400 Almira St, Elgin, IA 52141

Originally built as The Lutra Wesleyan Church, it was consecrated in 1874 and services were held there until the early 1920's. The basement was dug by residents of Lutra. The property was sold to the Gustav and Carrie Hackmann family, and they converted the property into a residence in the mid-1920's, thus the wonderful Craftsman style woodwork in a Victorian era property. It was used it as a rental property until their retirement, when they moved to town and occupied the home. The Crider family rented here when they first made their home in Elgin. Doc Crider built the structure (now the garage) as his veterinary surgery with his office in the lofted area above. The property was then sold to Lyle and Helen Krueger family. With the influx of soldiers returning from WWII, the Krueger's expanded and enclosed the back porch, and converted the home into a duplex with an upstairs 3 bedroom apartment. Craig Bennett purchased the home in June 2006. He undertook a renovation project to return the property to a single-family home. Completed in 2008-2009, it converted the enclosed back porch into a family room and created a formal back entry. The renovations also included the removal of the upstairs kitchen and a new 2nd floor bathroom. The original church vestibule in the NE corner was converted to a half-bath and walk-in front entry closet. When the house was roofed and sided in the mid-20teens, the porches were removed due to rot. They were replaced with enlarged versions in 2019. As only the 4th owner in 145 years, he is ready to hand the home off to the next caretakers!! Don't miss out on this opportunity to own your own piece of Lutra & Elgin history.