Preservation At Its Best award for Red Oak’s Lock

Red Oak’s Cece Lock was honored as part of Preservation Iowa’s annual Preservation At Its Best Awards. The program honors individuals, organizations, projects, and programs whose work demonstrates a commitment to excellence in historic preservation. The awards were presented June 2-4 at the 2022 Preserve Iowa summit in Mason City.
Twelve awards were presented in 10 categories. Lock, who attended as part of the Red Oak Historic Preservation Commission, received a Preservation At Its Best award for the work completed on the exterior of her circa-1895 home.
Lock’s project began with a single historic photo and a letter written by Leavitt Dearborn, grandson of the original owner, T.H. Dearborn. The project team began a complete renovation of the exterior after a hail storm in March 2020. Valentin Construction removed aluminum window wraps, screens, downspouts, and vinyl siding in order to restore the original cedar siding and rebuild a porch on the east side of the home.
In his letter, Leavitt Dearborn described the porch as being a grand one used for grocery deliveries, and was also the location where the family ate their meals in the summer.
Masonry work was completed by Echternach Construction, painting by Anderson Painting, storm windows were installed by Brower Home Improvement, and consultation services were provided by Ellen Griffen Interiors.
The front wrap-around porch, which was missing when Lock bought the home in 1989, was rebuilt by Vannausdle Construction in 2005, using the same historic photo as a guide.