ELGIN, IL - A historic dairy warehouse on Elgin's far northeast side is undergoing a transformation, thanks to city visionaries. Elgin Homes Dairy Lofts, a development of upscale loft homes, will occupy a group of buildings at the corner of Preston and Cooper streets that once housed both the Elgin Homes Dairy and the Elgin Modern Dairy Co. Scheduled for completion later this spring, the revamped structures originally built in 1936 will feature four lofts, each approximately 2,000 square feet. Residences will include two bedrooms, two baths and great rooms with 15-foot ceilings and exposed brick walls.
Keith Farnham of Elgin, a business owner who is leading the renovation, said the project has involved a lot of support from nearby neighbors, city officials and local tradesmen. "It's a cool thing to take an old dairy building, which is Elgin's history, and turn it into something like this," he said. "It's taken a community inside a community to make it happen." Farnham bought the graffiti-covered building more than two years ago as an investment. He mulled over the idea of turning the dilapidated structure into offices, but it lacked appropriate zoning.
Farnham first replaced the building's caved-in, leaking roof and cleared out 24 containers of garbage and debris. He then invited various city officials to take a look, including Elgin Mayor Ed Schock. Slowly, the idea of converting the building into a residence took shape. Farnham began working with teams of people, many from Elgin, to make the concept a reality. "We started on it one year ago and, with a project this big, the challenge is to how to make it work, especially given the challenging real estate environment," he said.
Elgin architect John Roberson came up with the designs and Toby Koth, president of the Elgin Trades Council, provided guidance. Since the entire structure is actually three buildings facing Preston and Cooper streets, the team had the luxury of adding unique amenities such as one-car garages for each unit and a 50-by-60-foot courtyard. Each of the units will face into the landscaped courtyard and residents will enter their lofts through a security gate near their garages and mailboxes, Farnham explained. "We want to make the courtyard a really nice, serene place," he added.
Because of the building's unique design, new residents will find each of the four lofts have different floor plans. Farnham plans to install hardwood flooring over the original concrete, but is leaving the brick visible in as many areas as possible, including some of the bathrooms. He also plans to leave roofing timbers and heating ducts exposed. Some of the details, such as the kitchen materials, won't be nailed down until the units are closer to completion, Farnham added. He also is planning to install a new sign to identify the development that will be lit by an old-fashioned light and placed on the southeast corner of the building, facing the Preston and Cooper intersection.
According to Elgin historian E.C. "Mike" Alft, Elgin's dairy industry began in 1852 when the first shipment of milk was sent from Chicago by train. By the late 1870s, there were at least 12,000 cows in Elgin Township. Small cheese and butter factories sprang up across northern Illinois. The output of those creameries was sold on the Elgin Board of Trade, formed in 1872 as a meeting place for buyers and sellers. In 1890, more than 24 million pounds of butter and 5 million pounds of cheese were sold on the board, Alft said.
After constructing the building the mid-1930s, the Homes Dairy sold it to the Modern Dairy Co. in 1954, he said. On one of his last days of cleaning before construction started, Farnham found one last vestige of the building's past: a milk bottle cap behind some shelving units. "My wife also found a Modern Dairy milk bottle
Source: Daily Herald