Jackson historic home wins statewide preservation award

A late 19th century-era home in Jackson is one of three winners of the 2021 McReynolds Award, announced Tuesday by the Missouri Alliance for Historic Preservation (MAHP) in a virtual ceremony.

The other two McReynolds awards were given to properties in Carthage and Kansas City, Missouri.

Oldenhoener, a German immigrant mason, constructed the brick home — the William Oldenhoener House at 402 E. Adams St. — around 1893 and it is currently owned by Sara Appel.

The McReynolds Award is named for Elizabeth McReynolds Rozier and is given annually to individuals or groups “who have made significant achievements in the field or who are in the midst of a long-term preservation project, creating synergy in the field of historic preservation,” according to the MAHP website.

“(Oldenhoener) utilized the German vernacular style, including a balanced façade, stone foundation, arched lintels over doors and windows and corbelled cornices of brick” said Riley Price, interim executive director of MAHP. “The L-shaped home was built into the hillside and designed to work with the landscape, not alter it. Greg and Caroline Yielding started the restoration process in 2015, saving the home from impending demolition. Most of the home had to be cleared down to the brick walls and repairs started from the bottom up, fixing water issues in the basement and pouring a new concrete floor. The original windows were restored and the remaining hardware, including original doorknobs and locks, were cleaned and repaired. New gas lines, electrical plumbing and heating, ventilation and air conditioning were installed not only for safety but to protect the house from further deterioration. A poorly constructed rear addition was removed and rebuilt to better integrate with the original home and utilized historic doors and fixtures found in the area.”

Sara Appel, left, and Greg Yielding, the current and previous owners of 402 E. Adams St. in Jackson, respectively, receive the 2021 McReynolds Award from the Missouri Alliance for Historic Preservation on Tuesday in this photo of MAHP's virtual award presentation.Jeff Long

Appel continues to work on the structure.

“I continue to do some updating and caretaking, replacing a fence — trying to do something in the period the home was built in and eventually I want to add two more chimneys where the original (ones) were,” she said. “My friends in Germany are helping me select flowers and plants that would probably have been grown at a German home around that time period.”

The Missouri Alliance for Historic Preservation is a statewide, not-for-profit organization “dedicated to advocating for, educating about and assisting with historic preservation.”

MAHP has given awards in four categories since 2004.

Craig Milde, a member of the City of Jackson, Missouri’s Historical Preservation Commission, is a member of the MAHP Board of Directors, according to the Alliance’s website.

Reporter Jeff Long is a member of the Jackson Historical Preservation Commission.