I have a vague memory of taking an elevator in which a man sat on a stool and pushed the buttons for my mother and me. I think it was when I got my first pair of glasses. I also think it was in this building. That is the only time I was ever in the Elgin Tower Building as far as I recall.
Here it is in its glory. It went downhill after that, but instead of demolishing it, the property is now condominiums.
And it is still the city’s tallest structure.
In 1977, shortly before he was to head back to England, my then boyfriend Jeremy, painted a North Woods scene on our garage doors in Elgin. It was his interpretation of the scene out the window of our vacation home in Hazelhurst, Wisconsin. The local paper even picked it up and for weeks people would slowly drive by the house to get a peek at the garage doors.
I’m not entirely sure the house was even built when Jeremy painted the garage doors — this might have been how he imaged it would look from inside the house. A fun follow-up is that Jeremy recently recreated the garage door images on a much smaller scale as a gift for my brother who now lives in the house. He even included portraits of our Mom and Dad on each door. I’m grateful we still have a connection with Jeremy. The paintings he made are priceless.
The article below, is not completely true. Jeremy did have a place in mind when he painted the image. It’s definately the view from the property.
It’s hard to see the bunny in the lower left corner on any of the photos of the complete door, but when Mom eventually had the doors painted over (we neglected to put any kind of weatherproofing on the painting) she left the bunny. Here it is with a real live bunny and a detail from the painting Jeremy made for Kevin.
Here are the paintings Jeremy created for Kevin.
Another found object from my childhood home, this recipe booklet is interesting mostly because of the advertisements of long-gone businesses in my hometown. I was concerned about the word white in the name of the organization who published the book, but their website specifically points out that it represents the purity of Jesus’ life, not race. It seems to be a women’s organization adjacent to the Masons (you must be somehow related to a Master Mason to join).
I don’t know where this booklet came from, but I think my maternal Grandfather was a Mason. Maybe he brought this home. Maybe it belonged to his mother.
I really like the illustration of two pixies stirring something in a bowl. Kind of unexpected for an organization centered on the belief in “Jesus Christ as the Saviour and Redeemer of the World”.
I don’t know that I am going to use any of the recipes or suggestions in this booklet, but it was fun to look through. I am not sure when it was published. Dean thinks in the 1930s.
I think the page with diet menus is interesting. The daily menus include more food than I eat in a day. And it does not give portion sizes. Here’s Monday:
Breakfast: — Bran flakes, one soft boiled egg, one piece of fruit, coffee
Lunch:– Cold chicken or small piece of roast veal, spinach or tomatoes, iced tea
Dinner:– Veal cutlet, lettuce or celery, one-half cantaloupe or small helping of fruit, tea or coffee
Here’s the booklet if you want to take a look: The Mixing Bowl
Clutch Cargo Lips 