North Shore Views

Archive for the 'Historic places' Category

Remembering Martin Luther King’s Speech in Winnetka

A lot of people think that, because Winnetka is an affluent and mostly white suburb, that it is not a very progressive community.

So I wonder how many people know that Winnetka was the site of the first-ever civil rights rally in an all-white suburb and that Martin Luther King spoke here before a crowd of more than 8000 supporters in the summer of 1965.

Even most Winnetkans under the age of 60 didn’t know about the part their town played in the civil rights movement until a school teacher named Cecilia Gigiolio and her class raised the money to erect a monument to commemorate this historic event on its 40th anniversary.

The monument was placed in the southwest corner of the Green, which is now known as “King’s Corner.” Interestingly, despite the fact that Dr. King spent extensive periods of time in Chicago working on civil rights issues, the monument on the Village Green of Winnetka is the only monument to this great man in the whole Chicago area.

Why did King come to Winnetka, of all places, to hold a civil rights rally? Here’s a little background: Back in the early 60’s a group of young North Shore mothers were concerned that their children were growing up in a community that lacked diversity. At that time housing discrimination was common, as were the real estate practices of steering and blockbusting (which thankfully are now illegal). These women teamed up with local clergy and community leaders to organize the North Shore Summer Project. They surveyed residents to determine their attitudes towards opening their community to home buyers who were not screened on the basis of color or religion. As part of their effort to end housing discrimination, they invited Dr. King to speak.

King arrived in Winnetka late on the afternoon of July 25 after speaking at five other rallies in Chicago. The estimated crowd of eight to ten thousand people is the biggest gathering ever on the Village Green, and it was a peaceful group who were mostly supporters of King. As part of his speech he spoke the now famous words: “We must now live together as brothers or perish together as fools.”

Today marks the 46th anniversary of Martin Luther King’s speech on the Village Green of Winnetka.

Tags: Martin Luther King, North Shore Summer Project, Winnetka Village Green

Spring Housewalks on the North Shore

There are two North Shore housewalks rapidly approaching (one today, in fact):

Wilmette Historical Society Housewalk

Sunday, May 15 from 1:00-6:00 pm
Tickets: $50 for members and $60 for non-members
Visit www.wilmettehistory.org to purchase tickets.

“Architecture through the Decades” showcases four homes designed by innovative and nationally recognized architects. Built between 1890 and 1950, they demonstrate how housing design changed over the first few decades of the twentieth century:

• 1890’s American Foursquare designed by George Maher
• 1920’s Spanish Revival by Alfred Alschuler
• 1930’s International Style by George Fred Keck
• 1950’s Modern by Harry Weese

Here’s a little context for what you’ll be seeing: the American Foursquare style (sometimes called the “Prairie Box” and popular from the 1890’s to the 1930’s) was a reaction to the ornate elements of the Victorian style that was popular in the latter half of the 19th century. It is characteristically plain, incorporating elements of the Prairie and Craftsman styles. Typical of the style is a hipped roof, arched entries between common rooms, built-in cabinetry and Craftsman style woodwork. The house by George Maher also features large single-pane windows and beautiful art glass.

The Spanish revival house at 1000 Chestnut Avenue was part of the retrospective craze that took place following World War I.  The house had suffered from years of neglect and was slated to be torn down until the current owners purchased it and began its restoration. The home was the recipient of a special Preservation Excellence Award in 2010.

In the 1930’s traditional styles were increasingly rejected in favor of the International Style that was popular in Europe. The Keck house was one of the first to use plate glass in its design. You can see it in the picture above as it forms a dramatic column that encloses a spiral staircase.

The fourth and final house on the tour showcases Harry Weese’s emphasis on functional, efficient spaces, such as the counter back-splash in the kitchen that can be folded down to create a buffet in the adjoining dining room.

Winnetka Women’s Club Housewalk

Wednesday, May 18 from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm
Tickets: $60 for the tour and $35 for lunch at Michigan Shores Club
Order your tickets here and pick them up at the Women’s Club (485 Maple St., Winnetka)

“Lifestyles” presents five beautifully decorated homes of differing architectural styles, including:

• a French Provincial built in 1937
• a 1920’s Tudor
• a new Tudor style custom home
• a Italian Villa with a contemporary interior

Tags: housewalks

Howard Park in Wilmette

Have you ever driven down 17th Street in Wilmette and wondered what that big cupola thing was sticking up in in Howard Park?

When you live somewhere long enough you stop noticing things. You just take them for granted.  But that cupola is part of Wilmette’s history. It’s the cupola from Howard School, which was one of the village’s grade schools from 1924 to 1979. The Howard School did not stand on the site where the cupola is. It was over on Ridge Rd. just west of the park, where the police station parking lot is now.

The school was torn down in 1982 and the tower was moved to the park where Spencer Ave. runs into 17th. The park is 8.7 acres with two ball fields where girls’ and adult softball is played in the spring and summer.

Tags: parks

Another Movie Role for Wilmette?

Film producer and North Shore native, Michael Shamberg, must look for opportunities to get back to his old hometown. Shamberg, who is in Chicago shooting the movie “Contagion“, will be back later to film “Devil in the White City”, starring Leonardo di Caprio.

Best selling non-fiction book, Devil in the White City, by Erik Larson, details the story of the serial killer, H.H. Holmes, who designed and opened a “murder castle” in preparation for the 1893 World’s Fair in Chicago. Called the World’s Fair Hotel, the “murder castle” housed a gas chamber, crematorium and dissecting table. It was the grisly scene of between 27 and 200 murders, mostly of single, young women, who were lured to their deaths by the charismatic but mad pharmacist.

Holmes (whose real name was Herman W. Mudgett) was born in 1860 in New Hampshire. He moved to Chicago in 1885 and worked as a pharmacist in Englewood. Later he opened an office in Wilmette, posing as an inventor. Although he was already married at the time, he wed Myrtle Belknap, a Wilmette girl whose father was a wealthy businessman.  He built a Queen Anne house at 726 11th St. (then called John St.) with twin turrets on either side. According to an exhibit at the Wilmette Historical Museum, he designed the house as a duplex so his in-laws could live on one side and he and his wife and child could live on the other. After his execution in 1896, the house was seized and auctioned to pay for liens against the property. From the 1920’s on it was used as a boarding house known as the “Wilmette Inn” and “Wilmette Apartments”.

Will scenes from the movie be filmed here in Wilmette? Shooting locations haven’t been selected yet, but my guess is probably not, since Holmes’ house was torn down to make way for construction of townhouses, so no backdrop exists for this part of his life story.

Related articles:

• Contagion in Wilmette

Tags: Devil in the White City, H.H. Holmes

North Shore Haunts: Calvary Cemetery

On the southernmost edge of Evanston lies Calvary Cemetery, a large Catholic cemetery first established in 1859. The main entrance to the cemetery is a pair of massive limestone gates designed by architect James Egan. There are some well-known locals buried here, including Charles Comisky (founder of the White Sox and the American League), John M. Smythe (furniture maker), Edward Kelly (former Chicago mayor) and Edward Hines (lumber giant).  But the most interesting thing about the cemetery may be one of its less earthly inhabitants.

For twenty years during the 40’s and 50’s an apparition would appear nightly to drivers along Sheridan Road. Thousands of stunned motorists reported seeing a ghost climb out of the lake and over the rocks, then stagger across the road dodging traffic to the cemetery entrance, where he would pace back and forth in front of the closed gates. Speculation at the time was that the ghost was a World War II airman who had crashed into the lake during a training exercise and his body never recovered.

Finally, in 1960, the gates were inadvertently left open one night, which allowed the ghost to enter and find himself a permanent resting place. After that night he was never seen again.

Tags: haunted places

North Shore Haunts: The Schweppe Mansion

Not long ago I included the Schweppe Mansion in my post about the top ten priciest properties for sale on the North Shore.

What I didn’t mention is that the Lake Forest home was, at one time, reputed to be haunted. With Halloween right around the corner, it seemed like the time to tell its spooky story. Here’s the background: The house was built in 1917 by John G. Shedd (president of Marshall Field and Company and founder of the Shedd Aquarium) as a wedding gift for his daughter, Laura, upon her marriage to Charles Schweppe. But Laura died in 1937, leaving a lonely and tormented Charles to roam the 33,000 sq. ft. mansion for the next four years. Charles ultimately killed himself with a bullet to the head, and the house stood empty for the next 47 years.

Although ghosts have never actually been sighted here, rumors of Charles’ ghost haunting the master bedroom spread throughout the area. and the abandoned mansion had all the makings of a haunted house, especially some its more bizarre features. One was a lone window overlooking the driveway, which never needed cleaning, even when the rest of the house was covered in dirt and grime. The other strange feature , discovered by Donna Desplenter when she bought the house in the 1980s, was the “doorway to hell”, an entryway in the basement that led only to narrow, black corridors turning into other dark, winding passageways, leading only to dead-ends and desolate rooms.

The house was finally purchased and completely renovated and restored. No paranormal activity has been reported for many years. The house is for sale now and can be yours for a mere $15,000,000.

Tags: haunted houses

St. Joseph Catholic Church

Driving west on Lake Avenue from downtown Wilmette, you can’t miss the majestic facade of St. Joseph Catholic Church . St. Joseph Church is the oldest religious congregation and one of two Catholic churches in the Village of Wilmette (the other is St. Francis Xavier in east Wilmette). It was founded in 1845 by German Catholic farmers who settled in the area once known as Gross Point, on the western edge of Wilmette.

The first church building was a log cabin built in 1843 on the northwest corner of Ridge Rd. and Lake Ave., near the site of the present cemetery. The log cabin was replaced by a frame church in 1850 and this was replaced by a large brick church in 1869. Due to poor construction, that building only lasted sixty years. The current Art Deco style church was built on the southeast corner of Ridge and Lake and dedicated in 1939. After World War II an annex and convent was added.

St. Joseph School, which is located across the street, was built in the late 1930’s but was forced to close its doors in 1986 as a result of post-baby boom demographic shifts. It was reopened ten years later starting with the preschool. By 1998 the entire school had been renovated and updated to serve children from preschool through 8th grade.

If you’re not Catholic the most notable thing about St. Joseph (besides its imposing structure) is their annual Oktoberfest, held on a Saturday each fall in conjunction with the Ridge Road Fall Festival. There’s an outdoor antiques fair, which has great deals (especially at the end of the day) and a family festival with games, contests and entertainment. The adult party starts at dusk with a traditional German dinner complete with oompah music, followed by dancing under the stars.

Tags: Oktoberfest, St. Joseph Catholic Church

Wilmette’s Brick Streets

There are a few towns in the Chicago area with brick streets. Downers Grove has some. Forest Park has about a dozen. Oak Park has one or two. But as far as I know, no town has as extensive a network of brick streets as Wilmette. Wilmette has thirteen miles of brick streets (with another three and a half under asphalt) and they are one of the things that gives our village its charm.

The paving of our streets began in the 1880’s with Forest Avenue (east of the tracks) being the first to be paved with brick. By 1916 the village had over 24 miles of brick streets. They make for a bumpy ride and they are harder to plow in the winter but they are also a natural “traffic calmer”. And they do last longer than asphalt streets.

Many of the bricks used to pave Wilmette streets came from the Purington Brickyards in Galesburg, once the largest brick maker in the world. More recent renovation and repairs have used recycled bricks supplied by Gavin Historical Bricks in Iowa City.

Pavers are different than ordinary building bricks. They are made from a mix of shale, clay, sand and kiln-fired at extreme temperatures making them very hard, smooth, non-porous and heavy.

During the Depression a Works Progress Administration (WPA) project was initiated to relay the bricks to preserve the character of the eastern part of the village while providing jobs. The bricks were removed and turned upside down to put the worn side down and the “new’ side up.

Tags: Wilmette's brick streets

Plaza del Lago

Plaza del Lago, the shopping center on Sheridan Road just north of Chestnut Avenue, has an interesting history. It was built in 1926 as part of the development of an area once known as No Man’s Land. Until No Man’s Land was annexed by Wilmette in 1942 it was unincorporated and unpoliced.

The development of the area included the Miralago Ballroom, the Teatro del Lago theater and a Spanish style shopping center called Spanish Court. Plans had also included two clubs on the east side of Sheridan Road, but they were never finished due to the Depression.

The ballroom and shops were destroyed by a fire in 1932. The theater was torn down in 1967 to expand the shopping center, which was renamed Plaza del Lago. The bell-tower is the the key architectural feature that remains from the original Spanish Court.

Today Plaza del Lago is still a vibrant shopping area, with a Crate and Barrel store, a Starbucks, a Jewel grocery store, and a Blockbuster, as well as restaurants, boutiques and services. it’s within walking distance of anywhere in the Cage and downtown Wilmette.

Restaurants
Convito Cafe and Market
No Man’s Land Pizza and Grill
Starbucks

Boutiques
Yellow Bird (gifts)
La Colonna (women’s clothing and accessories)
Three Wishes (toys and games)
Vibrato (women’s clothing, shoes and jewelry)
Huntley’s (menswear)
Giggles and Giraffes (children’s clothing)
Hanig’s Footwear (men’s and women’s shoes)
Glazed Expressions (paint your own pottery)
Artisan Shop (crafts and gifts)

In the summer Plaza de Lago has events such as a concert series, an art show, a classic car show and sidewalk sales.

Related articles:

Free Concerts in Plaza del Lago

Tags: Plaza del Lago, shopping in Wilmette

Asahel Gage House

I love the way this house looks against the blue sky (something we haven’t seen much around here for awhile). If you don’t recognize it, it’s on Elmwood Avenue in the Cage. I drive by it often and finally stopped to take a picture today.This beautiful example of Victorian Italianate architecture was built in 1873,  and is one of the oldest homes in Wilmette. It was built by Horace and Edwin Drury for Asahel Gage, son of John Gage, who was one of the early movers and shakers in Wilmette.

John Gage bought two tracts of land in the area that is now Wilmette: one was part of the Ouilmette Reservation (land given to Archange Ouilmette in 1829 as part of the Treaty of Prairie du Chien) and the other was in the area between Wilmette and Kenilworth. Later, after the Chicago fire (1871), many city residents sought refuge from the congestion and dangers of the the city. Seeking to take advantage of this movement out to less populous areas, Asahel Gage platted his father’s lands and began promoting sales of plots in “Gage’s Addition” to Wilmette, with this house featured prominently in his promotional materials

The Victorian Italianate style blended classical and romantic architectural elements and was popular in England and the U.S. during the Industrial Revolution. This house was typical of the style, with gabled roofs, wide eves supported by ornamental paired brackets and a four story entrance tower with steep mansard roof and cast-iron grillwork on top.

The house has been authentically restored and painted with several colors to accentuate the architectural details. It was granted local landmark status in 1989.

Tags: Asahel Gage house, Victorian Italianate style