663 PRESTON AVENUE
HISTORIC SIGNIFICANCE
663 Preston Avenue was built by the Andresen Brothers for Frank and Anna Krieger in 1928 for $6,500. Frank was a draftsman and eventually a superintendent at the McBride Lumber Company.
The Kriegers only owned the house a few years before selling in 1932 to their oldest child Martha and her husband, Edward Werner. They owned the home for five years before selling to Adolph and Sylvia Bernstein. Adolph managed the Fin ‘n Feather Farm and its popular Milk Pail Restaurant while helping lead his synagogue among other community organizations. Interestingly, Adolph was a co-founder of the group “Elginites for Council-Manager” in 1953 and their goal was to campaign to implement the council-manager form of municipal government. According to the late Mike Alft in his book, “Elgin: An American History,” in April of 1954, Elgin became the first commission-form city in Illinois to adopt the managerial option by referendum.
ARCHITECTURAL SIGNIFICANCE
663 Preston is an excellent example of a one-and-a-half story Tudor Revival Cottage with an English stucco finish. Characteristics of this style include the arched entry, large stepped chimney, multi-lite windows and the swooping, asymmetrical steeply pitched, front gable.
TIMELINE OF PREVIOUS OWNERS
Sources: 2022 Heritage Plaque Application; Audio: TextAloud