1170 LOGAN AVENUE
HISTORIC SIGNIFICANCE
As Elgin continued to grow in population, the city’s boundaries grew, too. In the late 1880s, as companies like the Ludlow Shoe Factory and Illinois Watch Factory came to town and looked for places to build, City Council approved new additions. The area north of Congdon Avenue began developing in the 1920s, and remained a popular place to move until the 1940s.
In 1940, Mary Pfister (nee Kerchenfaut) and her husband, Paul, asked Mary’s brother, J. Donald Kerchenfaut to design the home at 1170 Logan Avenue.
Paul Pfister grew up in Elgin at nearby 1166 Logan Avenue. As an adult, he owned a gas station at 313 W. Highland Avenue. An avid sportsman of the outdoors, he later added boat sales to his business.
The Pfister family owned 1170 Logan for over 50 years before selling the home.
ARCHITECTURAL SIGNIFICANCE
1170 Logan Avenue, design by the architect J. Donald Kerchenfaut, is noted by the Historic Resources in the Northeast Neighborhood: A Summary and Inventory as being a significant structure to the neighborhood. It is a fine example of the tower sub-type of the French Eclectic style. Popular in the years after WWI as soldiers who returned home passed along the building designs that impressed them during their service. Identifying features of the French Eclectic style include the steeply pitch roof, the corner conical tower, textured brickwork throughout, arched entryway door and wood 8-over-8 double hung windows.
TIMELINE OF PREVIOUS OWNERS
Sources: 1999 Heritage Plaque Application; Audio: TextAloud