Live and Create in Downtown Elgin!

Elgin ArtSpace Lofts is first and foremost an apartment complex consisting of 55 units. The apartments vary in size from studio to three bedroom units. Residents and their families enjoy the close proximity to not only downtown Elgin, but have easy access to Chicago and the suburbs by train, bus, and bike paths.

As one of over 30 ArtSpace locations nationwide, including being one of four currently in Illinois, Elgin ArtSpace Lofts is a unique facility providing a home to creators and makers interested in making Elgin, Illinois their home. 

​In order to rent a unit at Elgin ArtSpace Lofts, an applicant must meet certain criteria as outlined on the application information. The vast majority of the residents are employed in either full time or part time positions while having the advantage of being able to pursue their creative outlets in their own home rather than having the added cost of renting studio space.

The vision for providing creative spaces includes several spaces on the ground floor on Spring Street for businesses who are connected to the arts or artists in some way. 

A Building with a Past

A Vision for the Future

From Dry Goods to Artworks 
The Henrietta
The main Elgin ArtSpace Lofts structure, often referred to as the Sears building by local residents, was constructed in 1908. It first was called the "Henrietta" because of the name carved in stone on the pediment above the main entrance though few know the history behind that name. Henrietta Hackerodt Burritt was the first wife of Peter Burritt whose extensive real estate holdings in Elgin were inherited by Rebecca McBride Burritt Gilbert, his second wife. It was Rebecca who named the building for Henrietta.
The Henrietta was constructed for leasing to Swan's Department store which occupied the building for 30 years. Theodore F. Swan began his Elgin mercantile career with a grocery store on River Street (North Grove Avenue) in 1867. By 1880 he had added dry goods and shoes in larger quarters on South Grove. In 1893, he moved his growing business to the Spurling Block (now the Commerce Building) on the northwest corner of DuPage and Spring Streets.
Swan was the first Elgin merchant to introduce the "cash railway system" to send money from any part of the store to the cashier. He also was the first to abandon evening hours in the interest of his employees. Unlike many other stores of the time, Swan's terms were strictly cash. Carrie Jacobs Bond, the composer of "I Love You Truly", "Just a Wearying for You", and "The End of a Perfect Day", plugged sheet music sales at Swan's in the early 1890s.
​The Henrietta was later occupied by Sears, Roebuck & Company and became one of a cluster of several department stores in the downtown area. In 1941, the basement and second-floor selling areas were expanded. A parking lot to accommodate 85 cars was developed which compelled the removal of six small houses along the Fulton Street frontage. The Sears automotive wing was added in 1948.
After the closing of Sears, Elgin Community College established a central Elgin campus which continued for several years prior to its closure and eventual conversion into Elgin ArtSpace Lofts.

With a change in the face of downtown Elgin from its former retail focus, the city has worked diligently for many years to preserve and enhance its downtown, with the arts as part of the plan.
​When City officials were introduced to ArtSpace at an Illinois Main Street Conference, they were impressed with what they learned about the organization and asked ArtSpace to help them achieve their goals. ArtSpace is America's leading developer for the arts, with properties in more than 30 communities nationwide.
The City of Elgin and the Elgin arts community were the driving forces behind the project, working with ArtSpace to plan and develop the facility. Elgin’s residents and civic leaders believed that permanently affordable space for artists would strengthen an emerging arts and culture cluster in downtown Elgin, serve as a catalyst for continued development, bring vibrancy and activity to the street, and increase the number of individuals and families living and working downtown.
The result is the Elgin ArtSpace Lofts, a $15.2 million mixed-use project that created 55 units of affordable live/work space for artists and their families plus 5,874 square feet of retail and community space for arts-friendly businesses and nonprofit organizations. Residents are able to pursue their creative passions without the need for renting additional studio space. They also contribute to the community by being employed by local businesses.