By Ted Schnell • BocaJump | Dec. 9, 2011

The Elgin Heritage Commission on Thursday evening honored the owners of five homes who have completed renovations not only on the exteriors of their historical homes, but also have researched the history and the architecture of their homes.

Before the presentation, Elgin City Senior Planner Sarosh Saher described the ceremony as a “feel-good” moment in which homeowners are commended publicly for their efforts to research and preserve the history of their homes. Saher said the commission holds two such ceremonies each year at the Elgin Area Historical Society — affectionately referred to as Old Main. The other ceremony is held in May.

Before the awards, Elgin Heritage Commission member Rebecca Hunter offered a PowerPoint presentation to illustrate her discussion of the next trend in historical homes: Mid-century modern architecture from the 1950s and 1960s. That is the next era of homes which, at 50 years of age, are considered historical, she said. Her presentation included photos of an array of homes reflecting many different styles from that period, including the ubiquitous ranch home and its variations, and the Sears catalog home.

That was the post-World War II era, when soldiers were rebuilding their lives after the war, focusing on their families, Hunter said. It also was the time when automobiles became increasingly affordable to everyone. The ease of travel also gave rise to people choosing to build their homes at the edge of or even outside of town, sparking tract subdivisions such as Elgin’s Sunset Park on the West Side.

But while Hunter’s presentation reflected the interests of those assembled there, the focus of the evening was on a select group of homeowners, according to Elgin Heritage Commission Chairman Bill Briska. He said to date, the

The owners of five homes were called up one at a time, with a short on-screen presentation of some of the facts and history surrounding each one. Four of the homes, Briska said, had undergone significant transformations over the years. Some had been converted into multiple-unit apartments, then had been deconverted back into their intended use as single-family homes. One home had started as a bungalow-style home but had been transformed into a larger, Tudor-style home.

Three of the homes were a style known as Italianate.

Two of the homes are owned by the city, which acquired them, renovated them and now has put them on the market.

The homes and owners who were awarded plaques Thursday evening are:

• 140 N. Gifford, built in 1872, owners Jeff and Patricia McIntire.
• 457-459 E. Chicago St., built in 1873, owner city of Elgin.
• 463 E. Chicago St., built in 1876, owner city of Elgin.
• 826 Brook St., built in 1911, owner Patricia Maynard.
• 907 Cedar Ave., build in 1925, owner Luke and Nicole Preussler.

Elgin City Councilman John Steffen accepted the awards on behalf of the city, which acquired both homes and renovated them. Both are listed with Realtors — the 457-459 E. Chicago St. home is priced at $215,000, the 463 E. Chicago St. home is priced at $210,000.

Briska said the Elgin Heritage Commission has issued well more than 400 plaques to historical Elgin homes since the mid-1980s.