485 ARLINGTON AVENUE

HISTORIC SIGNIFICANCE

485 Arlington Avenue was built for Iris and Alfred Preuss in 1911. This residence is located in Elgin’s third historic district, the Elgin National Watch Factory Historic District, which was added in 1997. This area of town consists mostly of worker’s cottages and vernacular houses built for residents who worked at the Elgin National Watch Company due to their close proximity with the factory. The subdivision was surveyed by W. W. Abell, one of Elgin’s notable architects.

Alfred married Iris Gibbs in Joliet, Illinois in 1909. Alfred’s listed occupation in 1910 was an electrician and he worked for the telephone company. They sold the home in 1920 to the Swanson family who lived there for 30 years.

ARCHITECTURAL SIGNIFICANCE

485 Arlington Avenue is an example of the American Foursquare configuration, which enjoyed popularity from the early 1900s well into the 1920s. The design was called a “box house” at the time it was built; the term “American Foursquare” was substituted later. The box house was basically a square or rectangular 2-story structure under a hipped roof, most commonly seen with a full-width hipped porch. The term “foursquare” describes the basic shape and the fact that such homes were usually nearly square and most commonly had four rooms on each story.

Sources: 2022 Heritage Plaque Application; Audio: TextAloud