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O Connor Building History

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From brick to art, Elgin historic district continues to evolve Bill Montgomery did not buy the O’Connor building with the intention of making it into an art gallery, it just happened. Built over 100 years ago, the building continues to shelter the dreams and ambitions of its inhabitants. The building was part of Elgin Local Lore earlier this month, when participants were challenged to answer questions from the Heritage Walking Tour that covered 14 city blocks of commercial and industrial buildings known as the Elgin Commercial Historic District. Most of the buildings in the Commercial Historic District were built between 1872 and 1947, and are constructed of locally produced brick. The O’Connor building, located at 116 Depot Street is no exception, as it is …show more content…

He molded the bricks by hand and laid them on a pallet, let them sun-dry and baked them in a wooden kiln,” said O’Connor. Originally intended for a hardware store, Thomas O’Connor changed it to a furniture business around 1892. Joseph’s father, Edgar, took over the business around 1920, and ordered furniture by the trainload. “My father had an elevator installed in the store in 1920; it was not there when we lived upstairs. We would put each crate on it and slide them upstairs to store,” Joseph said. Built by the Otis Elevator Company, the elevator functions with weights and by hand-pulled ropes, no electricity is needed. Montgomery arrived in Austin in 1977 after completing his education from the University of New Mexico, Art Institute of Perugia, Italy and Kansas City Art Institute. In 1992, he and his wife Margie Crip moved to Elgin. He rented a space on Depot Street, and when he learned that the O’Connor Building was for sale, he didn’t hesitate – he knew that what was then a furniture and flooring store, would make the perfect studio. He was attracted to the light in the building and its 12 foot

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