Water Damage Restoration in Sycamore: What to Expect in 2025
Water Damage Restoration in Sycamore: What to Expect in 2025
Water damage restoration in Sycamore is a topic that's becoming increasingly relevant as we move toward 2025. Water damage restoration sycamore . With climate change causing more frequent and severe weather events, it's no surprise that folks in Sycamore are paying closer attention to how water damage can impact their homes and businesses. But what can residents really expect in 2025 when it comes to water damage restoration? Well, let's dive into it.
First off, it's essential to understand that not all water damage is created equal. There's a range of scenarios-from minor leaks to full-scale flooding-that require different approaches in restoration. And by 2025, we're likely to see even more advanced technology being used in this field. Imagine drones (yes, drones!) being used to assess damage from above or infrared cameras that can detect moisture behind walls without having to tear them down. These innovations might sound like science fiction, but they're already in development and could become common practice sooner than we think.
However, while technology will undoubtedly play a significant role, it's not going to replace the need for skilled professionals. Water damage restoration is still a hands-on job that requires expertise, and that's something robots aren't gonna change. Residents in Sycamore should expect local companies to invest in continuous training for their staff to keep up with the latest techniques and equipment. After all, technology can only do so much if the person operating it doesn't know what they're doing!
Additionally, the environmental impact of restoration efforts is becoming a bigger concern. People are more eco-conscious now, and by 2025, this will likely influence the industry. Restoration companies might start using eco-friendly products and methods more frequently, ensuring that while they're fixing one problem, they're not creating another. Sustainable practices could very well become a selling point for businesses in this field.
Insurance is another aspect that can't be overlooked. Dealing with insurance companies is rarely anyone's idea of a good time, but it's a crucial part of the water damage restoration process. By 2025, it's possible that insurance policies will have adapted to the changing climate, offering more comprehensive coverage for water-related incidents. However, it's equally likely that premiums could rise as risks increase. Residents might want to review their policies regularly to ensure they're adequately covered and not caught off guard by any changes.
Now, what about the community aspect? In times of crisis, communities often come together, and Sycamore is no exception. Local support networks and community initiatives could play a vital role in responding to water damage incidents. Whether it's through neighborhood groups sharing resources or local government providing timely information and assistance, the power of community shouldn't be underestimated.
Finally, let's talk about prevention. It's always better to prevent damage than to repair it (easier said than done, right?). Homeowners in Sycamore might start investing more in preventive measures, like better drainage systems or smart home devices that alert them to leaks early on. By 2025, these proactive steps could be the norm rather than the exception, saving folks time, money, and quite a bit of stress.
In conclusion, water damage restoration in Sycamore by 2025 will likely be a blend of cutting-edge technology, skilled professionals, eco-friendly practices, and community support. While there are challenges ahead, there's also a lot of potential for positive change. So, whether you're a homeowner, a business owner, or just someone interested in what the future holds, it's worth keeping an eye on how this crucial field evolves. After all, being prepared is half the battle, isn't it?
Sycamore is a city in DeKalb County, Illinois, United States. It has a commercial district based and centered on Illinois Route 64. The population was 18,577 at the 2020 census,[2] up from 17,419 at the 2010 census. Sycamore is the county seat of DeKalb County and was named after the sycamore tree.
The first European settlers to the Sycamore-area arrived in 1835 and concentrated themselves mostly north of the Kishwaukee River (the name of which means Sycamore) and the present site of Sycamore. The original town was platted by a New Yorker named Christian Sharer. A mill was constructed and the Kishwaukee dammed but the town failed. By 1837, after some controversy, the location of county seat was settled in favor of Orange, Sycamore's original name, and the settlement moved to the present-day site of the city.[3]
The present-day town site was platted by James Waterman and Evans Wharry in 1837 (the same year Chicago was founded). The first settler at the new site was Carlos Lattin, who preceded the town, having arrived in 1835.[3] Lattin staked a claim that included most of the present west side of the city and erected his first cabin just north of downtown.[3]
Early in the city's history, it seemed that Sycamore might not be the location of the DeKalb County Courthouse: other towns were vying for the county seat title. A now-defunct town called Brush Point was the choice of a Dr. Henry Madden; and the Clerk of the Court Rufus Colton would have preferred Coltonville, where he made his home.[4] Colton had set the first session of county court to be held at his home in Coltonville.[5] In his attempt to make Coltonville the county seat, Colton decided to hold a new election for the status in 1837. Colton made sure that Coltonville would win the election by telling only the population of Coltonville about it. His political tactics were eventually cancelled by an act of the Illinois General Assembly,[4] after the DeKalb County court intervened. When court convened the sheriff served a court order declaring Sycamore had built a Courthouse and that the Court session should be held there.[5] Afterward, Coltonville eventually suffered the same fate as Brush Point and disappeared from the map.[4] These events settled for a time the issue of where the courthouse and, in turn, the DeKalb County seat was going to be located.[5]
In 1903, as the county prepared to construct a new courthouse, the debate over county seat was reignited. This time, it was the city of DeKalb that sought to wrest the title of county seat away from Sycamore. Two of DeKalb's most prominent citizens, Jacob Haish and Isaac L. Ellwood, each promised to donate $20,000 to help absorb some of the new building's cost. The city of Sycamore responded, raising funds of their own, and after some back and forth and legal wrangling, the issue was settled in Sycamore's favor.[4]
Following the end of the second county seat controversy, in 1839, the first DeKalb County Courthouse was built in the city, as well as Sycamore's first hotel. A year later the settlement consisted of 12 houses, which increased to 18 by 1844. Sycamore then began an era of steady growth marked by population increases in 1848 to 262, 1849 to 320, 1850 to 390, 1851 to 435.[3] The Sycamore and Cortland Railroad arrived in the late 1850s and a station was erected in Sycamore. Sycamore was home to 41 commercial and industrial business by 1855. In 1858, Sycamore was incorporated as a village. Following the American Civil War the railroad began to assist Sycamore's growth and the settlement was incorporated as a city in 1869.[3]
Sycamore is the location of a notable cold case, the 1957 abduction and murder of 7-year-old Maria Ridulph. On the evening of December 3, 1957, Maria disappeared while playing outside her family's Sycamore home. She was last seen by her playmate Kathy Chapman (née Sigman) with a young man who called himself "Johnny" and had approached the girls offering them piggyback rides. A search and investigation by local and state police and the FBI failed to locate either Maria or "Johnny", and the following April, Maria's body was found in a field approximately 100 miles from Sycamore. The case remained unsolved for over 50 years until in 2011, Jack Daniel McCullough, a former neighbor of the Ridulphs, was arrested and convicted of kidnapping and murdering Maria. The case received national news coverage as the oldest cold case in US history to result in a conviction.[6] However, in April 2016, McCullough's conviction was overturned and he was released from prison after a post-conviction review of the evidence indicated that he could not have committed the crime.[7][8]
On the morning of February 10, 2010 at 3:59 a.m., Sycamore was near the epicenter of an earthquake. The shock had a moment magnitude of 3.8 and a maximum Mercalli intensity of IV (Light).[9] It was felt 133 mi (214 km) away in Madison, Wisconsin. When the quake was first reported, it was thought Sycamore was the epicenter. However, revised data from the USGS determined the epicenter to be closer to Virgil. This was the first earthquake in Northern Illinois since an M4.2 (intensity V (Moderate)) event in 2004.[10]
Sycamore is located along Illinois Route 64 (State Street in Sycamore) about 35 miles (56 km) southeast of Rockford and 55 miles (89 km) west-northwest of Chicago. It is along the south bank of the East Branch of the South Branch Kishwaukee River in DeKalb County.[3]
According to the 2021 census gazetteer files, Sycamore has a total area of 10.18 square miles (26.37 km2), of which 10.12 square miles (26.21 km2) (or 99.43%) is land and 0.06 square miles (0.16 km2) (or 0.57%) is water.[11] The terrain in Sycamore and the surrounding area is gently rolling and contains rich soil which was originally heavily forested.[3]
The commercial district of Sycamore is based on Illinois Route 64, and stretches about a mile down starting from the intersection of route 64 with Illinois Route 23 and ending at Center Cross Road. The district is composed of two-story shops, a bank, small movie theater, and former Midwest Museum of Natural History. The town also has the county courthouse, built in 1904, of limestone.
As of the 2020 census[2] there were 18,577 people, 7,083 households, and 4,602 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,825.21 inhabitants per square mile (704.72/km2). There were 7,792 housing units at an average density of 765.57 per square mile (295.59/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 83.03% White, 3.20% African American, 0.46% Native American, 2.25% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 3.50% from other races, and 7.54% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 9.31% of the population.
There were 7,083 households, out of which 32.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.45% were married couples living together, 14.85% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.03% were non-families. 27.05% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.19% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.12 and the average family size was 2.51.
The city's age distribution consisted of 24.8% under the age of 18, 10.8% from 18 to 24, 25.8% from 25 to 44, 25.1% from 45 to 64, and 13.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37.0 years. For every 100 females, there were 83.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 77.2 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $65,924, and the median income for a family was $82,318. Males had a median income of $53,784 versus $35,290 for females. The per capita income for the city was $33,586. About 9.2% of families and 9.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 11.2% of those under age 18 and 11.3% of those age 65 or over.
Sycamore has never had a large manufacturing or industrial sector.[3] Among Sycamore's early industries were Marsh Harvester Manufacturing, R. Ellwood Manufacturing, and Sycamore Preserve Works. Marsh Harvester was established in 1859, Ellwood in 1875 and the preserve works in 1891. R. Ellwood Manufacturing relocated to DeKalb in 1891.[3]
Today, Ideal Industries is a privately owned manufacturer based in Sycamore.
The DeKalb County Courthouse lawn becomes a colorful display of pumpkins during the annual Sycamore Pumpkin Festival.
Sycamore is home to the annual Sycamore Pumpkin Festival, a pumpkin festival established in 1962 when local resident Wally Thurow began displaying pumpkins on his front lawn. The festival features many activities, a carnival, and a parade. The lawn of the DeKalb County Courthouse is the center of the event and includes a display of decorated and carved pumpkins.[13] The event attracts thousands to Sycamore from locations throughout northern Illinois, the Midwest, and the broader United States.[13][14][15]
The city is also home to the Sycamore Historic District, an architecturally interesting area containing over 200 individual properties.[16] The district was established in 1978 when it was added to the National Register of Historic Places. The area is bounded in an irregular pattern along Main and Somonauk Streets but contains portions of several other streets and includes much of the downtown commercial district and residential areas north and south of downtown.[3] During the summer, the Sycamore Historical Society offers guided walking tours with a local historian.[17]
Sycamore is also home to the former Midwest Museum of Natural History, which featured a varied taxidermy collection and closed in February 2020.
Sycamore features a Council-Manager government. Policy is developed by an elected City Council and then implemented by an appointed professional City Manager. The Sycamore City Council consists of a Mayor elected at-large and eight Aldermen representing one of four wards (two per ward). The Mayor and Aldermen serve four year terms, with one Alderman from each ward being elected every two years.[18] Sycamore's current mayor is Steve Braser.[19]
Public schooling began in Sycamore as early as 1839, with classes held in the first DeKalb County Courthouse, a log building across the street from the courthouse's current location.[3][20] The city's first school building was built in 1853.[3] Current public education needs in Sycamore are provided by Sycamore Community Unit School District 427. The current Superintendent of Sycamore School District is Steve Wilder.[21] The district operates Sycamore High School, Sycamore Middle School, and five elementary schools. The newest elementary school, North Grove, opened in 2009 was built for access by the nearby subdivision.[22]
^Greg Fisher, Judy Rybak, and Peter Henderson (producers) (May 24, 2014). 48 Hours Presents: Cold as Ice (documentary). CBS News. Archived from the original on April 24, 2016. Retrieved April 19, 2016. Oldest cold case to go to trial in U.S. tests memories, forces family to expose deep, dark secrets in search of justice for murdered girl
The houses in the Sycamore Historic District, in Sycamore, Illinois, United States, cross a variety of architectural styles and span from the 1830s to the early 20th century. There are 187 contributing properties within the historic district, 75% of the districts buildings. Many of the homes are associated with early Sycamore residents, usually prominent business leaders or politicians. Houses within the district are known by, either their street address or by a name associated with a prominent owner or builder. For most of the houses, the latter is true.
A full 75% of the districts buildings are listed as contributing properties. Many of these include homes within the boundaries of the district that are architecturally or historically significant but are commonly known only by their street address.
Two of the districts contributing homes are found along Ottawa Street. Both homes are nameless and stand next door to each other, one is at 124 and the other is at 134. Along Maple Street the Italianate home at 202 is also listed as a contributing property, it is known only by its address.
The two-story Italianate home at 314 S. Main Street is another example of a contributing property in the Sycamore Historic District that is known only by its address. The house was constructed in 1878. At 512 S. Main St. is a brightly colored example of Queen Anne architecture. The only contributing property along the east-west High Street is the home at 418 W. High.
The house at 312 Somonauk Street is an example of Italianate architecture, it is a nameless contributor to the district's historic nature. The Italianate home further down the same block, at 328, has undergone some exterior changes. Its original wood siding was replaced with vinyl. On the other side of the street, the house at 413 Somonauk is an example of the American Foursquare style of domestic architecture. Also in the 400 block of Somonauk, at 437 is another nameless contributing property.
The Byers-Faissler House is located in the 500 block of Sycamore's Somonauk Street, the house is included as a contributing structure to the historic character of the Sycamore Historic District. The house was built in 1867 for Sycamore politician William Byers.[1] The home contains elements of both Gothic Revival and Italianate architecture. It is thought that the main gable once contained the same decorative elements as the smaller gable.[1]
Byers eventually served two terms in the Illinois state legislature, though before he held that office he was active in DeKalb County politics. Byers' youngest daughter, Jane, married native German Johannes (John) Faissler. Faissler became a successful lawyer in Sycamore.[1]
The Captain R.A. Smith House, also known as the F.W. Partridge House is another contributing property to the Sycamore Historic District. The house was built sometime before 1871 by Captain R.A. Smith.[2] The Smith House is designed in a Gothic Revival motif by R.A. Smith.[3]
Besides the military Smith was elected treasurer in DeKalb County, little is known about him other than the fact that he designed his home in the 200 block of Sycamore's Somonauk Street.[2]F.W. Partridge was an attorney who began his legal career in the DeKalb County city of Sandwich, Illinois. Later, when he moved to Sycamore, he achieved some notoriety in that profession. During the Civil War Partridge was a breveted Brigadier General.[2] Toward the end of the war he served as DeKalb County Clerk and Recorder; from 1864-1867. President Ulysses S. Grant appointed him as ambassador to Siam.[2]
The Chappell-Whittemore House also known as the H.C. Whittemore House, is a historic home in the 200 block of South Main Street in Sycamore. The house was completed sometime 1867 and before 1873.[2] The home is noted for its architectural and historical significance.[2]
Henry C. Whittemore came to Sycamore at a young age, brought by his parents in 1848.[2] He served during the Civil War and after the conflict ended remained a government employee during Reconstruction. As a government employee Whittemore was tasked with helping to reorganize the postal service in the South.[2] He returned to Sycamore in 1867. Upon arriving back in Sycamore he went into the tanning business but after a few years, in 1873, shifted focus to the hardware business. He stayed in hardware for most of life, taking on several different business partners in the process.[2]
Whittemore was politically active, after he left hired government work, both locally and at the state level. In DeKalb County he served as a Sycamore alderman as well as a member of the County Board of Supervisors.[2] At the turn of the 20th century he headed up the building committee which oversaw the construction of the third, and current, DeKalb County Courthouse, another notable historic district structure. At the state level Whittemore served in the 34th Illinois General Assembly and as a trustee at the State Home for Juvenile Offenders in Geneva, Illinois.[2]
The Charles A Bishop House, also known as the William Phelps House, is in 500 block of South Main Street in Sycamore.The house started its existence in 1863 attached to the J.H. Rogers/Bettis House, which currently stands next door to the Bishop House. In 1887 the Bishop House was moved, by mule, from its original location.[4] That property became the site for the c. 1890J.H. Rogers House. When the Bishop House was moved the Rogers-Bettis House was split off from it and planted next door.[4] The property the house stands on today was part of the original 80 acres (320,000 m2) purchased by Ellzey P. Young from the United States government by an act of Congress.[4]
Bishop was a highly respected citizen of Sycamore. After coming to Sycamore, from New Brunswick, in 1878 Bishop was admitted to the Bar in 1880. He practiced law with Harvey A. Jones and eventually held the posts of circuit and county judge.[4]
The Charles Kellum House was constructed in 1858 by Charles Kellum. Kellum came to Sycamore in 1855 as an attorney and eventually served in several public offices, including state's attorney and circuit court judge.[5] The house was once a larger structure than it is today. The building at 123 Lincoln Street, directly behind the Kellum House, was separated from the main house, in the 600 block of Somonauk Street, in the 1920s. The house's owner at the time had a daughter who was getting married and he presented the separated wing as a wedding present for the couple.[5] The roof is multiple gabled and features the distinctive Jerkin style roof. Each of the home's gables contain the element, which is a mesh of the gable and hipped roof.
The David DeGraff House, in the 900 block of Somonauk Street is just within the boundaries of the Sycamore Historic District. This large, two-story Italianate home is considered a contributing property by the National Register of Historic Places. The house was built in 1867 by wealthy Sycamore farmer David DeGraff.[2]
The Dr. Clark House is another contributing structure to the historic integrity of the Sycamore Historic District. The house stands at the corner of Lincoln and Main Streets in Sycamore. The home was constructed in 1936 for Dr. Clark, a Sycamore radiologist who worked at Sycamore Hospital. Clark lived in the home until 1970. The new owners added an addition to the house in 1996[4] The house was completed in Shingle style and its exterior construction is of brick. Dr. Clark was a radiologist at Sycamore Hospital.[4][6]
The Dr. Orlando M. Bryan House, stands in the 300 block of Somonauk Street in Sycamore. This Italianate structure was erected around 1866, since that date it has been altered from its original appearance.[2]
Bryan was the "pioneer" physician for the settlement of Sycamore, Illinois, beginning his medical practice in the city that would become the county seat of DeKalb County in 1846.[2] During the Civil War Bryan was charged with running the General Hospital of the Army of the Mississippi.[2] Later he requested and was granted the post of Medical Director and Purveyor of the Department of New Mexico. Bryan returned to Sycamore in 1866.[2]
The Dr. Olin H. Smith House is located in the 800 block of Somonauk Street in Sycamore. The house was constructed between 1870 and 1877 for Dr. Olin H. Smith.[2][5] Smith, who was the town's first dentist, was raised in Sycamore and attended Sycamore schools before going to medical school in Philadelphia. He was born October 15, 1856, in St. Johnsbury, Vermont, the youngest of six children of Martha L. and James M. Smith. On arriving in Sycamore in 1857, the family first settled in a simple farm house on what is now the 800 block of Somonauk Street, before constructing the present house. In 1900 he was elected mayor, a time during which he worked to bring more industry to the city. Dr. Smith died in Sycamore on August 5, 1939. His wife, Lillian Babcock Smith, and daughter Rose Smith Mussell, continued to live in the house until their deaths in 1947 and 1950, respectively. In 1950 the house was sold out of the family.[5]
The Smith House is an Italianate home and one of several such homes along Somonauk Street to have been influenced by the Italianate design of the George P. Wild House.[5] The Wild House is another of Somonauk Street's contributing structures. The Smith House is considered architecturally significant in a historic district where 75% of all structures are considered contributing properties.[2][7]
The 'Elmore Cooper House is listed as a contributing structure to the district's overall historical character. The Elmore Cooper House was built in 1924 by the Sycamore gas station entrepreneur Elmore Cooper. The house is of a Colonial Revival style, with English roots. It features simple lines and proportions, which make it architecturally distinctive. It features an original roof.[8] Elmore Cooper opened Sycamore's first gas station in 1898, it was located across the street from the DeKalb County Courthouse on Illinois Route 64.[8]
Once a carriage house that belonged to Chauncey Ellwood, the Esther Mae Nesbitt House is how a home in the DeKalb County, Illinois, city of Sycamore. It stands next door to the Chauncey Ellwood House and is a contributing property in the Sycamore Historic District. The home, in the 800 block of Somonauk Street, was originally Chauncey Ellwood's carriage house. The 1837 building was converted into an artist's studio and, eventually, a residence, by Esther Mae Nesbitt.[9]
The Floyd E. Brower House is another of the historic homes in the DeKalb County, Illinois, city of Sycamore. The house, in the 400 block of Sycamore's Somonauk Street, lies in the heart of the Sycamore Historic District. It was constructed for Sycamore attorney, Floyd Brower.[10]
The General Daniel Dustin House is a 19th-century residential home in the 400 block of California Street and is a contributing structure to the historical integrity of the Sycamore Historic District. Daniel Dustin served in the United States Army and accompanied General William Tecumseh Sherman on his "grand march to the sea" during the American Civil War. In Sycamore Dustin settled in the California Street home and made a living as a merchant, working with James E. Ellwood in the sale of medicines. He eventually became DeKalb County's county clerk.[11]
This simple I-house home was constructed in 1847 for early Sycamore settler and, later, elected official Ellzey P. Young. Built in 1847 the house is one of the oldest in the city of Sycamore. It is believed that Eleanor Roosevelt once stayed in the home during a visit to nearby Northern Illinois University, in DeKalb.[12] Young had the home built and later George S. Robinson, a prominent local attorney and county judge, lived in the residence.[12]
Young was one of Sycamore's earliest settlers, coming to the town in 1839. He went into the mercantile business with James Waterman,[12] a prominent local businessman for whom the historic Waterman Block is named.
The George P. Wild House is a large two-story Italianate home constructed in 1869 by George P. Wild, a successful Sycamoredry goods dealer, when he commissioned a Chicago architect, either John W. Ackerman or George Ackerman,[13] to build the two-story house for $4,000. The final cost of construction was $4,500 and the bill outraged Wild.[14]
The building was designed in the Italianate architectural style. It features a veranda, though not original, which winds from the front door, around the building, to the secondary entrance on the home's south side. The door has the name G.P. Wild etched into its glass.[8]
The Henry Garbutt House is another one of 187 contributing structures to the Sycamore Historic District in Sycamore, Illinois. The 1890 Queen Anne style home stands on South Main Street and was home to Henry Garbutt, a prominent Sycamore banker.
The Hosea W. Willard House, in the 400 block of Somonauk Street is one of numerous 19th-century houses in the historic district. The house was built by Sycamore mason Hosea Willard in 1867. The Willard House is one of the Sycamore Historic District houses to feature the distinctive Jerkin roof, basically a combination of the simple gable roof and the hipped roof. Both the main gables and the smaller gables over the second floor windows contain this roof element. On the home's south facade a prominent oriel is set into the first floor.
Willard was a prominent Sycamore mason and builder. He was responsible for the construction of several of the historic district's other notable buildings, including the St. Peter's Episcopal Church as well as the Old Congregational Church (now Sycamore Baptist Church).[8] Willard arrived in Sycamore in 1843, a time when the city had just 18 homes.[8]
J.H. Rogers settled in Sycamore in 1858. He was a highly respected dry goods merchant and associate of George R. Wild. Wild's House is another of the Sycamore Historic District's notable homes. Later in his dry goods merchant career he worked without Wild.[2] His c. 1890 home is a blend of Queen Anne style and Romanesque Revival architecture.[15] The distinctly Queen Anne turret on the home's northwest side is offset by the distinctly Romanesque arch over the front doorway.
The J.H. Rogers/Bettis House, also known as the John Gathercoal House, is located in the 500 block of Main Street. The house began its existence in 1863 attached to the Charles A. Bishop House, which currently stands next door to the Bettis House. In 1887 the Bishop house was moved, by mule, from its original location.[12] That property became the site for the c. 1890 J.H. Rogers House. When the Bishop House was moved the Rogers-Bettis House was split off from it and planted next door.[12] The property the house stands on today was part of the original 80 acres (320,000 m2) purchased by Ellzey P. Young from the United States government by an act of Congress.[12] In 1902 a music professor, Frederick B. Bettis purchased the house.[12]
The Stephens House, in the 800 block of Somonauk Street, is an Italianate structure and considered to be architecturally significant in a historic district where 75% of the buildings are contributing properties to the historic integrity of the district.[2][7]
The Wally Thurow House is a 1917 American Foursquare with a brick exterior and oak interiors. The Four Square style was a reaction to the complexity and excess found in Victorian and Revival style homes that were popular in the later half of the 19th century. Incorporating elements of the Prairie School, pioneered by Frank Lloyd Wright, and American Craftsman styles the two-and-a-half-story house exhibits the classic boxy shape, a mostly hipped roof, and a central dormer. The front facade is dominated by a brick porch supported by two large pillars.[16]
Yet the house is as historically important as it is architecturally significant. The events surrounding the founding of the Sycamore Pumpkin Festival occurred at the house in 1956. Wally "Mr. Pumpkin" Thurow is considered the founder of the Sycamore Pumpkin Festival. The festival essentially started as Thurow's personal Halloween celebration; he filled his lawn with decorated pumpkins. Thurow pushed the Lions Club to expand on his idea and every year since 1962, during the Pumpkin Fest, the lawn of the DeKalb County Courthouse is filled with carved, decorated and otherwise enhanced pumpkins, many of them created by children and families.
The William McAllister House is located in the 200 block of South Main Street in Sycamore. It was constructed in 1906 and remains much the same today as it was 1912.[4] McAllister was a successful dry goods dealer whose longtime business in the Daniel Pierce Building evolved into the later Henderson's Department Store in downtown Sycamore.[4]
The William Robinson House was constructed in 1874.[8] It stands in the 400 block of South Main Street in Sycamore is designed in a mostly Gothic Revival style. Robinson was an entrepreneur, dealing in threshing equipment and farm implements. On New Year's Day, 1897 he turned over his successful business to his son George E. Robinson.[8]
There are three houses within the district that were owned by various members of the Ellwood family, famed for their affiliation with barbed wire through Isaac Ellwood. The Abram Ellwood House is in the 400 block of Somonauk Street. Further down the street, in the 700 block of Somonauk, is the James Ellwood House. The James Ellwood House was constructed in 1859. It was moved from its original location, about a block away, in 1989. Since that time the home has been fully restored.[5] The home is designed in Shingle style,[17] a subtype of Queen Anne Style architecture. James Ellwood worked in the pharmacy and grocery business in Sycamore for 23 years. Before he became Sycamore Postmaster from 1898 to 1908 he also worked for 17 years as treasurer of Reuben Ellwood Manufacturing.The 1859 Chauncey Ellwood House, a prominent Italianate home, is in Somonauk Street's 800 block.[9]
The Charles O. Boynton House is an 1887 Queen Anne style home which stands along Main Street, north of the DeKalb County Courthouse. Its distinctive red brick facade has aged fairly well and the porch is nearly exactly as it was in the late 19th century. Boynton was a dry goods dealer.[18] On the adjacent property is the Frederick B. Townsend House. Townsend helped found the DeKalb County Farm Bureau and was a native of DeKalb County.[19]
At least two other contributing houses are found south of the Boynton and Townsend Houses. The D. B. James House is a c. 1860 home located on Exchange Street directly behind the DeKalb County Courthouse, it is one of the oldest homes on that block. James was a Sycamore attorney, coincidentally, the house now holds a law office.[20] Along Somonauk Street is another of the district's elegant examples of Queen Anne architecture, the David Syme House. The Somonauk Street house was designed by George Garnsey of Chicago and constructed around 1880.[21]
^ abcSycamore Historic District Informational Poster, on site, corner of Elm and Somonauk Streets, Sycamore, Illinois. Photograph on Wikimedia Commons. Retrieved 18 February 2007
^ abcdefghSycamore Historic District Informational Poster, on site, corner of Elm and Somonauk Streets, Sycamore, Illinois. Photograph on Wikimedia Commons. Retrieved 17 February 2007
^ abcdefSycamore Historic District Informational Poster, on site, corner of Elm and Somonauk Streets, Sycamore, Illinois. Photograph on Wikimedia Commons. Retrieved 17 February 2007
^ abcdefgSycamore Historic District Informational Poster, on site, corner of Elm and Somonauk Streets, Sycamore, Illinois. Photograph on Wikimedia Commons. Retrieved 17 February 2007
^ abcSycamore Historic District Informational Poster, on site, corner of Elm and Somonauk Streets, Sycamore, Illinois. Photograph on Wikimedia Commons. Retrieved 17 February 2007
^Sycamore Historic District Informational Poster, on site, corner of Elm and Somonauk Streets, Sycamore, Illinois. Photograph on Wikimedia Commons. Retrieved 17 February 2007
^ abcdefgSycamore Historic District Informational Poster, on site, corner of Elm and Somonauk Streets, Sycamore, Illinois. Photograph on Wikimedia Commons. Retrieved 17 February 2007
^Sycamore Historic District Informational Poster, on site, corner of Elm and Somonauk Streets, Sycamore, Illinois. Photograph on Wikimedia Commons. Retrieved 17 February 2007
^Interior features include prairie art glass, built-in cabinetry, and Craftsman style woodwork.Thurow House, Photograph on Wikimedia Commons. Retrieved 17 February 2007.
