Spring–Douglas Historic District

The Spring–Douglas Historic District is a set of 496 buildings in Elgin, Illinois. Of those, 455 buildings contribute to the district's historical value. It is a residential district following Spring Street and Douglas Avenue from Kimball Street in the south to River Bluff Road to the north. The lands that now comprise the district were originally settled by Phineas J. Kimball and Vincent Lovell in the 1830s. Kimball's property eventually became the southern part of the district, which mostly housed working class citizens. Lovell's subdivisions became housing for wealthier managers and doctors. The lower district is noted for its vernacular architecture, mostly gablefront houses, while the upper district represents a wide array of late 19th and early 20th century styles, mostly Queen Anne.

Elgin, Illinois was first settled in 1835. Located on the Fox River, it was an important site for travelers on the Galena-Chicago trail. The land that now comprises the residential district was originally claimed by Phineas J. Kimball and Vincent Lovell, two of Elgin's earliest settlers. Kimball was the brother of Elgin's second settler, Joseph Kimball, who had claimed the west side of the river to build a mill. Phineas Kimball's property was immediately to the east of his brother's, and he soon built a cabin at what is now the northwest corner of Douglas Avenue and Kimball Road. Douglas Avenue was paved on the west side of the plots, and Spring Street was laid on the east side, both roads traveling north and south.

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