Eight homes featured in Elgin Historic House Tour

The 28th annual Elgin Historic House Tour is right around the corner.

But for the first time in recent memory, Mary Ellen Barbezat will not be one of the volunteer docents explaining the history and features of each home.

That's because the Elgin woman's abode - a foursquare erected in 1908 by a Swedish carpenter - is one of the eight homes featured on Saturday.

"I never expected our house to be on the house tour," said Barbezat, who bought the house in 1974 with her husband, Mich. "It was just a fluke. We looked around Elgin for what was around at the time. We were looking for a fixer-upper. My husband is very skilled. We love old houses."

The couple have undertaken numerous projects, two of the largest ones in 2004 when they removed the exterior siding to reveal the original clapboards, and 2007 when they converted the attic into living space.

Mary Ellen Barbezat hopes people leaving her home will remember its original woodwork, efficient use of space, and how it is homey and comfortable.

"It has a charm that we've tried to capitalize on, that we've tried to bring out," she said.

Organizers are hoping for a better turnout than in 2008, when massive storms made people think the tour was off and some volunteers had to stay home to tend to their own flooded basements.

"We never had that happen before," said Fran Cella, the walk chairwoman for the Gifford Park Association, a neighborhood group that organizes the tour.

Four homes are in the Gifford Park area, Elgin's oldest residential neighborhood.

Three homes are within the Lords Park neighborhood and one home is within the Summit Park and Settlement neighborhood.

Cella said this year's walk has a mansion, a bungalow and everything in between.

"We have both ends of the continuum," Cella said. "I always tell everybody - and it's true - that the tour has something for everybody."

The tour also is a dream come true for Craig Dresang and Joe Drozd, who bought an 1896 Queen Anne three years ago and have been rehabbing and restoring it ever since.

They used to go on housewalks when they lived in a 100-year-old greystone in Oak Park and wondered if someday they would own a home featured on a walk.

Dresang hopes people on the walk leave the house with an appreciation for asymmetrical design, notice the floors made of pine, oak, and mohagany and observe how the home has good flow and privacy, too.

Having an older home also gives Dresang a chance to display some family heirlooms.

For example, a small crystal chandelier that once belonged to Dresang's grandmother now hangs in the home's front parlor.

"We fell in love with the house right away," he said. "There is this real beauty of how the house was designed and how its perched on the hill."

The tour is from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. on Saturday. Homes, inside and out, may be toured in any order.

Tickets are $15 in advance and $20 the day of the event. Seniors 65 and older and kids 12 and younger can get tickets for $10 the day of, but not in advance.

Tickets are available online or at the following Elgin locations: Al's Cafe and Creamery, 43 DuPage Court; Jewel Food stores at 1660 Larkin Ave. and 1040 Summitt Ave.; and Ziegler's Ace Hardware at 215 N. Spring St. and 1158 Lillian St.,

For information, call (847) 695-4022, e-mail francinecella@wowway.com or visit gifford-park-assoc.org.

If you go

What: Gifford Park Association's 28th annual Historic Elgin House Tour

When: 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 12.

Where: Eight homes will be featured

How much? $15 in advance and $20 the same day; $10 for seniors 65 and older and kids 12 and younger

Tickets: Available online or at the following Elgin locations: Al's Cafe and Creamery, 43 DuPage Court; Jewel Food stores at 1660 Larkin Ave. and 1040 Summitt Ave.; and Ziegler's Ace Hardware at 215 N. Spring St. and 1158 Lillian St.,

Details: Call (847) 695-4022, e-mail francinecella@wowway.com or visit gifford-park-assoc.org.

<div class="infoBox"> <h1>More Coverage</h1> <div class="infoBoxContent"> <div class="infoArea"> <h2>Stories</h2> <ul class="links"> <li><a href="/story/?id=319057">Eight homes featured in Elgin Historic House Tour <span class="date">[09/09/09]</span></a></li> <li><a href="/story/?id=319056">Site: 426 Prairie St. <span class="date">[09/09/09]</span></a></li> <li><a href="/story/?id=319055">Site: 364 Division St. <span class="date">[09/09/09]</span></a></li> <li><a href="/story/?id=319054">Site: 353 N. Liberty St. <span class="date">[09/09/09]</span></a></li> <li><a href="/story/?id=319053">Site: 327 DuPage St. <span class="date">[09/09/09]</span></a></li> <li><a href="/story/?id=319052">Site: 252 N. Liberty St. <span class="date">[09/09/09]</span></a></li> <li><a href="/story/?id=319051">Site: 163 Hill Ave. <span class="date">[09/09/09]</span></a></li> <li><a href="/story/?id=319049">Site: 357 N. Liberty St. <span class="date">[09/09/09]</span></a></li> <li><a href="/story/?id=319048">Site: 325 N. Liberty St. <span class="date">[09/09/09]</span></a></li> </ul> </div> </div> </div>