Crosby Street history gives Elgin council pause

A preliminary vote about changing the name of Crosby Street in Elgin was put off Wednesday after new information came to light about the block-long street’s history.

Councilman Richard Dunne brought the item forward after being approached by St. Edward Central Catholic High School about renaming the street Dominican Way. Dunne was unaware the street was named for an Elgin resident until Wednesday morning when its history appeared in a Daily Herald story.

Frank Crosby moved to Elgin in the late 1800s and practiced law in the city for at least 12 years before moving to Chicago. Crosby is buried in Bluff City Cemetery, according to the Elgin Area Historical Society.

Dominican Way would honor the nuns who ran St. Edward from the time of its inception in 1941 to 2000. David Greer, director of development at the high school, said he got involved with the renaming process about a month ago but, like Dunne, was under the impression Crosby Street was randomly named.

“It is good to know that there is some history behind the street names in this area,” Greer said. “We definitely don’t want to take away from the historical significance that is in place.”

A St. Edward parent did the initial research with the historical society last year before bringing the idea to the school and asking Dunne to sponsor a name change.

The original hope was that the street could be renamed by July 1, but Greer said there is no reason to rush. The school is celebrating its 70th anniversary through the rest of 2011.

For a street to be renamed it must be approved by all seven members of the council. What council members expected to be an easy decision has become more difficult in light of the history.

Councilman John Prigge said he has advocated naming parks and streets after people who have made Elgin a historic city. When he thought Crosby Street was not tied to anyone in particular, Prigge said he supported the change. But learning about Frank Crosby caused Prigge to rethink his support.

“I think we do need to take another look at it,” he said.

Dunne said one possibility could be approving a change to Dominican Way but keeping Crosby in mind for a future Elgin street. Council members will get a chance to vote on the change in coming weeks.