History of Elgin
Academy
1839 Elgin Academy's
original charter was signed in 1839, four years after the founding
of the city of Elgin.
1856 The original campus building, "Old
Main" is opened. From the beginning, the Academy has been both
non-denominational and coeducational, offering a program dedicated
to academic excellence and high moral character.
1861
School motto originated: "Not How Much But How Well"
1872
The Academy granted its first diploma to Laura Davidson, the
granddaughter of Elgin's founder, James T. Gifford.
1874
274 students were enrolled for the winter term and the Academy
offered high school degrees in several courses of study, including
College Preparatory, Normal, English, Classical, Latin-Scientific,
and Business. By the end of the nineteenth century, the Academy had
a football team, a basketball team, and a school newspaper.
1903
After a brief association with the University of Chicago, the
Academy affiliated with Northwestern University and was for a number
of years know as Elgin Academy of Northwestern University.
1911 Judge and Mrs. Nathaniel
Sears (the former Laura Davidson, EA's first graduate) donated
$35,000 to the Academy's endowment fund, beginning a philanthropic
association with the school which spanned several decades. Through
the years, the Sears family has donated funds for a number of campus
features (as noted).
1914
The Academy began a Junior College with two years of college work
offered and courses accredited by Northwestern University,
(discontinued in 1927, reinstated in 1932, and in 1943 was
discontinued for good).
1918
The Academy's
first gymnasium (built with funds from the Sears family).
1920
Campus boarding program introduced (boys only).
1924 Sears Art Gallery
(funded by Sears family).
1924
Athletic Fields on Franklin Boulevard were opened.
1939
(circa) Seventh and Eighth grades added.
1940
Sears Hall (built with
funds from Sears family).
1941
(circa) Girls accepted into the boarding program. The following
description from a school publication of this era signifies an
approach to the education of young people that is still true of
Elgin Academy more than 65 years later:
The Academy expects of its students
a desire for self-education.
Each student is challenged to develop discriminating judgment and
independence of thought; and through varied work in literature,
music, and the arts, creative as well as appreciative, Elgin tried
to cultivate the imaginations and emotions of its students.
1940s-1950s
The postwar years were prosperous and stable years for the Academy as they were
for the Midwest in general. The construction of Sears Hall dormitory
in 1940 created an environment in which a traditional boarding
school could flourish and the yearbooks of the time reflect the
annual rituals of the homecoming games, social activities, and
serious academic work, all pursued in conservative attire and
hairstyles.
1950s-1960s The
decade from the late 1950s to the late 1960s brought many changes to
the Academy's physical plant.
1958
New Gymnasium constructed
1962
North Hall built (as a girls' dormitory)
1969
Edwards Hall dedicated
1972
Old Main, the original Academy building, had fallen into disrepair
and was closed to all school activities (also see
1978).
1975
Frank J. Hogan began a 10-year tenure as headmaster, launching a
period of growth and renewal (after hitting an enrollment low point
of 85 students in 1973, enrollment has climbed steadily to more than
400 in the new millennium).
1978
Old Main is donated to the city of Elgin which completed extensive
restoration of the beautiful landmark building. Old Main now houses
the Elgin Area Historical Society as well as the Seigle Room (used
for Upper School classes and school meetings; contains displays of
Elgin Academy memorabilia).
1980
(circa) In the early 1980s, the Academy's Board of Trustees set the
school on course to become a K-12 day school.
1984
Lower School is opened.
1987
Boarding program formally discontinued.
1980s-1990s
Parents, alumni, and friends
have built and sustained a vigorous fundraising effort dedicated to
strengthening the curriculum and improving teacher compensation,
while ensuring long-term viability of the institution.
1994
Board of Trustees approved the Academy's first strategic plan.
1997
The city of Elgin recognized EA's campus improvements by awarding
the school with the "Elgin Image Award."
1997
The Academy opens an Early Childhood Education Program for
3- and 4-year-olds.
2001
The Academy was the
first Preschool-12 independent school in greater Chicago to launch a
specialized website for every class and teacher.
2004
Capital Campaign was
begun to build the Media, Science, and
Fine
Arts Center and renovate other areas of campus.
[MSFA Center details] [EA
in the News]
2006 Elgin Academy
announced its plan to operate the former Summit Academy as the Elgin
Academy-River Road Campus and then consolidate all students
on the Hilltop Campus -- the consolidation occurred the following year.
2007 Elgin Academy
breaks ground for the new Media, Science, and Fine Arts Center scheduled
to open in Fall 2008. [Press
Release]
James J. "Jimmy John" Liautaud
[EA Class of '82], chairman and CEO of Jimmy John’s Franchise LLC, has
given the academy a $1 million commitment to its capital campaign that
will be used for improvements in the academy’s existing buildings and
programs, and construction of its new Media, Science and Fine Arts Center.
[Press
Release]
