Wally Thurow House
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| Wally Thurow House | |
|---|---|
| (U.S. Registered Historic District Contributing Property) | |
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| Location: | Sycamore, DeKalb County, Illinois, USA |
| Coordinates: | |
| Area: | Sycamore Historic District |
| Built/Founded: | 1917[1] |
| Architectural style(s): | American Foursquare |
| Added to NRHP: | May 2, 1978[2] As part of the Sycamore Historic District. |
| Reference #: | 78003104 |
| Governing body: | Private Ownership |
The Wally Thurow House is a contributing structure to the historical character of the Sycamore Historic District in Sycamore, Illinois. The district was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1978. Thurow was closely associated with the popular Sycamore Pumpkin Festival.
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[edit] History
The home was constructed in 1917 is more historically significant than it is architecturally significant. The events surrounding the founding of the Sycamore Pumpkin Festival occurred at the house in 1956.
[edit] Architecture
The house features a mostly hipped roof with a front dormer. As an American Foursquare building, it closely resembles the style of many mail-order houses of its day. The front facade is dominated by a brick porch supported by two large pillars.[3]
[edit] Wally Thurow
Wally "Mr. Pumpkin" Thurow is considered the founder of the Sycamore Pumpkin Festival. The festival essentially started as Thurow's personal Halloween celebration; he filled his lawn with decorated and pumpkins. Thurow pushed the Lions Club to expand on his idea and every year since 1962, during the Pumpkin Fest, the lawn of the DeKalb County Courthouse is filled with carved, decorated and otherwise enhanced pumpkins, many of them created by children and families.
[edit] References
- ^ Sycamore Historic District Informational Poster, on site, corner of Elm and Somonauk Streets, Sycamore, Illinois. Photograph on Wikimedia Commons. Retrived 17 February 2007
- ^ NRIS Database, National Register of Historic Places. Retrieved 17 February 2007.
- ^ Thurow House, Photograph on Wikimedia Commons. Retrieved 17 February 2007.
