Springfield's historic Dana Thomas House is once again allowing partial tours to come through after flooding last week. Visitors were able to come through the home on Sunday, though they avoided the bottom floor. Still, the flooding is a physical reminder of further needs, as IPR's Amanda Vinicky reports.
The home that Frank Lloyd Wright designed for a Springfield socialite back in 1902 has plenty for his fans to admire; amongst the treasures, a bowling alley in the home's basement.
Site manager Justin Blandford says he's monitoring the alley's woodwork closely, and doesn't expect it will suffer any permanent damage. Blandford says the home's in a "dry out" period, in an attempt to reduce the humidity and remove moisture.
While this flood was an exceptional circumstance, Blandford says he's looking at putting preservation mechanisms in place.
"Whether that's the waterproofing or the drainage lines ... a larger issue in Springfield is the sewer system."
Blandford says storm sewers backed up and contributed to the problem. He says there's evidence that happened once before, earlier this year.
It's unclear how finances - or lack thereof - will impact efforts; the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency saw its budget cut this year, by nearly 20 percent.