Take a trolley to see Elgin Sears homes

Last week, the Southwest Area Neighbors took home 12 city of Elgin's preservation awards and a special recognition by Mayor Ed Schock.

Looking to keep that momentum going is one reason behind SWAN's first-ever trolley tour of some 30-plus Sears kit homes on Saturday.

"I'm excited about it. It's going to be fun. For me, the big thrill is telling people about mail order buildings in Elgin," said Rebecca Hunter, an Elgin resident and architectural historian who will be narrating both tours.

Hunter worked with SWAN leaders to research each of the 33 Sears kit homes in the neighborhood.

The one-hour tours begin at 10 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. from the Zion Lutheran Church parking lot, 330 Griswold St., Elgin.

Tickets for the trolley tours are $5 and available at the following Elgin locations: Books At Sunset, 1100 South St.; either of the Ziegler's Ace Hardware stores at 1158 Lillian St. or 215 N. Spring St.

"People will be surprised by the sheer number of mail order homes and the variety of models," Hunter said, noting the city has more than 300 mail order homes overall. "All but one (in the SWAN area) are Sears mail order homes."

Kathy Moore, SWAN resident and member of the group's preservation committee, hopes the tour increases awareness about her neighborhood.

"We wanted to promote our neighborhood. We have a lot of bungalows and cottages," she said.

For details, call (847) 888-3024 or visit the Web site, swan-elgin.com.