If a staycation is on the schedule for this summer, Explore Elgin has created an “Architecture Adventure” designed to appeal to residents and visitors alike.
The three-day itinerary is one of nine tours that tourism branch of the Elgin Area Convention and Visitors Bureau put together to encourage people to check out what the city and its environs has to offer.
Each itinerary includes places to stay, dine and explore in the communities it receives funding to promote: Elgin, Bartlett, Burlington, Carpentersville, East Dundee, Gilberts, Hampshire, Pingree Grove, Sleepy Hollow, South Elgin and West Dundee.
While other “adventures” encourage visits to places with scenic beauty, great fishing, underground art and other attractions, the architecture tour is designed for those wanting to dive into the history of the Elgin area through its buildings.
“The area has several unique buildings and beautiful architectural features that call us back to a different time and place,” said Mary Dulabaum, the convention and visitors bureau’s marketing and community outreach manager.
“We try to call attention to remarkable and unusual buildings, often raising awareness of some locations that even long-term residents may not know about,” she said. “We also highlight locations where the current owners are willing to have the attention and even offer tours.”
If you follow the suggested three-day itinerary, it will recommend a visit to BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir, a Hindu temple in Bartlett, on the first day.
Dulabaum calls the traditional place of worship that opened in 2005 a must-see. It was built in the traditional style using hand-carved Italian marble and Turkish limestone, she said.
No trip to Elgin is complete without a trip to downtown historic district, which has architecture dating back to the 1800s, Dulabaum said. Its architectural highlights include the Elgin Tower building, Elgin Professional building and Elgin National Watch Co. Observatory.
Day two takes visitors to the Elgin History Museum located in “Old Main,” a Greek Revival-style building that dates back to 1856 and features exhibits illuminating different aspects of the city’s development and changes over the years.
Another recommendation is the Elgin Public Museum and Lord’s Park pavilion in Lords Park. The museum, with exhibits on natural history and anthropology, was built in 1907 and is the oldest museum building in Illinois still in use as a museum.
After that, head out to Hampshire to see the only farmhouse designed by famed architect Frank Lloyd Wright. Tours of the Muirhead Farmhouse are available but must be made online with a three-day notice.
On the third day, take a walking tour of the homes listed on the National Register of Historic Places found in the city’s historical districts, which run the gamut from painted ladies to houses ordered through the Sears catalog.
“Our main priority is to call attention to destination-style architecture that we think visitors would drive in to see,” Dulabaum said. “(The idea is to) lead someone who is not familiar with our area around so they can explore. We want them to spend a weekend exploring our region and have so much to do that they stay overnight in one of our hotels.”
Explore Elgin’s Architecture Adventure itinerary is available on its website, exploreelginarea.com, and as part of the convention and visitors bureau’s new brochure.
Gloria Casas is a freelance reporter for The Courier-News.
