Guest, Sign inJoin

Post to Elgin

We’ll email a one-tap link to publish your post. No password, and nothing is public until you click it.
Already a member? Sign in
Elgin Academy
Photo: Smallbones, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons · tap to enlarge
National Register of Historic Places

Elgin Academy

Also known as Old Main

Elgin’s first place on the National RegisterListed Oct 8, 1976; only 214 of Illinois’s 1,939 listings are older
Greek RevivalListed 1976Elgin
DirectionsIts website ↗Add an old photo
About

About Elgin Academy

Elgin Academy, at 350 Park St., was added to the National Register of Historic Places on Oct 8, 1976: the first place in Elgin to be listed. Only 214 of Illinois’s 1,939 listings are older. The Register lists it for its education and politics, at the local level. It describes its style as Greek Revival, as it does for 115 other Illinois listings.

What it isCollege preparatory school in Elgin, Illinois. From Wikidata (CC0). Read about it on Wikipedia ↗

PDFRead the original nominationThe form that put it on the Register, with its history, photos and a map · 61 MB · National Archives↗
Through the years

1839 to today

  1. 1839Built
  2. 1976Added to the National Register of Historic Places
  3. 2026On the Register for 50 years
Visit

Make it a walk: 5 landmarks in about 25 minutes

350 Park St., Elgin · about 1 miles on foot, as the crow flies

DirectionsWalk the tour in Google Maps
  1. 1Elgin AcademyStart here
  2. 2Elgin Historic DistrictGreek Revival · 0.3 mi on
  3. 3Gifford-Davidson HouseBuilding · 0.3 mi on
  4. 4First Universalist ChurchRichardsonian Romanesque · 0.2 mi on
  5. 5Elgin Downtown Commercial District (Additional Documentation)District · 0.2 mi on
Around it

5 more Register listings within a mile

★ National Historic Landmark · D district · B building · S site. Each opens its own page.

BElgin Tower BuildingArt Deco · Built 19290.4 miBElgin National Watch Company ObservatoryClassical Revival0.8 miBOra Pelton HouseVictorian0.8 miDSpring-Douglas Historic DistrictBungalow/Craftsman0.8 miBCountry Tea RoomLate Victorian · Built 19291 mi
More like it

Greek Revival style, nearby

Other National Register listings within 25 miles described as Greek Revival.

Elgin Historic District0.3 mi away
Memorial Washington Reformed Presbyterian Church6 mi away
Sunderlage Farm SmokehouseBuilt 1860 · 8 mi away
Joel H. Hulburd House8.7 mi away

Memories of Elgin Academy

The record says what it is. Neighbors know what it means.

Town Square →
Weigh in
Have you been to Elgin Academy?

Your answer becomes a post in Town Square.

Start a conversation
Have an old photo of it?Add it · +10

Questions about Elgin Academy

Is Elgin Academy on the National Register of Historic Places?

Yes. It was added on Oct 8, 1976 (Register number 76000713).

Is Elgin Academy a National Historic Landmark?

No. It is on the National Register; Illinois has 86 National Historic Landmarks. The nearest is Sam and Ruth Van Sickle Ford House, 20.3 miles away.

Can you visit Elgin Academy?

It has its own website, the place to check whether and when it is open to visitors.

Where can I read the history of Elgin Academy?

In its National Register nomination, the form that put it on the Register: a 61 MB PDF at the National Archives, linked on this page.

Sources: National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places (05/22/2026) · National Archives catalog record 28893214 · Wikidata. Map tiles © OpenStreetMap contributors.