Preservation Month events are a nod to Elgin's roots
On what are now densely-lined streets in Elgin's oldest neighborhoods, shaded boulevards were originally proposed and other more beau colic land uses were conceived, according to the city's first comprehensive plan written in 1917.
Organizers are hoping residents capture these anomalies and partake in dozens of activities during Elgin's celebration of National Preservation Month in May.
Preservationists plan to showcase a theme, "This Place Matters," by resurrecting a little-known book written 91 years ago by Edward Bennett. Only a handful of the books are known to exist and document land uses in Elgin from 1917. Bennett was an assistant to the acclaimed Daniel Burnham, who prepared The Plan of Chicago, the first comprehensive plan for the controlled growth of an American city.
Jennifer Fritz-Williams, the city's historic preservation specialist, said Preservation Month in Elgin is designed to celebrate Bennett's book and how it relates to Burnham's Plan, which also turns 100 years old this year.
"A lot of people don't know Burnham's Plan went well beyond the city of Chicago proper to Waukegan on the north and Joliet on the southwest," said Fritz-Williams. "All of this area is what we consider to be the Chicago metro area. Burnham could foresee this as early as 1909."
After Burnham went into semiretirement, Bennett took over in drafting comprehensive plans for cities such as Elgin. In it, he proposed Franklin Boulevard on the city's east side extend a full six blocks from Lords Park west to Dundee Avenue. The plan was not followed, and Franklin extended only two blocks to Liberty Street as a boulevard, and then turned onto the city's regular street grid.
Boulevards were never built on DuPage Street from Channing Park into the downtown, or on Brook Street, said Fritz-Williams.
"We hope to tour these areas and others and contrast them as to how they appear now and how they were portrayed in Bennett's book," she explained. "Some of his descendants still live on the North Shore, and we will also invite them to participate in our activities."
Bill Briska, chair of the Elgin Heritage Commission, said the group is also working with the Elgin Area Historical Society in creating a display celebrating the centennial of the Burnham Plan. The rotating exhibit will appear at the Gail Borden Public Library starting in May.
Also starting in May is the debut of a new cell phone tour highlighting 30 historically important places in Elgin
A highlight of preservation month is an annual Mayor's Award ceremony at 6 p.m. May 14 honoring residents and projects which have helped promote Elgin's legacy.
Other activities include a tour of the Elgin National Watch Factory Observatory on May 1, a "Great Unveiling on May 2 in which faux siding is removed from an older home to reveal the original construction underneath; a "Preserving the Written Word" Book Fair on May 3 featuring prominent local authors; and a tour of a new artifact garden at the Elgin Area Historical Society, 360 Park St. on May 16.
Even more activities include a trolley tour of the near-southwest neighborhood and its collection of kit homes on May 23, and the dedication of two signs. One will mark the location of the Elgin National Watch Factory train depot on National Street and another will commemorate the history of Elgin's "Settlement," a four-block area on the near-east side where the city's then-segregated African-American population lived from the 1860s through the 1960s. The dedication of the sign at the corner of Hill Avenue and Fremont Street may also coincide with walking or trolley tours of the area.
Although the deadline has passed, neighborhood leaders may still have a chance to have their preservation week activities listed in a city information guide. E-mail submissions to Fritz-Williams at williams_j@cityofelgin.org or call her at (847) 931-6100.