263 N. COMMONWEALTH AVENUE
HISTORIC SIGNIFICANCE
263 N. Commonwealth was built in 1905 for Joseph Amick at a cost of $6,000. Joseph and his wife Hannah Amick lived in the home for only two years, until 1907. Joseph was born in Pennsylvania, dying in Elgin in 1915, one year after his wife passed away. In 1907, however, the Amick's sold their house to Comstock Cook who rented his home own for the majority of the time he owned the property to George and Addie Stodder. Many of there children worked in Elgin but it was their daughter, Elise, who worked for W.W. Kimball & Company Pianos that took over as caretaker of the property after both her parents passed away in the 1920s.
After the Cook's, Carl and Bernetta Kienzle lived in the home from 1928 until 1931. The Kienzle's short stay culminated in their move to a home off Wing Park Boulevard. For the following 32 years, from 1931 to 1963, Arthur and Gracia Bunge lived at 263 N. Commonwealth. Many residents may recognize this family name as Arthur Bunge ran Bunge's Tire and Gasoline service, advertising often in City Directories.
ARCHITECTURAL SIGNIFICANCE
The house is a blend of a number of styles. For a front-gabled home to showcase a chimney running down the center is relatively rare. Because of some of the following features, including: the Ionic columns and sidelights on the front door and the double-hung sash windows, the characteristics suggest this to be a Colonial Revival. The Colonial Revival style was popular between the 1880s to roughly the mid-1900s, meaning 263 N. Commonwealth's construction date is well within this time frame. The side porches are another determining factor in narrowing down this style as many Colonial Revivals exhibit this feature.
TIMELINE OF PREVIOUS OWNERS
Sources: 2004 Heritage Plaque Application; Audio: TextAloud