of our neighborhoods and nation remain intact for future generations,” said Turner.

The Historic Homeownership Revitalization Act would create a 20 percent tax credit — up to $60,000 — for homeowners who make expenditures to rehabilitate certified historic structures (listed in the National Register and is located in a registered historic district) in a way consistent with the historic character of the home and neighborhood in which the home is located.

Given the current mood in Washington, this bill has a snowballs chance….. of passing.  If it were to pass, it would provide excellent, labor intensive, and much needed economic stimulus and provide re-investment in housing which has suffered from neglect in the Great Recession.

 

Stockholm leads in historic preservation, conservation, sustainable development

In 2010, Stockholm, Sweden, was selected as the first Green Capital of Europe. It is easy to see why. In almost every area that one can think of — transportation, sewage, heating, new development, historic preservation, assorted clean technologies — Stockholm has a model project to observe.

With 800,000 people, Stockholm is roughly double metro Madison, Wisconsin in size.  And in terms of historic preservation and environmental conservation and social adaptation to sustainable development, Madison lags way behind.  We could do more–a lot more–as this article in the Huffington Post shows.

Donovan Rypkema Provides Compelling Statistics on the Economic Benefits of Historic Preservation

Don Nelson reports that real estate and economic development consultant Donovan Rypkema’s recent presentation on the value of historic preservation was even better than expected.  Rypkema delivered his talk April 15 at the University of Georgia Chapel as part of the Preservation BBQ hosted by the Sigma Pi Kappa Honor Society and UGA’s College of Environment and Design.

Donovan Rypkema details historic preservation economic benefits: complelling studies and statistics

The guest speaker included some information from a recent report, “Good News in Tough Times: Historic Preservation and the Georgia Economy,” which Rypkema’s Washington, D.C.-based consulting firm, PlaceEconomics, conducted, but he also presented data from around the country on how historic preservation affected local economies.

For a summary of the talk by Donovan Rypkema, with many compelling and useful statistics, please click the link here to the column by Don Nelson’.

Madison, Wisconsin’s Great Neighborhoods

The August 2009 issue of Madison Magazine had this article on Madison’s distinctive and historic neighborhoods.

By Neil Heinen, Brennan Nardi, Shayna Miller and Katie Vaughn

Westmorland

Year Established: 1916 (the first subdivision plat filed)

Icons & Landmarks: Beatty & Strang International Style house, Frank Lloyd Wright–designed Usonian House, Glenway Golf Course, J.H. Findorff & Sons’ “Lustron” steel-built homes, Midvale Community Lutheran Church, Midvale School and Community Gardens, Queen of Peace Catholic Church, Sequoya Commons, Stone Pillars at Westmorland Blvd. and Mineral Point Rd., Otto Toepfer house, Village Bar, the annual “Weed Feed” invasive species recipe fest, Westmorland Park

Why It’s So Special: The new library at Sequoya Commons, a condo and retail complex that woke up the sleepy west-side neighborhood, is the busiest branch in the city, and residents are fully engaged in community, environmental stewardship and revitalization. With a neighborhood association that goes back almost seventy years, there’s a deep-rooted sense of appreciation and belonging that crosses generations whether it’s ecovolunteering, attending social events, enjoying the bike path, donating to the neighborhood health charity fund that raises $12,000 annually, or simply gathering with friends in the park or coffee shop. –BN

Williamson-Marquette

Year Established: 1857 (oldest home in the neighborhood)

Icons & Landmarks: Yahara River bridges, Marquette and O’Keeffe schools, Machinery Row, Orton Park. Brick wall advertisements: Gardner’s Purity Bread, King Midas Flour, Madison Candy Company. Festivals: Waterfront, La Fête de Marquette, Orton Park, Willy Street. Retail: The Kitchen Gallery, Rick’s Olde Gold, MadCat. Restaurants: Eldorado Grill, Weary Traveler, Jolly Bob’s, Lao Laan-Xang; Willy Street Co-op

Why It’s So Special: Known affectionately as “Wil-Mar,” the Williamson-Marquette neighborhood is a “forever ’60s” kind of place. With one sandal-clad foot firmly in the past and the other in the present, Wil-Mar has established itself as more than a crunchy ’hood. Whether you’re a young, hip urbanite or an old hippie, festivals invite everyone to celebrate, and residents depend on them to support the community. While we all love Wil-Mar for its eccentricities worn as badges of honor, businesses you won’t find anywhere else— Hempen Goods, Grampa’s Gun Shop, A Woman’s Touch and Ford’s Gym—are weathering the shaky economy, proving that funky or not Wil-Mar marches to a healthy, here-to-stay beat. –SM

University Heights

Year Established: 1893 (annexed by the city of Madison in 1903)

Icons & Landmarks: Olin House, home to the UW–Madison chancellor; the Gilmore House, built by Frank Lloyd Wright; the Bradley House by Louis Sullivan, the Elliott House by George Maher, Randall School, First Congregational Church

Why It’s So Special: Strolling through this neighborhood is literally a walk through Madison’s architectural heritage. Frank Lloyd Wright, Louis Sullivan, George Maher, Frank Riley, Alvan Small and others made their mark here, popularizing the Prairie style and also furthering the Queen Anne, Georgian revival, Tudor and International traditions. And look no further than the street signs—marking roads such as Van Hise and Bascom—for proof that the neighborhood developed in tandem with UW–Madison in the early twentieth century. –KV

Dudgeon-Monroe

Year Established: How about 1909 when Madison’s first gasoline filling station was built at Spooner and Monroe streets? The Dudgeon-Monroe Neighborhood Association was established in 1973.

Icons & Landmarks: Budd’s Auto Repair, Edgewood College (and the Pleasure Drive that runs behind it), the Southwest Bike/Pedestrian Path (or Bicycle Beltline to the locals), the “mini-arboretum,” Blessed Sacrament (“BS” to the locals), Temple Beth El and the Friends House, David Maraniss, the real Arboretum (or at least part of it), Mallatt’s and Neuhauser’s pharmacies, Michael’s Frozen Custard and the Laurel, Orange Tree Imports and Parman’s

Why It’s So Special: Are you kidding? Frozen custard, trustworthy car care, walkable, bikeable, pretty, practical and politically active with a football stadium on one end and the home of the Madison Opera on the other. You’re surrounded by Vilas, Nakoma and a cemetery with your own golf course. (Okay, you share the golf course.) You’ve got a good mix of businesses, outdoor recreation, restaurants, coffee shops, property tax bills and little red flags to help you get across Monroe Street. Life is good in Dudgeon-Monroe. –NH

First Settlement

Year Established: 1837 (Madison’s first residential settlement)

Icons & Landmarks: The Progressive magazine, the Isthmus newspaper, Essen Haus, Lake Monona, the State Capitol building, Café Continental, the Great Dane Pub & Brewing Co. (formerly the Fess Hotel), the Majestic Theatre, Marina condo building

Why It’s So Special: Whether it’s at the top of the Marina condos, a sidewalk table at Café Continental or even the Capitol rotunda, the First Settlement ’hood has some of the most amazing views in the city—all different, all special. Cosmopolitan in some parts and residential in others, this downtown neighborhood has one of the most urban slices of the city within its confines. Walking down King Street, it’s a bustling cityscape with high-end men’s shop Context, live band venue the Majestic Theatre, stellar sushi place Muramoto, cheeky gay sports bar Woof’s and chic cocktail haven Opus. Walk a block or two east and find peaceful, tree-lined residential streets with a lake view and a beautiful bike path thrown in. –SM

Tenney-Lapham

Year Established: 1850 (the year the first building was constructed in the area)

Icons & Landmarks: Annual Art Walk, Avenue Bar, Christ Presbyterian Church, 1909 Prairie-style City Market converted into apartments, East Johnson business district, Gates of Heaven public meeting house, James Madison Park, Lapham School and Community Gardens, Reynolds Park, Tenney Park and Locks, Tour de (Chicken) Coops, Yahara River Parkway

Why It’s So Special: From mansions on Lake Mendota to two- and three-story flats along the busy Johnson and Gorhman thoroughfares, you’ll find historic and contemporary housing stock of all kinds and people of all ages living in this close-knit community that organized its first annual neighborhood festival this summer. Residents are also raising $1.6 million for a beautiful new Tenney Park Shelter that hopes to open in time for the 2010 ice-skating season. –BN

Vilas

Year Established: 1889 and 1896 (annexed by the city of Madison in 1903)

Icons & Landmarks: Vilas Park, Henry Vilas Zoo, Bear Mound Park (also known as Vilas Circle); Lake Wingra, Edgewood College and Monroe Street lie along the neighborhood’s borders

Why It’s So Special: What kid wouldn’t want to grow up amid forests, houses painted a rainbow of colors, a lake, parks and a zoo? Indeed, Vilas has been a family-friendly neighborhood since developing as one of the city’s original “suburbs” as the electric streetcar line extended out from the isthmus at the turn of the century. Nestled in between the Edgewood and UW campuses, the neighborhood often finds students commuting by foot or bike through the tree-lined streets. But an even more common sight is residents walking dogs, pushing strollers or toting kids past tidy bungalows and lovingly tended gardens to Vilas Park or the adjacent zoo. –KV

Schenk- Atwood

Year Established: 1999 (give or take a hundred years). The Schenk-Atwood-Starkweather-Yahara Neighborhood Association was established ten years ago. Fred Schenk opened his general store at the intersection of Atwood and Winnebago about ninety years before that.

Icons & Landmarks: Becky Steinhoff and the Goodman Atwood Community Center, Olbrich Botanical Gardens, The Harmony Bar, community gardens, Absolutely Art, United Way of Dane County headquarters, public murals and sculptures, Circle Park, the bike path, the Starkweather Solstice Celebration, Studio Paran, bad dog frida, the Barrymore

Why It’s So Special: When a young woman sustained a serious injury that restricted her mobility, her neighbors, including some she barely knew, simply stepped up and built a ramp to her home. This is a special place, aptly described in the neighborhood association brochure as a “diverse, friendly and human scale village.” Schenk-Atwood has a chic urban hipness with a friendly, inviting warmth, punctuated by gardens, little parks and one well-known river. And the mix works because the people care, plain and simple. –NH

Hopeful ‘Hoods: Three Neighborhoods Worth Watching

Thumbs Up North

The north side of Madison, one of the most economically and culturally diverse areas of the city, has been on a steady upswing since the early 1990s, when community organizers formed the Northside Planning Council to stamp out pockets of poverty and crime. Today safe and family-friendly streets, neighborhoods and schools dot the area, Mallards baseball is a summer tradition, and Warner Park Community and Recreation Center—a $4.5 million facility built with $800,000 in private donations—has seen ten years of success. The NPC, which also publishes a bi-monthly newspaper with a circulation of 12,000, hopes to add another city pool to the list of north-side amenities. Meanwhile, Community Groundworks and Co-Housing at Troy Gardens in the Lerdahl Park neighborhood is a hidden gem, featuring Madison’s first urban farm that sells CSA shares, plus community and kids’ gardens, a natural area resoration project, an apple orchard, youth farming with East High and the Goodman Center, UW–Madison internships and more.

Gateway to Madison

In the news most recently as the neighborhood in which the truly important and almost-lost Catholic Multicultural Center is located, Bram’s Addition is poised to bloom in its proximity to Park Street, the new Villager Mall and the southern gateway to Madison. Perhaps the city’s richest in diversity, the neighborhood boasts Mt. Zion Church, the Boys and Girls Club, the South Madison Health and Family Center, great Mexican food, Penn Park and Wingra Creek. As the whole Park Street corridor grows in influence so, too, will Bram’s Addition.

Green Living

An almost exclusively residential neighborhood distinguished by Falk School, Norman Clayton Park and the bike path leading to Elver Park and beyond, Greentree’s neighborhood association is active, engaged and committed. Impressive participation by neighbors in both civic issues and annual parties and events and regular newsletters and e-mail alerts suggest considerable grassroots potency. Faced with challenges in the surrounding neighborhoods of Elver Park, Meadowood and Schroeder Road, Greentree has responded with conviction and a collaborative approach that positions it well to lead in determining the future of the southwest side. And if you like the Boston Marathon … well, you’ve got to see the Greentree Gallop.

Looking Beyond Madison

For me the provocative news article of the day, is the continuing growth–right through the Great Recession–of the new knowledge based economies and associated lifestyles (with a bit of help from an energy boom) in the cities of the Great Plains, such as Fargo, Bismark, Des Moines and Omaha. The article by Joel Kotkin is titled the “The Great Great Plains: How heartland cities like Fargo and Omaha became the nation’s new boomtowns.”
I am a huge fan of both the work of Richard Florida and his work on the Creative Class and what makes cities and housing work, and Rebecca Ryan with her addition of a generational perspective through Next Generation Consulting.
However, I wonder if we who live in Madison may tend to look at the world through a particular lense and miss the strengths of communities that do not look, feel and act like ours.  We might do well take off our Madison perspective for a fresh look around us.

Wisconsin Awards $360 Million Affordable Housing Tax Credits

June 18, 2010

by Wisconsin RealEstateRama

MILWAUKEE, WI – June 18, 2010 – (RealEstateRama) — Governor Jim Doyle today awarded $360 million in Affordable Housing Tax Credits to fund affordable housing project developments across the state of Wisconsin and create approximately 2,300 construction jobs. The tax credits, which are distributed through the Wisconsin Housing and Economic Development Authority (WHEDA), will move forward 38 developments that will create 2,000 units of affordable rental housing. The credits are worth $36 million this year, and $360 million over their 10-year lifespan. Many of these tax credits will be used to revitalize older neighborhoods of Milwaukee.

For details go to Wisconsin RealEstateRama

What is the value of historic preservation tax credit eligibility?

Appraiser Vernon Martin asks an excellent question:

“I’m asked to estimate the “as is” value for an abandoned movie theater that just got conditional approval from the National Parks Service for “historic preservation certification”, which is the first step towards eventually gaining a historic preservation tax credit.

The document basically says that the proposed rehab would meet the Secretary of Interior’s guidelines for qualifying rehabilitation if certain conditions are met, and the conditions appear to be reasonable.

Is the market paying a premium for a “historic preservation certification” prior to the actual granting of a tax credit? Is there any market value to just having the conditional approval? The property owner insists that this conditional approval provides substantial value.”

Tax Credits for Replacing Heating and Cooling Systems

By: Suzanne Cosgrove

Published: September 21, 2009

By HouseLogic of the National Association of Realtors

Upgrading to an energy-efficient heating and cooling system can save hundreds on your utility bills and earn you a tax credit worth as much as $1,500.

Progress	$ E K
Save Money	Med $200/yr (energy bills)
Effort	Low 1 day (install)
Investment	Med $3,500 (HE furnace)

Do you qualify?

• Your HVAC system is at least 10 years old.
• You install a qualifying replacement in 2009 or 2010.
• You haven’t maxed out the energy tax credit on other upgrades.

The federal energy tax credit is based on 30% of the cost of an eligible HVAC system, including installation charges. Image: Bryant

Replacing an aging heating and cooling system can save you money over time. According to Energy Star, a federal program that promotes energy efficiency, about half of what the average household spends on energy bills goes toward heating and cooling.

Upgrading your heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) to energy-efficient units can cut utility costs by about 20%, or $200 annually, on average. A tax credit for heating and cooling systems can make the project more affordable.

This type of home improvement doesn’t come cheap. Prices vary widely based on where you live, unit specifications, and the condition of your home, but figure a high-efficiency furnace will start at around $3,500, including installation, estimates Corbett Lunsford, executive director of Chicago-based Green Dream Group. A standard furnace may cost $2,400. To help offset the price difference, the IRS allows a tax credit worth up to $1,500 on eligible HVAC systems put into service during 2009 or 2010. Consult a tax adviser.

Pay attention to efficiency ratings

To earn an Energy Star rating, furnaces must be more efficient than standard units, with annual fuel utilization efficiency ratings, or AFUE, of 85% for oil furnaces and 90% for gas furnaces. The Energy Star seal of approval alone isn’t enough to garner the federal tax credit. Credit-eligible gas furnaces (either natural gas or propane) must have AFUE ratings of 95% or greater; oil furnaces, 90%. A boiler must have an AFUE of 90%.

Heating by burning a fuel is inherently inefficient. Simply put, high-efficiency furnaces have components that are better designed to get more heat out of the combustion process, Lunsford says. You’ll need to hire an HVAC contractor to calculate the size of the equipment needed for your home. Beware bidders who take a one-size-furnace-fits-all approach. Air source heat pumps and advanced main circulating fans can also qualify for the $1,500 tax credit.

Technically, a homeowner could replace either a furnace or a central air-conditioning unit and be eligible for the tax credit. Practically speaking, you probably will have to replace both for the A/C to qualify, says Enesta Jones, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Most homes have split systems made up of an outdoor condenser and compressor that are connected to an indoor air handler that’s part of the furnace. Split systems must have a SEER rating of at least 16 and an EER rating of at least 13. The higher the rating, the more energy efficient the unit. A package A/C system, which houses all of its components outdoors, requires lower ratings.

HVAC’s value goes beyond savings

It typically takes about a decade’s worth of energy savings to recoup the investment in a new HVAC system, Lunsford says, though that time frame can vary greatly depending on how much fuel prices fluctuate. Less apparent in dollar terms are increasing the comfort level in your home and lowering your household’s drain on non-renewable fossil fuels. Then there’s the effect on your home’s value when it comes time to sell.

You’re going to enhance a home’s salability by moving to a more energy-efficient heating and cooling system, says Frank Lesh, president of Home Sweet Home Inspection Co. in Indian Head Park, Ill. That doesn’t mean adding a $5,000 furnace will add $5,000 to the sale price. Rather, potential buyers are less likely to push for repairs or negotiate a credit if the HVAC is in good shape. Evaluate systems older than 10 years for possible replacement.

But before you do, conduct a wider energy audit of your home. Lunsford, also manager of consumer education for the U.S. Green Building Council’s Chicago Chapter, says he rarely recommends replacing a furnace as the first step in making a home more energy efficient. Instead, start by sealing it against air leaks. Do-it-yourself caulking and weather-stripping help, as does adding insulation in the attic. Professional air sealing, which is more effective, can cost as much as $5,000 for a large house, he says. The payoff: Energy costs should go down, and you might be able to get by with a smaller HVAC system.

Getting tax credit for your upgrades

The federal energy tax credit is based on 30% of the cost of an eligible HVAC system. Installation charges count too. A $5,000 bill would max out the credit. You’ll need to owe more in taxes than you’re trying to claim in credits to qualify. Use IRS Form 5695. Save receipts for your records, as well as manufacturers’ certification statements. If part of a new HVAC system qualifies for the credit but another part doesn’t, ask the contractor to itemize the receipt.

The tax credit is aggregated for all qualifying energy upgrades—insulation, roofs, windows, and so on—so you can’t claim separate $1,500 credits for each project. Only improvements to your existing primary residence count. New homes and second homes are excluded.

This article provides general information about tax laws and consequences, but is not intended to be relied upon by readers as tax or legal advice applicable to particular transactions or circumstances. Readers should consult a tax professional for such advice, and are reminded that tax laws may vary by jurisdiction.

Suzanne Cosgrove, who spent nine years as an editor at the Chicago Tribune, has written for a number of business and real estate publications. She has a 90-year-old house and a long list of home-improvement projects.

“Visit Houselogic.com for more articles like this. Reprinted from HouseLogic.com with permission of the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS®.”

Morgan Greenseth on the Future of Shopping Malls

As retail vacancies grow ever more conspicious, even around Madison, Wisconsin, a provocative essay by Morgan Greenseth, “The Future of  Shopping Malls: An Image Essay” is worth visiting.  She begins:

“Mall culture in the United States — at least as we know it — is coming to an end. This trend is likely to continue, as the U.S. economic downturn causes people to reduce their trips to stores and to shop less, forcing more shops to close and leaving malls deserted.

According to an article that ran in The Economist at the end of 2007:

In the past half century … [malls] have transformed shopping habits, urban economies and teenage speech. America now has some 1,100 enclosed shopping malls, according to the International Council of Shopping Centres. Clones have appeared from Chennai to Martinique. Yet the mall’s story is far from triumphal. Invented by a European socialist who hated cars and came to deride his own creation, it has a murky future. While malls continue to multiply outside America, they are gradually dying in the country that pioneered them.”

For the complete article with numerous illustrations click here.

Donovan Rypkema Questions Thoughtless LEED Certification and Density

The nation’s leading historic preservation economist, Donovan Rypkema, has questioned the unthinking drive for LEED certification and density in down-towns at the expense of historic buildings.  Too often architects are advocating LEED certified buildings as better for the environment than an existing historic building when a rational analysis of the energy embodied in an existing historic structure would lead to its preservation.  Similarly planners and developers are pushing downtown density at the expense of historic properties, livability and sustainability.  Here is a great 3 minute hard hitting video clip. To those of us living in Madison, the situation described by Rypkema sounds all too familiar.

Donovan Rypkema & Economic Impacts of Historic Preservation

The following is taken from the Connecticut Trust for Historic Preservation.  Other state such, as Missouri, are facing up-hill battles to defend their state tax credits for historic property rehabilitation in the face of massive state budget deficits.

What Is Preservation Worth? The Need for Studying Economic Impacts

When the Connecticut General Assembly held hearings in December on Governor Rell’s deficit mitigation plan, Helen Higgins, the Connecticut Trust’s executive director, and John Simone, President of the Connecticut Main Street Center, both got legislators’ attention by testifying about the effectiveness of preservation programs as job creators. While figures from Rhode Island and other nearby states helped them make their point, information specifically about Connecticut would have been much more persuasive.

As the economic crisis continues and Connecticut, like many other states, faces the prospect of drastic budget cuts to remain solvent, historic preservation is receiving extra scrutiny. Quoting Santayana (“Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.”) isn’t enough. Talking about character and quality of life isn’t enough. The challenge, increasingly, is to demonstrate that preservation offers measurable economic benefits.

What preservationists need to remember, and all too often don’t, says economist Donovan Rypkema, is that historic buildings are real estate. They cost money to acquire, maintain, and operate, and the people who provide that money expect some return on that money. In a few cases the return may be related to mission or the satisfaction of doing good, but for most buildings the return must be financial. Owners and developers want to be sure that investing in historic buildings will make money for them, and legislators looking at funding for preservation want to be sure that doing so will create jobs or increase tax revenues or provide a catalyst for additional development.

Rypkema, a Washington D.C.-based real estate and economic development consultant, is the nation’s leading expert on the economics of historic preservation. Since 1983 he has provided ongoing consulting services to the National Trust for Historic Preservation and the National Main Street Center and he has conducted statewide studies of the economic impact of historic preservation in Virginia, Kentucky, North Carolina, Indiana, New York, and Maryland, as well as a citywide study in Philadelphia. Rypkema’s book, The Economics of Historic Preservation: A Community Leader’s Guide (2^nd edition 2005), is the basic work on the subject.

Fortunately, the Connecticut Main Street Center and the Connecticut Commission on Culture & Tourism (CCT) brought Rypkema to Hartford just two days after the legislative hearing to present a workshop called “Measuring Economic (and other) Impacts.”

The workshop was planned to lay the ground for a major study of the economic impact of historic preservation in Connecticut, which the CCT hopes to commission within the next year. Preservationists have long called for such a study to help them make the case for preservation activities in Connecticut and to support efforts to increase funding for preservation programs. Similar studies from other places have been helpful, but none have carried the weight of a Connecticut-specific study.

At the workshop, Rypkema primarily discussed the various factors that go into undertaking an economic impact study. He outlined the “measurables” as well as non-market approaches and innovative international approaches. For an audience made up largely of historians and old-building fans, the material was difficult but exciting. Rypkema showed that in many states and cities, preservation does indeed provide a return on investment, that rehabbing old buildings not only makes sense culturally, it also makes sense economically.

The CCT study will look at investment generated in Connecticut by the federal rehabilitation tax credit and the three state rehabilitation tax credits (see CPN November/December 2008). It will measure such results as jobs created and number of housing units created; in addition, a new formula developed in Maryland will be used to calculate the “positive environmental impact” such as open space and farms not developed as a result of historic buildings’ being put back into use. Preservationists expect the results to provide useful arguments for supporting the tax credits as well as preservation programs supported by the Community Investment Act.

The CCT must submit its proposal for the study to the Office of Policy and Management for approval. Once it is approved and the contracts are signed, it should take between 90 and 120 days to complete the study.

Measurables for Historic Preservation

What would an economic impact study of preservation activity measure? Donovan Rypkema offered a long list of potential areas in which preservation can make a difference.

Major measurables

• Jobs and household income
• Heritage tourism
• Downtown revitalization
• Property values

Minor measurables

• Museums and historic sites
• Preservation organizations
• Arts and crafts
• Movie industry

Program measurables

• State tax credits
• State grant/loan programs
• ISTEA/TEA-21 (transportation enhancement funding)
• Other

Contributory measurables

• Small business incubation
• Affordable housing

Neighborhood measurables

• Economic integration
• Neighborhood growth
• Home ownership
• Historic district as community “mirror”

Environmental measurables

• Smart growth goals
• Compact development/density
• Landfill
• Embodied energy

Intangibles

• Quality of life
• Sense of community
• Other

Save Those Historic Windows & Save Energy

“Consider it this way: If you had a beautiful piece of art that was custom designed, crafted by hand, made from native old-growth wood, and imbued with clues to its age and crafting traditions, would you throw the authentic piece in the dumpster if a simulated plastic version suddenly became available?

Seems ridiculous, right? However, this is precisely what people all over the country are doing when they rip out their historic wood windows and replace them with new windows.”

For an extensive guide to historic windows and many aspects of energy efficiency in older buildings, visit www.Preservationnation.org/weatherization.

Another great resource, relevant to Wisconsin is the Michigan State Historic Preservation Office blog site.