‘It’s very popular’: Elgin tours revisit Elgin National Watch Factory Historic District after 26 years
Visitors can tour five homes in the Elgin National Watch Factory Historic District at the 42nd annual Historic Elgin House Tour, which will be held from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 7-8.
These tours, organized by the Gifford Park Association, are known for their positive showcasing of historical sites in the Chicago area. Led by co-chairs Paul Bednar and Trish LaFleur, the annual tours cycle through different sites each year.
“This year we are featuring the Elgin National Watch Factory Historic District. The last time we featured that neighborhood was 26 years ago,” Bednar said. “We want to demonstrate how preservation and rehabilitation help to create desirable neighborhoods.”
The tour involves homes at 385 S. Liberty St., 476 Arlington Ave., 485 Arlington Ave., 527 Arlington Ave., and 535 Arlington Ave. It also explores the Elgin Fire Barn No. 5 Museum and U-46 Planetarium. On Saturday only, guests can visit the Calvary Baptist Church.
“We focused on this neighborhood because there are a couple of neighbors that are trying to bring back an active neighborhood association and try to improve things,” Bednar said. “Because of their efforts and because they are really stressing that they are a historic district and historic districts are important, we want to help them out. We want to continue to help them to make their neighborhood stronger.”
Tickets can be purchased online at historicelginhousetour.com or at the Elgin Fire Barn No. 5 Museum at 533 St. Charles St. Registration opens at 9 a.m.
An adult ticket for $20 provides two-day access to explore each property and grants access to one scheduled walking tour. Seniors older than 65 are able to gain the same access with a $15 ticket, along with children under 18 with a $10 ticket. Ticket prices on the day of are $5 more.
While on the tour, taking photos of the inside of homes is not permitted. Viewers are allowed to take photos of the homes’ exteriors from the front sidewalk.
Touring the homes is expected to take 2 to 2.5 hours. When exploring not on a scheduled walking tour, visitors can move at their own pace. They are not, however, allowed to view a home more than once due to the amount of people that attend the tours.
“It’s very popular. Many attendees are from out of town and they realize that Elgin has a lot of great, old beautiful houses and some walkable neighborhoods. We expect about 1,500 people over the two days,” Bednar said.
Architectural historian Rebecca Hunter, who has been part of the Heritage Commission for a long time, will lead the scheduled walking tours.
“She’s done a lot of studies on the architecture of Elgin,” Bednar said.