Amid bales of hay, cornstalks and giant inflatable pumpkins, the orange 1952 WD that once pulled potatoes out of fertile fields in central Wisconsin is seen by the couple as a symbol of both Wisconsin's farm heritage and their community's gritty working-class history.
But the city that gave birth to the tractor and thousands like it from the sprawling plant that once served as its bedrock sees the antique farm implement as, well, a tractor - in this case a vehicle that is in violation of off-street parking regulations.
"You are hereby directed to take the following action immediately: Remove the tractor from the premises," reads a letter to Crivello from Terry J. Tauschmann, an inspector with the city's Department of Building Inspections & Zoning.
"I thought I could get an extension because it was being displayed as a decoration," Crivello said in an interview, explaining how the letter included information about a "request for an extension of time."
"So I went down there to talk to (Tauschmann). I thought it was no big deal," she said.
"He said it doesn't matter, it's a tractor.
"I said, 'But it's an Allis-Chalmers tractor' and he said, 'So?' "
But the city's chief building inspector said Friday that Crivello will get a pass, because it's a temporary, holiday decoration.
"As long as it's for that, and is removed right after, we can live with that," said Ted Atkinson, West Allis' director of Building Inspections and Zoning.
Atkinson said Crivello's notice is one of about 100 that go out annually alerting residents that they can't keep vehicles on an unpaved surface of their property.
"We don't want front yards turning into muddy parking lots," he said.
There was a misunderstanding in the Crivello case, he said, because the tractor wasn't yet decorated.
"This just got a little out of hand," he said.
The tractor, which was given to House by his father years ago, had a work history stemming back to his grandfather's tree farm in Wild Rose and potato fields in Wautoma.
The refurbishment of the WD included a coat of special orange paint with holographic glitter, Crivello said.
"It's an Allis-Chalmers Orange," she said. "It looks really neat."
West Allis allows parking on front yards during the Wisconsin State Fair and Crivello is drafting a letter to the city requesting an exemption for the tractor during the fall display.
"Obviously, if we lived in Mukwonago or someplace else we wouldn't have an Allis-Chalmers tractor," she said.
"But we're pretty proud of West Allis and the fact that it was made here."
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