Elgin walking tour to feature bungalows and gardens

People hold walking tours of Victorian mansions and painted ladies in Elgin and other communities each and every year.

But what about the blue-collared bungalow?

Members of the South West Area Neighbors, or SWAN, in Elgin have an answer for that.

They've teamed up with the Elgin Area Historical Society and the city to host "Bungalows 'N' Blooms," a two-hour walking tour of 20 bungalows and four gardens on Saturday, May 15.

"No one has ever done a bungalow walk before. All the historical walks have been Victorian homes," said Pat Hill, an Elgin resident and SWAN preservation committee chair. "We have this cute, out of the way neighborhood and we want to show it off."

The tour will be narrated by Sarosh Saher, planning manager and architect at the city of Elgin.

Participants will see the outside of about 20 homes, many of them are grouped together along each street.

The tour will cover homes from Billings Street to Moseley Street.

"We're really working hard to keep this as historical as possible," Hill said.

Hill said bungalow reached its peak in popularity in the 1920s and 1930s and that the tour will cover a large tract of land once owned by George P. Lord, known as "Lord's Pasture."

She said the land was platted to the city by D.E. Woods in 1919 and most of the bungalow were erected in the 1920s, giving the neighborhood a more cohesive look than other older parts of town.

Organizers also have planned a second tour on July 24 that will tour bungalows on from Orchard Street to Wabash Street.

This tour also will visit several gardens, including Hill's, which was recently featured in a special edition of "Better Homes and Gardens: Nature's Garden."

"Bungalows are a style of home that was very common in the 20s but they're not built anymore. It's a type of architecture people can look at and see historical aspects in it," said Liz Marston, director of the Elgin Area Historical Society and Museum. "It's a show of the homes, the architecture and the people."

The cost of the tour is $5, but free for historical society members.

No reservations are needed.

People attending the tour should meet before 12:30 p.m. Saturday at Zion Lutheran Church, 330 Griswold St., Elgin.

For information, call (847) 742-4248 or visit elginhistory.org/events.html.

If you goWhat: "Bungalows 'N' Blooms," a two-hour walking tour of some 20 bungalows and four gardens, organzied by the Elgin Area Historical Society and the South West Area NeighborsWhen/where: Tour participants should meet at 12:30 p.m. Saturday, May 15 at the Zion Lutheran Church, 330 Griswold St., ElginCost: $5, but free for historical society membersInfo: Call (847) 742-4248 or visit elginhistory.org/events.htmlFalse640361The South West Area Neighbors will host walking tours of bungalows in Elgin, such as this double-gabled one at 333 Billings Street, this Saturday and on July 24. False