706 DOUGLAS AVENUE
HISTORIC SIGNIFICANCE
706 Douglas Avenue was designed by notable Elgin architect, William W. Abell and built in 1893 for Mary Ann Towner and her husband I. C. Towner at a cost of $6,300. I. C. was a prominent citizen and owner of the Elgin Carriage and Wagon Factory which had an extensive factory on the northwest corner of Division and Brook. I.C. married Mary Ann Switzer in 1855 and they had 11 children.
Prior to the construction of the home, I.C. transferred the title in 1882 to Mary in exchange for “love and duty.” I.C. passed away in 1907 and Mary continued to live at 706 Douglas Avenue until her death in 1912. At that time, the property transferred to William and Grace Topping.
ARCHITECTURAL SIGNIFICANCE
As a wealthy and successful businessman, Towner hired Elgin’s foremost architect, W. W. Abell, to design his home in a popular design at the time, Shingle Style. The façade is irregular, with a steeply pitched hipped roof and intersecting cross-gables with a shingled second story and clapboard first story. A rounded tower on the southeast elevation is blended into the two-story bay on the east elevation with a continuous roofline. Another wonderful characteristic and feature to this home is the large recessed balcony on the second story of the east elevation.
The home has had several subsequent owners including being used in the 50s as two apartments. At that time, the original porch and parade porch were updated to meet modern trends including floral wrought iron columns and balustrades. In 2019, the home was rehabilitated with the use of Elgin’s Historic Rehabilitation Grant program. The project included recreating the original porch from a historic photograph and removal of an addition at the south elevation exposing a beautiful decorative arched window.
TIMELINE OF PREVIOUS OWNERS
Sources: 2021 Heritage Plaque Application; Audio: TextAloud