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Tinker Swiss Cottage
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| Location: | 411 Kent Street, Rockford, Illinois |
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| Built: | 1870 |
| Architect: | Unknown |
| Architectural style: | Other |
| Governing body: | Local |
| NRHP Reference#: | 72000468[1] |
| Added to NRHP: | December 27, 1972 |
The Tinker Swiss Cottage is a historic place, museum, and park in Rockford, Illinois, USA. It was built as a personal residence by Robert Hall Tinker in the 1860s. It is now a popular destination for school trips and wedding receptions.
Robert Hall Tinker was born in Honolulu to missionary Reuben Tinker (1799–1854) and his wife Mary Throop Wood (1809–1895) in 1836.[2] Tinker moved to Rockford in 1856, where he was employed as an accountant by Mary Dorr Manny, the wealthy widow of John H. Manny of the Manny reaper works. Tinker traveled Europe in 1862 and was greatly impressed by the estates and gardens he had seen there. On his return to Rockford, Tinker built himself a 20-room Swiss-style cottage on a limestone bluff overlooking the Kent creek and the home of Mary Manny. In 1870 Robert and Mary were married, becoming Rockford's most influential couple. Tinker was mayor of Rockford in 1875 and a founding member of the Rockford Park District.
Upon the death of the Tinkers, the cottage was left to the Rockford Park District. The home was listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) on December 27, 1972.[1]
Most striking is the interior for its dimensions. The magnificent and heavy architecture oppresses a visitor of average size. The ceilings are low, the rooms small and the answer can be found in the owners' clothes, displayed in the bedrooms. Mrs Tinker wore a size 10-girl by today's sizing. her husband was not much taller. Other notable features include a wood spiral stair case made from a single piece of shaped wood, and rooms with rounded off corners.