BURRITT BUILDING

HISTORIC SIGNIFICANCE

Look up--way, way up--see the name "BURRITT?"  Rebecca McBride Burritt started this tribute to her much older husband in 1914, but beyond the first floor, it never got off the ground, so to speak. Except for the street level, the upper floors of the Burritt remained unfinished for over 75 years and housed pigeons and who knows what else. Its main entrance became a hosiery shop--a cute little space where ladies bought nylons in varying shades of tan. What are nylons? Ask your grandma.

In the 1990s, a development company bought the Burritt in an effort to renew the vitality of downtown Elgin. They chased out all the pigeons, found ceramic wall tiles, and a hidden atrium. Then built offices with a spectacular view.

As you enter the Burritt through the former Neumode Hosiery Shop, think about your grandma buying her nylons. 

PLAQUE LOCATIONS