"Modern Tour" of Elgin to be given by Illinois Main Street designer May 8

ELGIN - "Modern buildings," those dating from 1920 - 1970, will be featured during a free walking tour of downtown Elgin to be presented Tuesday, May 8 by Project Designer Anthony Rubano of the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency (IHPA), working through the Illinois Main Street program.  IHPA provides these services at no charge to Illinois Main Street communities like Elgin.  The Downtown Neighborhood Association's Design Committee co-chairs Eric Pepa, Paul Bednar and Betsy Couture have worked with Rubano to develop this tour for Downtown Elgin.

 

The tour will begin at 5:30 p.m. at the east entrance of the Appellate Court, Second District at 55 Symphony Way and concentrate on the architecture built in Downtown Elgin in the late 1920s through the 1970s.  From there, the tour will proceed inside, courtesy of Robert Mangan, Clerk of the Court, and Mike Massey, who will also lead and provide facts about the building.  Its architect, A. Richard Williams, has been an important architect and architectural design professor at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign for several decades.  From there, the tour will take in the Hemmens Cultural Center, City Hall, the Elgin Tower Building, Chase Bank, Union Bank, and several more before ending around 7 p.m.  Photography is permitted in all buildings featured on the tour.

 

For more information about this free event and to RSVP by May 4, call Jennifer Benson at (847) 488-1456 or e-mail jbenson@elginil.org.

 

Illinois Main Street is a joint program of the Office of Lieutenant Governor Pat Quinn and the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency.  Designated Main Street communities, such as Elgin, receive free design assistance and advice to help revitalize their historic downtown areas.  There are currently 62 active Illinois Main Street communities.  For more information on Illinois Main Street, visit www.IllinoisMainStreet.org.