54 S.CRYSTAL STREET
HISTORIC SIGNIFICANCE
In 1885, Anna Lynch purchased the lot of land where 54 S. Crystal Street would later be built. Her father, Timothy Lynch, was born in 1807 in County Cork, Ireland. His first wife was Catherine Hogan, with whom he had seven of his fourteen children. After Catherine’s passing, Timothy remarried to Ann Ryan in 1856. One of Anna’s oldest brothers was Eugene, who went on to fight in the Civil War and make it to the rank of Lieutenant, serving with the Union Army in company A of Illinois’ 58th Infantry. Anna was born in Elgin, IL.
Anna lived in the home until 1945 when she sold it to Robert Kemler. Robert was the son of William Kemler and Nellie Lynch. Anna was Robert's Aunt. Kemler owned the property from 1945 until 1953.
The next 15 years proved rather busy for the home at 54 S. Crystal Street with six people moving in and out. After purchasing 54 S. Crystal from Kemler in 1953, Harley Stonum lived in the home for less than a year before selling to Noah and Emma Stonum. From 1954 to 1957 the house served as a Mennonite Mission. 1957 then saw two owners, with Robert Eldredge living there for less than a year before selling to Arthur Levine. Levine lived at 54 S. Crystal until 1961 when he sold to Dale E. Chapus from 1961 to 1968.
ARCHITECTURAL SIGNIFICANCE
54 S. Crystal Street is an example of Queen Anne home, split up from a single family to a multi-tenant structure. Features indicative of the Queen Anne style seen on this home include an irregularly shaped roof, steeply pitched, with a prominent front facing gable; bay windows; decorative window trim; and textured patterns on exterior elevations.
TIMELINE OF PREVIOUS OWNERS
Sources: 1998 Heritage Plaque Application; Audio: TextAloud