Donation protected
On January 17th, a fire started in a trash bin which had been placed too close to a space heater on the second floor of our home. The fire spread frighteningly fast to the lath walls of the room. Our grandparents and uncle struggled in their attempt to extinguish the fire, eventually calling 911 when they realized it was out of their control.
After fire trucks from several departments arrived from surrounding towns, they quickly worked to extinguish the fire, saving our house from total destruction. The structural damage was localized to the southern wing of the second floor, but smoke and soot filled the entire house, causing damage to the walls, floors, and ceilings. There is also water damage spread throughout 3 floors of that wing.
Sadly, the second floor houses a large portion of our grandparents' art collection. They have spent their entire lives gathering these artifacts and artworks from places all over the world, such as Korea, Panama, Egypt, and other African countries. Unfortunately, at least 11 paintings and multiple pieces of pottery were completely destroyed, and over 150 other artworks were damaged by smoke, some unrecoverable.
We currently have a few volunteers working to begin restorations to the house such as cleaning the soot off of walls and floors, tearing out damaged carpet, and removing debris. We need funds to completely renovate 3 rooms, fix water damage through out the house, and repaint large portions of our home.
We would like to begin reconstruction as soon as possible, as the winter weather puts pressure on us, and there are many steps in getting our house back to the way it was. Your donations will go a long way towards helping us restore our home. If you would like more information, please feel free to reach out on social media or contact us through Gofundme.
After fire trucks from several departments arrived from surrounding towns, they quickly worked to extinguish the fire, saving our house from total destruction. The structural damage was localized to the southern wing of the second floor, but smoke and soot filled the entire house, causing damage to the walls, floors, and ceilings. There is also water damage spread throughout 3 floors of that wing.
Sadly, the second floor houses a large portion of our grandparents' art collection. They have spent their entire lives gathering these artifacts and artworks from places all over the world, such as Korea, Panama, Egypt, and other African countries. Unfortunately, at least 11 paintings and multiple pieces of pottery were completely destroyed, and over 150 other artworks were damaged by smoke, some unrecoverable.
We currently have a few volunteers working to begin restorations to the house such as cleaning the soot off of walls and floors, tearing out damaged carpet, and removing debris. We need funds to completely renovate 3 rooms, fix water damage through out the house, and repaint large portions of our home.
We would like to begin reconstruction as soon as possible, as the winter weather puts pressure on us, and there are many steps in getting our house back to the way it was. Your donations will go a long way towards helping us restore our home. If you would like more information, please feel free to reach out on social media or contact us through Gofundme.
Organizer
Maggie Schwarz
Organizer
Decorah, IA