Seyller’s Inc. Tuckpointing & Masonry is proud of its long history of involvement in the masonry restoration of historically and architecturally significant buildings, as well as of churches, schools, commercial property, and privately owned residences in the Fox Valley and surrounding areas.
The firm, owned and operated by Art Seyller, Jr., has been in operation since 1955 when his father and uncle started the business. For 6 decades, Seyller’s Inc. has carried on the tradition of providing the quality service associated with a locally-owner and family-operated business as well as having earned a reputation for it’s restoration work. An essential component to the craft of masonry restoration is the preservation of the integrity of the building and Seyller’s maintains the same high standards whether the job is repointing a chimney or working on an historical restoration project.
Seyller’s Inc. includes an array of architecturally and historically significant buildings in its project portfolio. They were part of the masonry renovation that preceded the reopening of the Hotel Baker, a Riverfront landmark in St.Charles that originally opened in 1928. Seyller’s Inc. was also involved in the renovation by owners Fred and Bonnie Hackendahl of the unique Riverbank Laboratory in Geneva, originally part of the estate of Col. George Fabyan. The Laboratory property consists of a lodge, a studio, greenhouses, a large engineering building, acoustical testing chambers, and a bell tower. The Hackendahls have restored the early 1900’s Craftsman shingle-style lodge to use as their home and the studio to serve as guest quarters. They continue to renovate the other buildings and plan to relocate business there. Seyller’s also did the masonry restoration on the Leath Building on Chicago Street in Elgin. Neal Pitcher, the owner and local attorney, received the William Stickling Award from the Heritage Commission for that project. Another interesting project was the restoration of the original ornate masonry façade of the McBride Building on Douglas Avenue in Elgin after the aluminum siding added in the 1950’s was removed. The renovation of that building earned the owners, Ben and Lucille Corn, an Elgin Heritage Commission Award.
Seyller’s restored the exterior if the 1890’s era Steffen Building on Douglas Avenue in Elgin to it’s original luster. Local attorney Fred Steffen opened Café Magdalena on the street level and converted the second floor into office space and the third floor into living space. Another noteworthy project is the restoration of the brick and terra cotta façade of the Peter Burritt Building. The renovation of that building by PanCor Construction and Development is seen as a significant addition to the revitalization of Downtown Elgin. Seyller’s also worked on what is possibly the second oldest existing structure in Elgin, a circa 1845 Cobblestone house on DuPage Street. The house was restored by Judith Hines, a local business owner known for the preservation of buildings in downtown Elgin. The DuPage Street restoration won the Elgin Heritage Commission Mayor’s Award and the Chamber of Commerce’s Community Improvement Program Silver Award. Seyller’s Inc. did the masonry work on that building also. Other projects of interest include the Elgin Fire Barn No.5 built in 1904 and restored to house a museum; the Dunham Woods Riding Club in Wayne, the Heartland Building in St. Charles in DeKalb; the 1929 Art Deco style Egyptian Theatre, the Glidden Homestead and Barn where Joseph Glidden invented ‘Winner” barbed wire, the Ellwood House, and the 1931 Art Deco style DeKalb Public Library constructed of shot-sawed and stained Indiana limestone; and the Post office in Galena that has the distinction of being the second oldest post office in continuous operation in the United States.
While Seyller appreciates the intrinsic rewards of preservation work, he is pleased that his firm has been recognized for it’s efforts. They were involved in the restoration of Lords Park Pavilion in Elgin that won a National prize for Dahlquist and Lutzow, the Elgin architects who supervised the project. Seyller’s Inc. received the brick and Mortar Preservation Award from the Landmark Preservation Council of Illinois for work on the 1846 Federal style Lincoln Homestead, a Kane County Historic Landmark located in St. Charles. Their work at the Sandwich City Hall and Opera House in Sandwich, IL earned an award in masonry design execution from the Illinois/Indiana Masonry Council. Seyller’s was also featured in That Darn Barn; A Facelift After 80 Years, a book about barn restoration published by the Kane County Historic Preservation Commission.
Seyller’s Inc. Tuckpointing and Masonry appreciates your interest in masonry restoration and preservation.