Spring-Douglas Historic District

Spring Street and Douglas Avenue in Elgin's Northeast Neighborhood form a residential district of 285 principal buildings and 211 secondary structures, mostly built between 1850 and 1950. The district lies east of the Fox River and north of downtown, running from Kimball Street to the river bluff at River Bluff Road. Its houses trace the city's northward growth: pre-Civil War Greek Revival and Italianate homes at the south end, Stick, Queen Anne and Shingle Style houses from the boom years before 1900, and Colonial Revival, Tudor, Craftsman and Prairie designs farther north. A street car line opened on Douglas Avenue in 1881, and subdivisions for factory workers and local leaders spurred most construction between the 1880s and 1930s. Prominent Elgin architects designed some houses. Although siding and porch changes have affected some buildings, many keep their original detailing, and recent rehabilitation has strengthened the district's historic character. Elgin's industrial growth is reflected in the housing.