North Shore Views

Archive for the 'North Shore communities' Category

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

Wilmette in Springtime

The weather has been so gorgeous the last couple of days (unusual for April in Chicago), that I had to get out and take pictures. Here is a slide show of Wilmette in spring. Weather like this reminds me why I love living on the North Shore.

Tags: Wilmette homes

Deadline for Vehicle Stickers – Wilmette and Glencoe

Attention Wilmette residents: today’s not just tax day but vehicle sticker day, so don’t forget to attach your 2010 vehicle sticker to your windshield.  After today you may be subject to a citation if you don’t have one on your car.

If you haven’t registered by mail you can buy a sticker in person at the finance counter at the Wilmette Village Hall, 1200 Wilmette Ave., during regular business hours. They cost $80 for vehicles and $95 for trucks.

A portion of the revenue generated from the sale of vehicle stickers is used to maintain the Wilmette’s infrastructure, including streets, alleys and curbs.

Glencoe residents, you have a bit more time. Your stickers must be displayed by May 1st. Cars are $75 and trucks are between $75 and $180, depending on the size. You can buy them at Glencoe Village Hall (either the Resident Service Desk or the Public Safety window).

If you live in one of the other nearby villages, you don’t need to worry about this for a while. Highland Park’s deadline is August 31st. Evanston and Winnetka are  in January.

Tags: Glencoe, Wilmette

Wilmette Real Estate Trends – March

Hallelujah! Things are looking up for the Wilmette real estate market and the news is positive across all the key measures.

Wilmette Home Sales

Sales of Wilmette’s single family homes (including houses, condos and town homes) were up significantly in March, both vs. February (+65%) and vs. March of last year (+87%). Okay, so last March the market was dead. But still, this is very positive news. Most of the action continues to be below $900,000, but we are seeing more sales in higher price points. 31% of the sales were above $900,000 this year vs. 20% last year.

Wilmette Home Prices

Here’s something we haven’t seen in a while. Median and average home prices in Wilmette were UP, both vs. last month and last year. The median sales price in March was $655,000, up almost 30% from $505,000 in March 2009 and up 7.4% vs. February. The average sales price in March was $869,313, up 31% over March 2009 and up 36% from February.

Inventory and Months Supply

The inventory of Wilmette homes for sale as of March was 275, up 7.8% from February, consistent with market seasonality.  However, it’s down 9.5% vs. last March. More indicative of the market’s improving health is the decline of the months supply of homes on the market. As of March the months supply was 9.8 months, meaning that, at the current rate of sale, it would take 9.8 months for all of the houses listed to sell. Although 9.8 months is still considered a buyer’s market, this is a significant improvement over March of last year when the months supply was twice as high, at 20 months.

Market Time

Although market time of 114 days increased 39% from February, it decreased 30.5% from 165 days in March 2009. The fact that homes are selling faster is consistent with the increase we’re seeing in unit sales and the decrease in months supply of homes on the market.

If you have any questions about this data, or would like more details about the Wilmette market, please email me or give me a call at 847-687-5957.

Tags: North Shore market data, North Shore real estate trends, North Shore sales trends, Wilmette neighborhoods

Guide to Highland Park Preschools

Ravinia Nursery School

686 Red Oak Lane, Highland Park, IL 60035
(847) 831-3700
www.ravinianurseryschool.com

Ravinia Nursery School is a developmental preschool where children are encouraged to learn through play. Children learn at their own pace and in their own direction. Programs include a classes for 3-4 year olds (five mornings/week from 9:30-11:00) and a class for 4-5 year olds (five afternoons/week from 12:30-3:00). The younger class focuses on outdoor play, arts and crafts, music, singing and stories, while the older class adds language, literacy and math skills like counting, sorting and classifying objects.
There is also a summer camp.

Highland Park Montessori Schools

There are three Montessori schools in Highland Park. The goal of the schools is to help children become creative and competent human beings who are fully aware of themselves and the world around them.They are dedicated to creating an environment where children can feel comfortable and are able to learn in a respectful, caring community. The children work independently and in groups  in a non-competitive atmosphere and are encouraged to make decisions from an early age.

Programs include a parent-child class (2 months+), a toddler class (2-3 year olds), a primary class (3-6 year olds) and full-day kindergarten

• Highland Park Montessori
  1301 Clavey Rd., Highland Park, IL 60035
  (847) 433-3383
• Montessori Connection West
  1731 Deerfield Rd., Highland Park, IL 60035
  (847) 831-9393

• Montessori Connection East
  330 Laurel Ave., Highland Park, IL 60035
  (847) 433-5106

www.highlandparkmontessori.com

Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: Highland Park, Preschools

North Shore Housing Inventory

Here is a snapshot of active listings (single family detached homes) on the market as of April 5, 2010.

Source: MRED – Deemed reliable but not guaranteed.

Tags: North Shore market data

North Shore Market Update: 1st Quarter 2010

The North Shore housing market looks a whole lot better in 2010 than it did at this time last year. Driven by low interest rates, the home buyer tax credit, plentiful supply of homes to choose from and attractive prices, buyers have returned to the market. Prices are still soft but the rate of decline has slowed.

Housing sales on Chicago’s North Shore increased 56% in the first quarter of 2010 vs. the same period last year. All towns had healthy increases except for Northfield which had one less sale this year than last. The big winner in percentage terms was Kenilworth, which had nine sales this year vs. one last year.

Average prices for sold properties on the North Shore was down 7%. Lake Forest showed the biggest drop (-30%), followed by Winnetka (-21%). Highland Park had only a 1% decrease in average price, while Evanston and Wilmette actually showed increases. Kenilworth’s large increase in average price was driven by the fact that the only sale in 2009 was for an unusually low-priced property for this village.

Days on market for properties sold was down 8% for the North Shore, but the numbers varied widely across individual towns. The largest decreases in market time were in Wilmette (-70%) and Lake Forest (-58%). The largest increases were in Kenilworth (+48%) and Northfield (+38%).

North Shore Market Update – 1st Qtr. 2010 vs. Year Ago*

*Single family detached homes. Source: MRED – Deemed reliable but not guaranteed

Tags: North Shore market data, North Shore real estate trends, North Shore sales trends

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

Adorable and Affordable: 903 Willow Road, Winnetka

My best buy for this week is 903 Willow Road in Winnetka. It’s an adorable vintage Dutch Colonial style home with 9 rooms, 3 bedrooms and 2.1 baths.

It’s priced at $599,000 and here’s why it’s such a great value:

• Lots of space in the house, the yard and the garage: It has good-sized rooms. Plus there’s a large screened in porch which expands the living area. There’s lots of living space and storage in the finished lower level. The yard is larger than comparably priced homes at 50′ x 187′ . And there’s a 4 car garage, part of which could be converted into an office or studio.

• It retains its vintage feel, but is updated where it counts (kitchen and bathrooms) and the updates are in keeping with the character of the house. The floors have been refinished, central air has been added and the windows were replaced within the last ten years.

• It is very conveniently located. You can walk to town and trains as well as to Crow Island School.

The downside?  If there is a downside to this house it is that it is on Willow Road, which does have a fair amount of traffic during morning and afternoon rush hours. But if you’re used to living in the city, this might not bother you.

See the virtual tour of this house here. If you’d like to see it in person, just let me know. I’d be happy to show it to you.

Tags: Homes for sale, Real estate, Winnetka

Guide to Wilmette Preschools

Here ‘s my list of the best preschools in Wilmette, based on my own experiences and research, as well as the recommendations of friends and clients.

Banner Preschool

3220 Big Tree Lane, Wilmette, IL 60091
(847) 251-3955
www.bannerpreschool.org

Banner Preschool believes that children learn best by being active participants in the learning process and the program is geared to stimulate intelligence through creative learning experiences. Curriculum includes music, art, reading readiness, cooking, science and social studies. There is an indoor gym and outdoor playground.

Banner is open to children two-five. Two year olds attend two days a week; three year olds attend three days;  four and five year olds attend five days. Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: Preschools, Wilmette