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Houses and Real Estate in the Barrington IL Area

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Barrington Homes

The Village of Barrington has underscored the importance of honoring its past by working to preserve the homes in its historic district for the enjoyment of future generations. Over the years, many ordinances and guidelines have been enacted to ensure that this area retains its distinct appearance and charm. Located within a residential area on the southern side of the town, many of the homes in this section were built near the turn of the last century.

Janet Meyer is the president of the Barrington Area Chamber of Commerce, and she points out that there is a core group of people who work together to help preserve the historic areas of the village. Jim Wallace has been one of the key people in that regard.

Currently serving the Village of Barrington as the deputy village manager, Wallace was very involved with the development of preservation efforts in the historic district in his previous position with the village. He says that the Barrington Area Historical Society helped to create the first Historic Preservation District in the village, which was then listed in the National Register of Historic Places. “We also have members of our Architectural Review Commission very strongly supporting historical preservation,” says Wallace.

When reflecting on the importance of maintaining the character of houses in this area, Jim Wallace says, “The homes represent a progression of popular architectural styles that dominated folk housing in the late 1800s to the onset of World War II. The changing styles of the homes also represent the early growth of the village (and really, the country as a whole), and some of the structures are related to the lives of important residents and events in the town's history.” He goes on to emphasize, “We feel it is important to preserve these structures as living, tangible elements of our past that help us gain a deeper understanding of those who came before us and created the town we live in today.” Wallace ties this effort into what the impact can be on the lives of future generations of Barrington residents, saying, “Hopefully, this understanding will help us to make better decisions about the town today that will serve those who will come after us.”

In Barrington, certain types of regulations are placed on work that is done on the outside of buildings located within the historic preservation overlay district. “This requires that all significant exterior work in the district be reviewed and approved, and must meet national historic preservation standards, which have been incorporated into the zoning ordinance,” says Wallace.

Peg Blanchard currently serves as the director of economic and community development for Barrington, and she has followed in Wallace’s footsteps, remaining dedicated to the historic preservation efforts established by her predecessor. She has continued working to maintain that vision through utilizing the established standards, and through another important tool—education. “Through education, our Commission lets owners know that there are options out there for revitalizing their homes in a way that is consistent with our guidelines.” Blanchard also likes to point out that the values of the homes are maintained by having good design guidelines and a strong historic preservation commission.

In recent years, Barrington has also seen its share of teardowns/rebuilds in the village, and maintaining the balance within neighborhoods has been a challenge. Wallace says, “Within the historic preservation district, one of the standards that proposed construction is judged by is ‘scale and mass.’ Thus, structures are supposed to be compatible in scale and mass to the rest of the neighborhood.”

Even outside of the historic district, there are still regulations in place to help preserve a cohesive look and style within the village, although the rules are somewhat less stringent. Wallace says, “In general, in every residential zoning district, we have setback regulations and regulations limiting the amount [of] floor area that can be built, based on the size of the lot. We also have a ‘daylight plane’ regulation, which limits the height of structures near the side of the property, to avoid overshadowing neighboring structures.” The establishment of general guidelines such as these has helped Barrington to maintain its overall character in the face of new development.

Preserving the look and feel of historic Barrington is something that the village has been able to accomplish well. The guidelines that have been put into place help assure that the community will retain certain parts of its past while still being able to move seamlessly into the future.