tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27174066443235171552024-03-13T13:54:59.325-05:00Revitalize Des Plaines!a blog about des plaines past, present, and future.BWhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04443995905594721900noreply@blogger.comBlogger99125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2717406644323517155.post-27930348237474462782013-09-18T07:51:00.000-05:002013-09-29T16:54:39.489-05:00Links to other articlesFollowing are links to the articles I wrote for Des Plaines Patch.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" dir="ltr" style="font-family: arial,sans,sans-serif; font-size: 13px; table-layout: fixed;"><colgroup><col width="120"></col><col width="120"></col><col width="120"></col></colgroup><tbody>
<tr style="height: 17px;"><td style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); padding: 0px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">10/31/2010</td><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; border-top-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1px; direction: ltr; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">The Des Plaines Theatre's First Rebirth</td><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; border-top-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1px; direction: ltr; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Missing</td></tr>
<tr style="height: 17px;"><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; padding: 0px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">11/7/2010</td><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; direction: ltr; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Space Age Littelfuse Crashes Back to Earth</td><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; direction: ltr; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"><a class="in-cell-link" href="http://www.google.com/url?q=http://desplaines.patch.com/groups/around-town/p/benjamin-electric-plant-gave-way-to-new-industry-homes&usd=2&usg=ALhdy29nMAXSiXvgIHLL1YTK2sD4CQZUnw" target="_blank">http://desplaines.patch.com/groups/around-town/p/benjamin-electric-plant-gave-way-to-new-industry-homes</a></td></tr>
<tr style="height: 17px;"><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; padding: 0px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">11/9/2010</td><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; direction: ltr; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">An Exclusive First Look at the Des Plaines Theatre</td><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; direction: ltr; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Missing</td></tr>
<tr style="height: 17px;"><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; padding: 0px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">11/14/2010</td><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; direction: ltr; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Wright in Maine</td><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; direction: ltr; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Missing</td></tr>
<tr style="height: 17px;"><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; padding: 0px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">11/21/2010</td><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; direction: ltr; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Welcome to the First: The First National Bank Building</td><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; direction: ltr; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Missing</td></tr>
<tr style="height: 17px;"><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; padding: 0px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">11/27/2010</td><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; direction: ltr; font-weight: bold; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Yesterday's Shopping in Des Plaines - Spiegler's</td><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; direction: ltr; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Missing</td></tr>
<tr style="height: 17px;"><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; padding: 0px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">12/5/2010</td><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; direction: ltr; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Cooling Down with Cock Robin Ice Cream</td><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; direction: ltr; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Missing</td></tr>
<tr style="height: 17px;"><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; padding: 0px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">12/12/2010</td><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; direction: ltr; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">The choo-choo, The Little Restaurant That Could</td><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; direction: ltr; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"><a class="in-cell-link" href="http://www.google.com/url?q=http://desplaines.patch.com/groups/around-town/p/the-choo-choo-the-little-restaurant-that-could&usd=2&usg=ALhdy28WZ96ibE7CFLae9AThRhzV_cNB3Q" target="_blank">http://desplaines.patch.com/groups/around-town/p/the-choo-choo-the-little-restaurant-that-could</a></td></tr>
<tr style="height: 17px;"><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; padding: 0px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">12/20/2010</td><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; direction: ltr; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">The Old First National Bank on Miner Street</td><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; direction: ltr; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"><a class="in-cell-link" href="http://www.google.com/url?q=http://desplaines.patch.com/groups/around-town/p/the-old-first-national-bank-on-miner-street&usd=2&usg=ALhdy29LDGidLC0vSUHvR71tq4O_DSttqA" target="_blank">http://desplaines.patch.com/groups/around-town/p/the-old-first-national-bank-on-miner-street</a></td></tr>
<tr style="height: 17px;"><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; padding: 0px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">12/25/2010</td><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; direction: ltr; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Amling's Toyland</td><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; direction: ltr; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Missing</td></tr>
<tr style="height: 17px;"><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; padding: 0px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">1/2/2011</td><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; direction: ltr; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">The Thoma House Hotel</td><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; direction: ltr; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Missing</td></tr>
<tr style="height: 17px;"><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; padding: 0px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">1/9/2011</td><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; direction: ltr; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">The C.W.M. Brown Building</td><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; direction: ltr; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Missing</td></tr>
<tr style="height: 17px;"><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; padding: 0px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">1/16/2011</td><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; direction: ltr; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Des Plaines' First Movie Theaters</td><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; direction: ltr; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Missing</td></tr>
<tr style="height: 17px;"><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; padding: 0px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">1/23/2011</td><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; direction: ltr; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">The Gillespie Printery Building (Bremer's Stationers)</td><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; direction: ltr; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Missing</td></tr>
<tr style="height: 17px;"><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; padding: 0px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">1/30/2011</td><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; direction: ltr; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Des Plaines State Bank</td><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; direction: ltr; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Missing</td></tr>
<tr style="height: 17px;"><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; padding: 0px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">2/5/2011</td><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; direction: ltr; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">The Zephyr Restaurant</td><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; direction: ltr; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"><a class="in-cell-link" href="http://www.google.com/url?q=http://desplaines.patch.com/groups/around-town/p/the-zephyr-restaurant&usd=2&usg=ALhdy29WMfOPgDJQpMl6Q-sZ70_Vp5xZ-Q" target="_blank">http://desplaines.patch.com/groups/around-town/p/the-zephyr-restaurant</a></td></tr>
<tr style="height: 17px;"><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; padding: 0px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">2/13/2011</td><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; direction: ltr; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">The Des Plaines Post Office (1930)</td><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; direction: ltr; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"><a class="in-cell-link" href="http://www.google.com/url?q=http://desplaines.patch.com/groups/around-town/p/the-des-plaines-post-office-1930&usd=2&usg=ALhdy2_D9H8BD3Jjz_vxwJLkRq3QTmDO6Q" target="_blank">http://desplaines.patch.com/groups/around-town/p/the-des-plaines-post-office-1930</a></td></tr>
<tr style="height: 17px;"><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; padding: 0px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">2/19/2011</td><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; direction: ltr; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">The 1941 Des Plaines Post Office and Murals</td><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; direction: ltr; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"><a class="in-cell-link" href="http://www.google.com/url?q=http://desplaines.patch.com/groups/around-town/p/the-1941-des-plaines-post-office-and-murals&usd=2&usg=ALhdy2_ecUAyYvS0Rm6JOjKPNOBeUEiPlA" target="_blank">http://desplaines.patch.com/groups/around-town/p/the-1941-des-plaines-post-office-and-murals</a></td></tr>
<tr style="height: 17px;"><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; padding: 0px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">2/27/2011</td><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; direction: ltr; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">New Deal Art in Des Plaines Schools</td><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; direction: ltr; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"><a class="in-cell-link" href="http://www.google.com/url?q=http://desplaines.patch.com/groups/around-town/p/new-deal-art-in-des-plaines-schools&usd=2&usg=ALhdy28sq0UJFtJc9U-1kWjFISXr9DlISw" target="_blank">http://desplaines.patch.com/groups/around-town/p/new-deal-art-in-des-plaines-schools</a></td></tr>
<tr style="height: 17px;"><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; padding: 0px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">3/6/2011</td><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; direction: ltr; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">The Sugar Bowl, Since 1921</td><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; direction: ltr; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"><a class="in-cell-link" href="http://www.google.com/url?q=http://desplaines.patch.com/groups/business-news/p/the-sugar-bowl-since-1921&usd=2&usg=ALhdy2_q-lLB9Oo_ifuBmBO7S4BuiD7ZBQ" target="_blank">http://desplaines.patch.com/groups/business-news/p/the-sugar-bowl-since-1921</a></td></tr>
<tr style="height: 17px;"><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; padding: 0px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">3/13/2011</td><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; direction: ltr; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">The Edward A. Manuel House</td><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; direction: ltr; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"><a class="in-cell-link" href="http://www.google.com/url?q=http://desplaines.patch.com/groups/around-town/p/the-edward-a-manuel-house&usd=2&usg=ALhdy2-R_DflPpzQjr1aMGpuDAXC7MSGgQ" target="_blank">http://desplaines.patch.com/groups/around-town/p/the-edward-a-manuel-house</a></td></tr>
<tr style="height: 17px;"><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; padding: 0px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">3/20/2011</td><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; direction: ltr; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Old West School</td><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; direction: ltr; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"><a class="in-cell-link" href="http://www.google.com/url?q=http://desplaines.patch.com/groups/around-town/p/old-west-school&usd=2&usg=ALhdy2_mKhk7m92Tq61BJBL2fniPTs430A" target="_blank">http://desplaines.patch.com/groups/around-town/p/old-west-school</a></td></tr>
<tr style="height: 17px;"><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; padding: 0px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">3/27/2011</td><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; direction: ltr; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">The First Des Plaines Library</td><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; direction: ltr; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"><a class="in-cell-link" href="http://www.google.com/url?q=http://desplaines.patch.com/groups/around-town/p/the-first-des-plaines-library&usd=2&usg=ALhdy29-W5YFbk7WPRFfvgtbbP89-LJ86g" target="_blank">http://desplaines.patch.com/groups/around-town/p/the-first-des-plaines-library</a></td></tr>
<tr style="height: 17px;"><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; padding: 0px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">4/3/2011</td><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; direction: ltr; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">The Des Plaines Community Bandstand</td><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; direction: ltr; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"><a class="in-cell-link" href="http://www.google.com/url?q=http://desplaines.patch.com/groups/around-town/p/the-des-plaines-community-bandstand&usd=2&usg=ALhdy28eRFUBMyySH5hgGF0-2OWD5lGbcQ" target="_blank">http://desplaines.patch.com/groups/around-town/p/the-des-plaines-community-bandstand</a></td></tr>
<tr style="height: 17px;"><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; padding: 0px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">4/10/2011</td><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; direction: ltr; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">T-Bob's Smoked Bar-B-Q</td><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; direction: ltr; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"><a class="in-cell-link" href="http://www.google.com/url?q=http://desplaines.patch.com/groups/business-news/p/t-bobs-smoked-bar-b-q&usd=2&usg=ALhdy29rT8sjKO4tT0k7X91zL-jhAgRPqQ" target="_blank">http://desplaines.patch.com/groups/business-news/p/t-bobs-smoked-bar-b-q</a></td></tr>
<tr style="height: 17px;"><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; padding: 0px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">4/17/2011</td><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; direction: ltr; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">The First Congregational Church and Masonic Lodge (1872)</td><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; direction: ltr; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"><a class="in-cell-link" href="http://www.google.com/url?q=http://desplaines.patch.com/groups/around-town/p/the-first-congregational-church-and-masonic-lodge-1872&usd=2&usg=ALhdy29rbKyQTnZTsdriB0NXrkBRm6vl0g" target="_blank">http://desplaines.patch.com/groups/around-town/p/the-first-congregational-church-and-masonic-lodge-1872</a></td></tr>
<tr style="height: 17px;"><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; padding: 0px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">4/24/2011</td><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; direction: ltr; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">The Green Downtown</td><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; direction: ltr; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"><a class="in-cell-link" href="http://www.google.com/url?q=http://desplaines.patch.com/groups/around-town/p/the-green-downtown&usd=2&usg=ALhdy29u9M8cvzHgYApZ0WOWgGq_bt4RXA" target="_blank">http://desplaines.patch.com/groups/around-town/p/the-green-downtown</a></td></tr>
<tr style="height: 17px;"><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; padding: 0px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">5/1/2011</td><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; direction: ltr; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">The First Congregational Church</td><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; direction: ltr; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"><a class="in-cell-link" href="http://www.google.com/url?q=http://desplaines.patch.com/groups/around-town/p/the-first-congregational-church&usd=2&usg=ALhdy28AKhcE02LA-nWe1e04ynh23a-XSA" target="_blank">http://desplaines.patch.com/groups/around-town/p/the-first-congregational-church</a></td></tr>
<tr style="height: 17px;"><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; padding: 0px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">5/8/2011</td><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; direction: ltr; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Postcards of Des Plaines</td><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; direction: ltr; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"><a class="in-cell-link" href="http://www.google.com/url?q=http://desplaines.patch.com/groups/around-town/p/postcards-of-des-plaines&usd=2&usg=ALhdy28QV3yRoiD1TmijHD4TzmcjyehtGA" target="_blank">http://desplaines.patch.com/groups/around-town/p/postcards-of-des-plaines</a></td></tr>
<tr style="height: 17px;"><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; padding: 0px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">5/15/2011</td><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; direction: ltr; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Northwestern Hospital in Des Plaines</td><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; direction: ltr; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"><a class="in-cell-link" href="http://www.google.com/url?q=http://desplaines.patch.com/groups/around-town/p/northwestern-hospital-in-des-plaines&usd=2&usg=ALhdy2_qpcemJ4L1Qa5PK3xd1pGPjN2Jig" target="_blank">http://desplaines.patch.com/groups/around-town/p/northwestern-hospital-in-des-plaines</a></td></tr>
<tr style="height: 17px;"><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; padding: 0px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">5/22/2011</td><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; direction: ltr; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">The Des Plaines Depot</td><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; direction: ltr; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"><a class="in-cell-link" href="http://www.google.com/url?q=http://desplaines.patch.com/groups/around-town/p/the-des-plaines-depot&usd=2&usg=ALhdy28R91mnqUXYdRCQ_vzwHO0RCO3-ww" target="_blank">http://desplaines.patch.com/groups/around-town/p/the-des-plaines-depot</a></td></tr>
<tr style="height: 17px;"><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; padding: 0px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">5/31/2011</td><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; direction: ltr; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">The Downtown Jewel</td><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; direction: ltr; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"><a class="in-cell-link" href="http://www.google.com/url?q=http://desplaines.patch.com/groups/around-town/p/the-downtown-jewel&usd=2&usg=ALhdy2_HwPeO9mcZGTNgDvnMuPWtLAiy5Q" target="_blank">http://desplaines.patch.com/groups/around-town/p/the-downtown-jewel</a></td></tr>
<tr style="height: 17px;"><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; padding: 0px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">6/6/2011</td><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; direction: ltr; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Taking a Dip at Rand Park</td><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; direction: ltr; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"><a class="in-cell-link" href="http://www.google.com/url?q=http://desplaines.patch.com/groups/around-town/p/taking-a-dip-at-rand-park&usd=2&usg=ALhdy2-PzimJqtFDUdw_XKd8OzyK0PLS6A" target="_blank">http://desplaines.patch.com/groups/around-town/p/taking-a-dip-at-rand-park</a></td></tr>
<tr style="height: 17px;"><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; padding: 0px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">6/14/2011</td><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; direction: ltr; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">A New Stage for Downtown</td><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; direction: ltr; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"><a class="in-cell-link" href="http://www.google.com/url?q=http://desplaines.patch.com/groups/arts-and-entertainment/p/a-new-stage-for-downtown&usd=2&usg=ALhdy29M_fpd7Vv13T_--bJxREu28DTv1Q" target="_blank">http://desplaines.patch.com/groups/arts-and-entertainment/p/a-new-stage-for-downtown</a></td></tr>
<tr style="height: 17px;"><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; padding: 0px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">6/19/2011</td><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; direction: ltr; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Two Buildings on Ellinwood</td><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; direction: ltr; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"><a class="in-cell-link" href="http://www.google.com/url?q=http://desplaines.patch.com/groups/around-town/p/two-buildings-on-ellinwood&usd=2&usg=ALhdy2_TGhUXUhqbyIgr-Y7xE_mbDjhjvQ" target="_blank">http://desplaines.patch.com/groups/around-town/p/two-buildings-on-ellinwood</a></td></tr>
<tr style="height: 17px;"><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; padding: 0px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">6/27/2011</td><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; direction: ltr; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">The Pyramid Downtown</td><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; direction: ltr; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"><a class="in-cell-link" href="http://www.google.com/url?q=http://desplaines.patch.com/groups/around-town/p/the-pyramid-downtown&usd=2&usg=ALhdy2_HPEwqWtGSH7oIFapOApjUOIycNg" target="_blank">http://desplaines.patch.com/groups/around-town/p/the-pyramid-downtown</a></td></tr>
<tr style="height: 17px;"><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; padding: 0px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">7/4/2011</td><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; direction: ltr; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Fireworks of Past Years</td><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; direction: ltr; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"><a class="in-cell-link" href="http://www.google.com/url?q=http://desplaines.patch.com/groups/around-town/p/fireworks-of-past-years&usd=2&usg=ALhdy2_hvO9X3EamkiiQZSBrZKXKSomoyQ" target="_blank">http://desplaines.patch.com/groups/around-town/p/fireworks-of-past-years</a></td></tr>
<tr style="height: 17px;"><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; padding: 0px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">7/24/2011</td><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; direction: ltr; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">The Old Days of Gambling in the Northwest Suburbs</td><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; direction: ltr; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"><a class="in-cell-link" href="http://www.google.com/url?q=http://desplaines.patch.com/groups/around-town/p/the-old-days-of-gambling-in-the-northwest-suburbs&usd=2&usg=ALhdy29RZTjFg4xd86ptxqJBLvY0a6dkyg" target="_blank">http://desplaines.patch.com/groups/around-town/p/the-old-days-of-gambling-in-the-northwest-suburbs</a></td></tr>
<tr style="height: 17px;"><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; padding: 0px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">9/10/2011</td><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; direction: ltr; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Memorial Service for History Center Director to Celebrate Legacy of Service</td><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; direction: ltr; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"><a class="in-cell-link" href="http://www.google.com/url?q=http://desplaines.patch.com/groups/around-town/p/memorial-service-for-history-center-director-to-celeba0efb0a106&usd=2&usg=ALhdy294yqZ4gWqR2IWbwzYL9g74M45M3w" target="_blank">http://desplaines.patch.com/groups/around-town/p/memorial-service-for-history-center-director-to-celeba0efb0a106</a></td></tr>
<tr style="height: 17px;"><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; padding: 0px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">10/13/2011</td><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; direction: ltr; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Historic Sim’s Bowl Demolished, but Not Forgotten</td><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; direction: ltr; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"><a class="in-cell-link" href="http://www.google.com/url?q=http://desplaines.patch.com/groups/opinion/p/the-demolition-of-sims-bowl&usd=2&usg=ALhdy297YLZ8MuZAdcH1i-zmARNHieL94Q" target="_blank">http://desplaines.patch.com/groups/opinion/p/the-demolition-of-sims-bowl</a></td></tr>
<tr style="height: 17px;"><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; padding: 0px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">11/16/2011</td><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; direction: ltr; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Des Plaines Snapshots: Downtown</td><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; direction: ltr; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"><a class="in-cell-link" href="http://www.google.com/url?q=http://desplaines.patch.com/groups/politics-and-elections/p/downtown&usd=2&usg=ALhdy28CLSCGrZpbvZQIXbTfdy99ybUR4A" target="_blank">http://desplaines.patch.com/groups/politics-and-elections/p/downtown</a></td></tr>
<tr style="height: 17px;"><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; padding: 0px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">11/17/2011</td><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; direction: ltr; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Des Plaines Snapshots: Schools</td><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; direction: ltr; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"><a class="in-cell-link" href="http://www.google.com/url?q=http://desplaines.patch.com/groups/schools/p/schools-9ce1a354&usd=2&usg=ALhdy29g0K909yHNRXTV0i-x2saCTltM5Q" target="_blank">http://desplaines.patch.com/groups/schools/p/schools-9ce1a354</a></td></tr>
<tr style="height: 17px;"><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; padding: 0px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">11/25/2011</td><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; direction: ltr; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Des Plaines Snapshots: Parks</td><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; direction: ltr; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"><a class="in-cell-link" href="http://www.google.com/url?q=http://desplaines.patch.com/groups/politics-and-elections/p/parks-568bc3a4&usd=2&usg=ALhdy2_Os6U4OIQ5zYrftxEqJM4FilUcnQ" target="_blank">http://desplaines.patch.com/groups/politics-and-elections/p/parks-568bc3a4</a></td></tr>
<tr style="height: 17px;"><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; padding: 0px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">12/15/2011</td><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; direction: ltr; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Des Plaines Snapshots: Places of Worship</td><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; direction: ltr; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"><a class="in-cell-link" href="http://www.google.com/url?q=http://desplaines.patch.com/groups/around-town/p/churches&usd=2&usg=ALhdy2-AAGxGVBmO5FGNWsxpB8bcIMAS-g" target="_blank">http://desplaines.patch.com/groups/around-town/p/churches</a></td></tr>
<tr style="height: 17px;"><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; padding: 0px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">1/4/2012</td><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; direction: ltr; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Des Plaines Church Features Park Ridge Architect’s Signature Design</td><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; direction: ltr; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"><a class="in-cell-link" href="http://www.google.com/url?q=http://desplaines.patch.com/groups/opinion/p/immanuel-lutheran-church-christmas-1959&usd=2&usg=ALhdy2_waAdcOBkdr4Ftqvz4LZEGbKHwGA" target="_blank">http://desplaines.patch.com/groups/opinion/p/immanuel-lutheran-church-christmas-1959</a></td></tr>
<tr style="height: 17px;"><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; padding: 0px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">1/12/2012</td><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; direction: ltr; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Remembering Old Central School and Other Des Plaines Schools</td><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; direction: ltr; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"><a class="in-cell-link" href="http://www.google.com/url?q=http://desplaines.patch.com/groups/around-town/p/simpler-times-at-old-central-school&usd=2&usg=ALhdy29NlJvoTpBRaACUhjMdCFsdppmdbQ" target="_blank">http://desplaines.patch.com/groups/around-town/p/simpler-times-at-old-central-school</a></td></tr>
<tr style="height: 17px;"><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; padding: 0px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">1/18/2012</td><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; direction: ltr; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Is this Des Plaines or Miami Beach?</td><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; direction: ltr; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"><a class="in-cell-link" href="http://www.google.com/url?q=http://desplaines.patch.com/groups/around-town/p/des-plaines-or-miami-beach&usd=2&usg=ALhdy2_s5LQl34G-lsWQLz249doIhRSIYA" target="_blank">http://desplaines.patch.com/groups/around-town/p/des-plaines-or-miami-beach</a></td></tr>
<tr style="height: 17px;"><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; padding: 0px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">1/26/2012</td><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; direction: ltr; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Remembering Lost Houses of Des Plaines</td><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; direction: ltr; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"><a class="in-cell-link" href="http://www.google.com/url?q=http://desplaines.patch.com/groups/opinion/p/lost-houses-of-des-plaines&usd=2&usg=ALhdy2_sPJ8DjPLjuG0dI_z5_dIP1bib9Q" target="_blank">http://desplaines.patch.com/groups/opinion/p/lost-houses-of-des-plaines</a></td></tr>
<tr style="height: 17px;"><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; padding: 0px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">2/8/2012</td><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; direction: ltr; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Southeast Corner of Lee and Ellinwood Streets Reborn with Library Plaza</td><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; direction: ltr; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"><a class="in-cell-link" href="http://www.google.com/url?q=http://desplaines.patch.com/groups/around-town/p/lee-and-ellinwood-streets-then-and-now&usd=2&usg=ALhdy2-tIm9h_8FgzkP_qBcqAcK5EaiDaw" target="_blank">http://desplaines.patch.com/groups/around-town/p/lee-and-ellinwood-streets-then-and-now</a></td></tr>
<tr style="height: 17px;"><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; padding: 0px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">2/8/2012</td><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; direction: ltr; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">View of Lee Street at Ellinwood Street Changed Little in 70 Years</td><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; direction: ltr; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"><a class="in-cell-link" href="http://www.google.com/url?q=http://desplaines.patch.com/groups/business-news/p/lee-street-at-ellinwood-then-and-now&usd=2&usg=ALhdy2_ZLuuO0_rT6vLM_aPhM915YcL6bQ" target="_blank">http://desplaines.patch.com/groups/business-news/p/lee-street-at-ellinwood-then-and-now</a></td></tr>
<tr style="height: 17px;"><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; padding: 0px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">2/13/2012</td><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; direction: ltr; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">It Was Coldstone Creamery; Now What?</td><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; direction: ltr; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"><a class="in-cell-link" href="http://www.google.com/url?q=http://desplaines.patch.com/groups/business-news/p/what-would-you-like-to-see-move-into-this-retail-space&usd=2&usg=ALhdy281UhmrZ54mGI4gLFZQh3DSmnjUmA" target="_blank">http://desplaines.patch.com/groups/business-news/p/what-would-you-like-to-see-move-into-this-retail-space</a></td></tr>
<tr style="height: 17px;"><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; padding: 0px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">2/15/2012</td><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; direction: ltr; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Airport, Expressway Caused Overnight Changes for Des Plaines Hospitality Businesses</td><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; direction: ltr; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"><a class="in-cell-link" href="http://www.google.com/url?q=http://desplaines.patch.com/groups/business-news/p/from-motel-to-nursing-home&usd=2&usg=ALhdy2_CVR4vGUeA0vkGzV89K8cHMElzPQ" target="_blank">http://desplaines.patch.com/groups/business-news/p/from-motel-to-nursing-home</a></td></tr>
<tr style="height: 17px;"><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; padding: 0px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">2/22/2012</td><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; direction: ltr; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">House Survived Transformation of Graceland Avenue from Sleepy Street to Condo Country</td><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; direction: ltr; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"><a class="in-cell-link" href="http://www.google.com/url?q=http://desplaines.patch.com/groups/business-news/p/graceland-avenue-from-sleepy-street-to-condo-country&usd=2&usg=ALhdy29GF-WEeKrg8tvkibyrvlOiVstJOQ" target="_blank">http://desplaines.patch.com/groups/business-news/p/graceland-avenue-from-sleepy-street-to-condo-country</a></td></tr>
<tr style="height: 17px;"><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; padding: 0px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">3/1/2012</td><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; direction: ltr; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Des Plaines of Yesterday Recognizable on Miner Street after 60 Years</td><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; direction: ltr; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"><a class="in-cell-link" href="http://www.google.com/url?q=http://desplaines.patch.com/groups/business-news/p/miner-street-scene-remains-bustling&usd=2&usg=ALhdy288CbnxAGXVq78jf3_plKQYV_6wtg" target="_blank">http://desplaines.patch.com/groups/business-news/p/miner-street-scene-remains-bustling</a></td></tr>
<tr style="height: 17px;"><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; padding: 0px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">3/7/2012</td><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; direction: ltr; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Ellinwood, Pearson Streets Linked to Past with Banks</td><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; direction: ltr; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"><a class="in-cell-link" href="http://www.google.com/url?q=http://desplaines.patch.com/groups/around-town/p/corner-of-pearson-and-ellinwood-transformed-a4df5e13&usd=2&usg=ALhdy29KqI3avQrkccpU4RhrSdDNAFPFhA" target="_blank">http://desplaines.patch.com/groups/around-town/p/corner-of-pearson-and-ellinwood-transformed-a4df5e13</a></td></tr>
<tr style="height: 17px;"><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; padding: 0px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">3/15/2012</td><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; direction: ltr; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Log Cabin Inn Open Since End of Prohibition</td><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; direction: ltr; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"><a class="in-cell-link" href="http://www.google.com/url?q=http://desplaines.patch.com/groups/business-news/p/log-cabin-inn-open-since-end-of-prohibition&usd=2&usg=ALhdy28Y8Hb5zpLcB_WWxwJZ-8Qzd16Cew" target="_blank">http://desplaines.patch.com/groups/business-news/p/log-cabin-inn-open-since-end-of-prohibition</a></td></tr>
<tr style="height: 17px;"><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; padding: 0px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">3/21/2012</td><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; direction: ltr; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Pearson Street House Featured Impressive Landscape Display</td><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; direction: ltr; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"><a class="in-cell-link" href="http://www.google.com/url?q=http://desplaines.patch.com/groups/around-town/p/pearson-street-house-featured-impressive-landscape-display&usd=2&usg=ALhdy2-ysA-LquHgjq8LH3r69kiJGbwSfA" target="_blank">http://desplaines.patch.com/groups/around-town/p/pearson-street-house-featured-impressive-landscape-display</a></td></tr>
<tr style="height: 17px;"><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; padding: 0px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">3/28/2012</td><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; direction: ltr; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Picnics, Dancing Once Considered a Nuisance in Northwestern Park</td><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; direction: ltr; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"><a class="in-cell-link" href="http://www.google.com/url?q=http://desplaines.patch.com/groups/around-town/p/northwestern-park-was-a-countryside-getaway&usd=2&usg=ALhdy29LilEbroc3JQThG3dFCxaRc4EKXg" target="_blank">http://desplaines.patch.com/groups/around-town/p/northwestern-park-was-a-countryside-getaway</a></td></tr>
<tr style="height: 17px;"><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; padding: 0px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">4/4/2012</td><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; direction: ltr; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Lattof YMCA Opened Doors in 1961 to 30K at Open House</td><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; direction: ltr; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"><a class="in-cell-link" href="http://www.google.com/url?q=http://desplaines.patch.com/groups/around-town/p/lattof-ymca-community-center-opened-doors-in-1961&usd=2&usg=ALhdy28ZMDo2qYmClv-sX8EqFzAHB0gXzg" target="_blank">http://desplaines.patch.com/groups/around-town/p/lattof-ymca-community-center-opened-doors-in-1961</a></td></tr>
<tr style="height: 17px;"><td style="background-color: white; border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; font-size: 100%; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">4/12/2012</td><td style="background-color: white; border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; direction: ltr; font-size: 100%; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Before Chicago Water, Des Plaines Drew Supply from Wells</td><td style="background-color: white; border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; direction: ltr; font-size: 100%; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"><a class="in-cell-link" href="http://www.google.com/url?q=http://desplaines.patch.com/groups/around-town/p/before-chicago-water-des-plaines-drew-supply-from-wells&usd=2&usg=ALhdy2-RvWvJd70tagUtiEAIaSE9zEOgNg" target="_blank">http://desplaines.patch.com/groups/around-town/p/before-chicago-water-des-plaines-drew-supply-from-wells</a></td></tr>
<tr style="height: 17px;"><td style="background-color: white; border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; font-size: 100%; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">4/18/2012</td><td style="background-color: white; border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; direction: ltr; font-size: 100%; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Forest Elementary Was Expansion School, Now A Cornerstone of District 62</td><td style="background-color: white; border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; direction: ltr; font-size: 100%; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"><a class="in-cell-link" href="http://www.google.com/url?q=http://desplaines.patch.com/groups/around-town/p/forest-elementary-school-now-a-cornerstone-of-district-62&usd=2&usg=ALhdy2-80CZ205_ORNQRQi8shK3g9PlwfQ" target="_blank">http://desplaines.patch.com/groups/around-town/p/forest-elementary-school-now-a-cornerstone-of-district-62</a></td></tr>
<tr style="height: 17px;"><td style="background-color: white; border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; font-size: 100%; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">4/25/2012</td><td style="background-color: white; border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; direction: ltr; font-size: 100%; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">North Elementary School’s Legacy Stretches Back More Than 130 Years</td><td style="background-color: white; border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; direction: ltr; font-size: 100%; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"><a class="in-cell-link" href="http://www.google.com/url?q=http://desplaines.patch.com/groups/schools/p/north-elementary-schools-legacy-stretches-back-more-t598e96d836&usd=2&usg=ALhdy2-_nxOLq4awpSWDPdrbCLl5OEn8Ew" target="_blank">http://desplaines.patch.com/groups/schools/p/north-elementary-schools-legacy-stretches-back-more-t598e96d836</a></td></tr>
<tr style="height: 17px;"><td style="background-color: white; border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; font-size: 100%; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">5/2/2012</td><td style="background-color: white; border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; direction: ltr; font-size: 100%; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Site of New Higgins, Mannheim Development has Hospitality History</td><td style="background-color: white; border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; direction: ltr; font-size: 100%; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"><a class="in-cell-link" href="http://www.google.com/url?q=http://desplaines.patch.com/groups/around-town/p/site-of-new-higgins-mannheim-development-has-hospital7088323290&usd=2&usg=ALhdy29RwHD2HAY7jG6494t1tnuB5c09Eg" target="_blank">http://desplaines.patch.com/groups/around-town/p/site-of-new-higgins-mannheim-development-has-hospital7088323290</a></td></tr>
<tr style="height: 17px;"><td style="background-color: white; border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; font-size: 100%; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">5/14/2012</td><td style="background-color: white; border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; direction: ltr; font-size: 100%; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Former Gardening Center Grows into New Restaurant</td><td style="background-color: white; border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; direction: ltr; font-size: 100%; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"><a class="in-cell-link" href="http://www.google.com/url?q=http://desplaines.patch.com/groups/business-news/p/new-happy-dogs-was-once-farm-store-dairy&usd=2&usg=ALhdy28XP8jZw8rLtDXIGFwn7Ih1BnnTEA" target="_blank">http://desplaines.patch.com/groups/business-news/p/new-happy-dogs-was-once-farm-store-dairy</a></td></tr>
<tr style="height: 17px;"><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; padding: 0px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">5/16/2012</td><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; direction: ltr; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Benjamin Electric Plant Gave Way to New Industry, Homes</td><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; direction: ltr; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"><a class="in-cell-link" href="http://www.google.com/url?q=http://desplaines.patch.com/groups/around-town/p/benjamin-electric-plant-gave-way-to-new-industry-homes&usd=2&usg=ALhdy29nMAXSiXvgIHLL1YTK2sD4CQZUnw" target="_blank">http://desplaines.patch.com/groups/around-town/p/benjamin-electric-plant-gave-way-to-new-industry-homes</a></td></tr>
<tr style="height: 17px;"><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; padding: 0px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">5/23/2012</td><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; direction: ltr; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Graphics Company Occupies Remnant of Riverview’s Past Identity</td><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; direction: ltr; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"><a class="in-cell-link" href="http://www.google.com/url?q=http://desplaines.patch.com/groups/business-news/p/today-s-schawk-building-is-last-vestige-of-industrial-riverview&usd=2&usg=ALhdy2-kqmF9ypMW8X_jm00DemQEdSi1-A" target="_blank">http://desplaines.patch.com/groups/business-news/p/today-s-schawk-building-is-last-vestige-of-industrial-riverview</a></td></tr>
<tr style="height: 17px;"><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; padding: 0px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">5/30/2012</td><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; direction: ltr; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Old Maine High School Site now Home to Park</td><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; direction: ltr; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"><a class="in-cell-link" href="http://www.google.com/url?q=http://desplaines.patch.com/groups/schools/p/old-maine-high-school&usd=2&usg=ALhdy2841uTk_22-ZxOnPoY4aRAQoYvIfw" target="_blank">http://desplaines.patch.com/groups/schools/p/old-maine-high-school</a></td></tr>
<tr style="height: 17px;"><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; padding: 0px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">6/6/2012</td><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; direction: ltr; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Methodist Camp Ground Pool’s Musical Background</td><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; direction: ltr; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"><a class="in-cell-link" href="http://www.google.com/url?q=http://desplaines.patch.com/groups/summer/p/methodist-camp-ground-pool-cool-since-1928&usd=2&usg=ALhdy29hsKBMj3b_6vDEs9g_0VSlK00_kA" target="_blank">http://desplaines.patch.com/groups/summer/p/methodist-camp-ground-pool-cool-since-1928</a></td></tr>
<tr style="height: 17px;"><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; padding: 0px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">6/13/2012</td><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; direction: ltr; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Italian Restaurant Leaves Behind Oldest Building on Ellinwood</td><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; direction: ltr; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"><a class="in-cell-link" href="http://www.google.com/url?q=http://desplaines.patch.com/groups/business-news/p/italian-restaurant-leaves-behind-oldest-building-on-ellinwood&usd=2&usg=ALhdy29zql488yA9-mRPS_hRX_Y0265wfg" target="_blank">http://desplaines.patch.com/groups/business-news/p/italian-restaurant-leaves-behind-oldest-building-on-ellinwood</a></td></tr>
<tr style="height: 17px;"><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; padding: 0px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">6/21/2012</td><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; direction: ltr; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Maryville's Villa Mansion Witnessed 115 Years of Change</td><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; direction: ltr; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"><a class="in-cell-link" href="http://www.google.com/url?q=http://desplaines.patch.com/groups/around-town/p/maryville-s-villa-mansion-witnessed-115-years-of-change&usd=2&usg=ALhdy28uc4aPiyE3T1LTEEhtyQDcTGVEAg" target="_blank">http://desplaines.patch.com/groups/around-town/p/maryville-s-villa-mansion-witnessed-115-years-of-change</a></td></tr>
<tr style="height: 17px;"><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; padding: 0px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">6/21/2012</td><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; direction: ltr; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Maryville Focus Shifted After 1899 Fire</td><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; direction: ltr; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"><a class="in-cell-link" href="http://www.google.com/url?q=http://desplaines.patch.com/groups/schools/p/maryville-part-two&usd=2&usg=ALhdy2_iO_QVB3cHH4E32ntLtFzwSnrv1Q" target="_blank">http://desplaines.patch.com/groups/schools/p/maryville-part-two</a></td></tr>
<tr style="height: 17px;"><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; padding: 0px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">6/21/2012</td><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; direction: ltr; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Post-War Maryville Faced 'Sink or Swim' More Than Once</td><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; direction: ltr; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"><a class="in-cell-link" href="http://www.google.com/url?q=http://desplaines.patch.com/groups/local-connections/p/maryville-part-three&usd=2&usg=ALhdy28CBE6BytTftLTAjQdsWJ66xAM1Qw" target="_blank">http://desplaines.patch.com/groups/local-connections/p/maryville-part-three</a></td></tr>
<tr style="height: 17px;"><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; padding: 0px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">6/27/2012</td><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; direction: ltr; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Classic Drive-in Resurfaces on Rand Road</td><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; direction: ltr; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"><a class="in-cell-link" href="http://www.google.com/url?q=http://desplaines.patch.com/groups/summer/p/classic-drive-in-resurfaces-on-rand-road&usd=2&usg=ALhdy2-wsBWPdFTyH06UgYoK1krACDt_Kg" target="_blank">http://desplaines.patch.com/groups/summer/p/classic-drive-in-resurfaces-on-rand-road</a></td></tr>
<tr style="height: 17px;"><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; padding: 0px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">7/4/2012</td><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; direction: ltr; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Des Plaines Independence Day Parades Past and Present</td><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; direction: ltr; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"><a class="in-cell-link" href="http://www.google.com/url?q=http://desplaines.patch.com/groups/summer/p/des-plaines-independence-day-parades-past-and-present&usd=2&usg=ALhdy290gbV9-6-STKNNMht9BxiWGGGoQg" target="_blank">http://desplaines.patch.com/groups/summer/p/des-plaines-independence-day-parades-past-and-present</a></td></tr>
<tr style="height: 17px;"><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; padding: 0px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">7/11/2012</td><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; direction: ltr; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">New Luxury Car Dealership Set to Open on Rand Road</td><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; direction: ltr; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"><a class="in-cell-link" href="http://www.google.com/url?q=http://desplaines.patch.com/groups/business-news/p/new-luxury-car-dealership-set-to-open-on-rand-road&usd=2&usg=ALhdy28hTXFuWQUZLVYY8oYS5ajKNQLchQ" target="_blank">http://desplaines.patch.com/groups/business-news/p/new-luxury-car-dealership-set-to-open-on-rand-road</a></td></tr>
<tr style="height: 17px;"><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; padding: 0px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">8/8/2012</td><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; direction: ltr; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Des Plaines Had Hot Days, Arabian Nights at Oasis Drive-In</td><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; direction: ltr; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"><a class="in-cell-link" href="http://www.google.com/url?q=http://desplaines.patch.com/groups/around-town/p/des-plaines-had-hot-days-arabian-nights-at-oasis-drive-in&usd=2&usg=ALhdy29ho3DYIQjcuAnJk3bEooKHLxnm_w" target="_blank">http://desplaines.patch.com/groups/around-town/p/des-plaines-had-hot-days-arabian-nights-at-oasis-drive-in</a></td></tr>
<tr style="height: 17px;"><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; padding: 0px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">8/22/2012</td><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; direction: ltr; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Shagbark Lake's Legacy of Early Brick Industry</td><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; direction: ltr; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"><a class="in-cell-link" href="http://www.google.com/url?q=http://desplaines.patch.com/groups/local-connections/p/shagbark-lake-a-legacy-of-early-brick-industry&usd=2&usg=ALhdy2-EFvL9n2Eu8fvzsmKmECeJwTRYBQ" target="_blank">http://desplaines.patch.com/groups/local-connections/p/shagbark-lake-a-legacy-of-early-brick-industry</a></td></tr>
<tr style="height: 17px;"><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; padding: 0px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">9/5/2012</td><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; direction: ltr; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">River Road's Izaak Walton League was Pioneer Home</td><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; direction: ltr; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"><a class="in-cell-link" href="http://www.google.com/url?q=http://desplaines.patch.com/groups/business-news/p/river-road-s-izaak-walton-league-was-pioneer-home&usd=2&usg=ALhdy28bfUTNJ6T5dlL4XhqBc-8F6Ad7uw" target="_blank">http://desplaines.patch.com/groups/business-news/p/river-road-s-izaak-walton-league-was-pioneer-home</a></td></tr>
<tr style="height: 17px;"><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; padding: 0px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">9/19/2012</td><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; direction: ltr; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Old Des Plaines Municipal Building Use Hotly Debated in 1974</td><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; direction: ltr; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"><a class="in-cell-link" href="http://www.google.com/url?q=http://desplaines.patch.com/groups/politics-and-elections/p/old-des-plaines-municipal-building-use-hotly-debated-in-1974&usd=2&usg=ALhdy2_nWE93zsxkdv30jtK7qTXvOuNVgg" target="_blank">http://desplaines.patch.com/groups/politics-and-elections/p/old-des-plaines-municipal-building-use-hotly-debated-in-1974</a></td></tr>
<tr style="height: 17px;"><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; padding: 0px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">10/10/2012</td><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; direction: ltr; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Historic Lustron Home Recently Sold in Des Plaines</td><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; direction: ltr; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"><a class="in-cell-link" href="http://www.google.com/url?q=http://desplaines.patch.com/groups/around-town/p/all-steel-lustron-home-is-for-sale&usd=2&usg=ALhdy29_m7rokyYGqHMemRbRKblMpN9B7g" target="_blank">http://desplaines.patch.com/groups/around-town/p/all-steel-lustron-home-is-for-sale</a></td></tr>
<tr style="height: 17px;"><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; padding: 0px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">11/14/2012</td><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; direction: ltr; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Hardware, Grocery Stores Preceded Mexico Restaurant in Downtown Des Plaines</td><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; direction: ltr; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"><a class="in-cell-link" href="http://www.google.com/url?q=http://desplaines.patch.com/groups/business-news/p/home-of-downtown-s-mexico-restaurant-was-once-hardwarb2859fe578&usd=2&usg=ALhdy2-WkeYGyesaaaj9hs7L8i_Al4UkTg" target="_blank">http://desplaines.patch.com/groups/business-news/p/home-of-downtown-s-mexico-restaurant-was-once-hardwarb2859fe578</a></td></tr>
<tr style="height: 17px;"><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; padding: 0px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">11/28/2012</td><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; direction: ltr; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Hair Salon, Yoga Studio, Frame Shop, Occupy Historic Paint Store</td><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; direction: ltr; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"><a class="in-cell-link" href="http://www.google.com/url?q=http://desplaines.patch.com/groups/opinion/p/hair-salon-occupies-1949-paint-store&usd=2&usg=ALhdy2-NxwvbHlpblkm6VEl6Ld7lKIR18w" target="_blank">http://desplaines.patch.com/groups/opinion/p/hair-salon-occupies-1949-paint-store</a></td></tr>
<tr style="height: 17px;"><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; padding: 0px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">12/12/2012</td><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; direction: ltr; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Phat Bao Temple Continues Diverse Spiritual Legacy</td><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; direction: ltr; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"><a class="in-cell-link" href="http://www.google.com/url?q=http://desplaines.patch.com/groups/around-town/p/church-at-prospect-illinois-street-was-home-to-severaf2afd142cf&usd=2&usg=ALhdy29u7YCeetVtI23QaBfGXq0u1be3LA" target="_blank">http://desplaines.patch.com/groups/around-town/p/church-at-prospect-illinois-street-was-home-to-severaf2afd142cf</a></td></tr>
<tr style="height: 17px;"><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; padding: 0px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">12/26/2012</td><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; direction: ltr; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Des Plaines History Retrospective 2012</td><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; direction: ltr; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"><a class="in-cell-link" href="http://www.google.com/url?q=http://desplaines.patch.com/groups/opinion/p/des-plaines-lost-and-found&usd=2&usg=ALhdy2-xpMCA5jvRZyY3Ni2fX9BFhyFwvw" target="_blank">http://desplaines.patch.com/groups/opinion/p/des-plaines-lost-and-found</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
BWhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04443995905594721900noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2717406644323517155.post-37757557199303887932011-07-03T11:09:00.001-05:002011-07-03T11:09:25.177-05:00A NoteNew articles are now posted at <a href="http://desplaines.patch.com/columns/going-back-downtown">http://desplaines.patch.com/columns/going-back-downtown</a>BWhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04443995905594721900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2717406644323517155.post-60966560874036445812010-11-08T12:36:00.000-06:002010-11-08T12:36:00.390-06:00The Des Plaines Theatre's First Rebirth<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"></span><br />
<div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-color: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; border-width: initial; font-size: 1em; margin-bottom: 14px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><i>This piece was originally published at <a href="http://desplaines.patch.com/">Des Plaines Patch</a>. This version features exclusive images.</i><br />
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I think Des Plaines has a lot of interesting architecture. The Des Plaines Theatre is at the top of that list for me, and I don't think I'm alone. It's a very unique theatre, a direct expression of the "Roaring Twenties," probably our most identifiable landmark, and quite possibly our most interesting public interior space, which is just now being revealed again.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhackG-_uhq3ImUTgQkaeNAf623Ma9pYJLcgUiJwcoeNdJC9qGekbISooQschhV8i06reu7XIq7KihfSRWIj_G5c06Xbdx_GLfaCmVpxXrhElJu1UFkdd2q7kkZKyQOP2D1ZHDDF6BarWw/s1600/1936postcard.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="232" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhackG-_uhq3ImUTgQkaeNAf623Ma9pYJLcgUiJwcoeNdJC9qGekbISooQschhV8i06reu7XIq7KihfSRWIj_G5c06Xbdx_GLfaCmVpxXrhElJu1UFkdd2q7kkZKyQOP2D1ZHDDF6BarWw/s400/1936postcard.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-color: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; border-width: initial; font-size: 1em; margin-bottom: 14px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><br />
</div><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-color: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; border-width: initial; font-size: 1em; margin-bottom: 14px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">In August, <i style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-color: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; border-width: initial; font-size: 1em; font-style: italic; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Revitalize Des Plaines!</i> marked the 85th anniversary of the theatre's opening day with a look back at <a href="http://www.revitalizedesplaines.org/2010/08/des-plaines-theatre-is-85.html" rel="nofollow" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-color: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; border-width: initial; color: #003399; font-size: 1em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">how excited the community was at the theatre's opening</a>. August 9, 1925 was a pivotal day in Des Plaines' transition from a small village to a modern city.</div><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-color: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; border-width: initial; font-size: 1em; margin-bottom: 14px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Today, our community is once again buzzing about the Des Plaines Theatre, as its long-awaited renovation kicked off on Saturday, October 23rd. In that light, let's look back at the theatre's first major renovation.</div><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-color: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; border-width: initial; font-size: 1em; margin-bottom: 14px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">The Des Plaines Theatre thrived after its opening in 1925, even though its 3 Manual Geneva Organ wasn't completed until December. It showed movies and short features continuously Monday-Friday from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m; on Saturdays and Sundays it opened at 2 p.m. for a matinee, and Sundays added five acts of Vaudeville with a six-piece orchestra. The Polka Brothers even had an annual indoor circus, featuring all the big acts - including elephants. </div><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-color: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; border-width: initial; font-size: 1em; margin-bottom: 14px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">In addition to the population of downtown Des Plaines, the elaborate new theatre was the showplace of the Northwest suburbs and attracted visitors from miles around. It inspired the owners of the older Echo theatre on Lee Street - now the downtown post office branch - to rebuild much of their theatre - although it ultimately proved no competition. Its success inspired the Polka Brothers to build a new, even bigger and more elaborate theatre in 1927 - Park Ridge's Pickwick. After that, the Des Plaines would play second fiddle.</div><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-color: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; border-width: initial; font-size: 1em; margin-bottom: 14px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">"Talking pictures" hit Des Plaines for the first time on April 24, 1929, with George M. Cohan in <i style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-color: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; border-width: initial; font-size: 1em; font-style: italic; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">The Hometowners</i>. But the stage shows and organ playing went on for a few more years.</div><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-color: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; border-width: initial; font-size: 1em; margin-bottom: 14px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">The Great Depression hit hard, though. In 1931 the Polka Brothers closed the theatre for the summer, encouraging patrons to go to the Pickwick. Later that year, after it reopened, the notorious projectionists' union headed by racketeer <a href="http://books.google.com/books?id=GnCn1u-zHbQC&lpg=PA122&ots=Geqvjx_Lzx&dq=motion%20picture%20union%20maloy&pg=PA122#v=onepage&q=motion%20picture%20union%20maloy&f=false" rel="nofollow" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-color: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; border-width: initial; color: #003399; font-size: 1em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Tommy Maloy</a> tried to force all theatres to employ two projectionists; 104 theatres locked their doors in protest. The Polka Brothers defied Maloy by personally operating the projection in their theatres. Labor troubles continued.</div><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-color: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; border-width: initial; font-size: 1em; margin-bottom: 14px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">On July 23, 1932, bombs went off behind the Pickwick and Des Plaines. The theatres suffered minimal damage, but the adjacent houses found themselves missing a few windows. The Polka Brothers soon threw in the towel and several headed back to their resort in Germany. In August 1934 the organ and sound equipment were sold off to help pay off the Polka's defaulted mortgage. In February, 1935 one of the biggest stars to grace the Des Plaines' stage would appear - Gene Autry.</div><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-color: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; border-width: initial; font-size: 1em; margin-bottom: 14px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">It was time to make a big splash - something that would make the whole city "sit up and take notice". In July, the big announcement came - the Theatre was to be taken over by Chicago's H&E Balaban chain, an offshoot of the biggest theatre operator in Chicagoland, Balaban & Katz. They announced a total overhaul - new seats, new screen, projection and sound equipment, redecorating inside and an all new entrance. It would all be planned by art deco architects Pereira & Pereira, who would go on to create Chicago's Esquire Theatre and San Francisco's Transamerica Pyramid.</div><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-color: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; border-width: initial; font-size: 1em; margin-bottom: 14px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">The entryway was covered in ultra-modern black Vitrolite glass with stainless steel trim and a new sidewalk box office. The lobby was transformed into a "garden" lounge, with its box office removed, walls plastered over and redecorated in soft blending colors, tile floors covered in carpet, and comfortable seating added. The new "strato" foyer recieved new bathrooms and more lounge pieces. Inside the auditorium, the walls were repainted in muted blue and gray, and some "old-fashioned" ornament was removed. And to the relief of patrons, an air conditioning system was added the following spring. Ads proclaimed "A NEW MODE IN THEATER BEAUTY... PERFECTION IN LIGHTING, DECORATION, AND COMFORT".</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZZ__uzuUNs5XV1QMOHeiQLxbL1pQ8Q1-ScT5t64LBUWgXciuy1egz-9peHrP8OvtWWZeSvtzI-jX_Nl-4TvQO6B-WmqW3LHwkiFvdaADUtfVXIBuq10k1IDOkAjYdcBu5Ha2SJlFOZjU/s1600/19351127_Ad.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZZ__uzuUNs5XV1QMOHeiQLxbL1pQ8Q1-ScT5t64LBUWgXciuy1egz-9peHrP8OvtWWZeSvtzI-jX_Nl-4TvQO6B-WmqW3LHwkiFvdaADUtfVXIBuq10k1IDOkAjYdcBu5Ha2SJlFOZjU/s1600/19351127_Ad.jpg" /></a></div><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-color: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; border-width: initial; font-size: 1em; margin-bottom: 14px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><br />
</div><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-color: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; border-width: initial; font-size: 1em; margin-bottom: 14px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">But the biggest change was the signature marquee: a massive art deco sculpture covered in dazzling neon and flashing lights, with the newest technology - backlit Adler silhouette letters to spell out the movie titles. The White Way marquee would light up downtown at night, more than the streetlights ever did, and become the most instantly identifiable element of downtown Des Plaines.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPZPuXp07-WB2ebSp1pnkBF3Aqi_H-8i5ZP_fuB4EDwrU3tPIakJZvwSbUw6t6w7Ec_XisipkJr_98_JCM6qss6fS3Ga5eNcqWBtgVEAn22bBEwPYgtSxSW23NUSSDbMT1kgl77NUML4Y/s1600/aeee39bca0fb01914d1984de50afd66.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPZPuXp07-WB2ebSp1pnkBF3Aqi_H-8i5ZP_fuB4EDwrU3tPIakJZvwSbUw6t6w7Ec_XisipkJr_98_JCM6qss6fS3Ga5eNcqWBtgVEAn22bBEwPYgtSxSW23NUSSDbMT1kgl77NUML4Y/s320/aeee39bca0fb01914d1984de50afd66.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 14px;">The art deco lobby as it appeared in Box Office Magazine in 1947. Courtesy Theatre Historical Society of America</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>The reborn theatre held its grand reopening on November 29, 1935 with the stars of WLS' Barn Dance on stage and the film <i style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-color: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; border-width: initial; font-size: 1em; font-style: italic; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Annapolis Farewell</i>.</div><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-color: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; border-width: initial; font-size: 1em; margin-bottom: 14px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Seventy-five years later - almost to the day - the theatre stands poised for its next rebirth. The transformation is taking place at the same dizzying pace. It won't be as polished as it was then, but I think seeing the auditorium in one piece again for the first time in 23 years will be just as dazzling.</div><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-color: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; border-width: initial; font-size: 1em; margin-bottom: 14px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><b>EXCLUSIVE: Reopening Program</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxC6b_YlvFFTKx7SAp_R9z9xwvRqXv21XfKOAb1fEU3H6OqRZecAPh2Y3Rl5nUc9uTKNxqdZLneWAvD_ApEcEATWouDTxtjS2fZfhvopna93puwvpR68P-AO9nojh7Z5_5PN87Vt0-pA4/s1600/19351129_JOUR_Art.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxC6b_YlvFFTKx7SAp_R9z9xwvRqXv21XfKOAb1fEU3H6OqRZecAPh2Y3Rl5nUc9uTKNxqdZLneWAvD_ApEcEATWouDTxtjS2fZfhvopna93puwvpR68P-AO9nojh7Z5_5PN87Vt0-pA4/s400/19351129_JOUR_Art.jpg" width="218" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV65xPMzIqoz4CqejGE0SA19rxjSCauQ8pz_BbvzyW-FH00OrQe7OJcpYItkTih4QI9SnjV6mz_x-shOTLoy17a1PNzZolzI27fBLm_qxgguCfcSJ8Rd3vNSmqbIJ2l3DuxsCRGIwDMiQ/s1600/19351129ReopenProgram1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV65xPMzIqoz4CqejGE0SA19rxjSCauQ8pz_BbvzyW-FH00OrQe7OJcpYItkTih4QI9SnjV6mz_x-shOTLoy17a1PNzZolzI27fBLm_qxgguCfcSJ8Rd3vNSmqbIJ2l3DuxsCRGIwDMiQ/s400/19351129ReopenProgram1.jpg" width="285" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmd1hKwBEvEa-5SNllMQqB9wkomiun_3VWbsp3tBfga5viHaMajTt8_xBh83BfJVXgrxy8LLaLZ8WB8vWMSDBnva1_KxQ-pOZrMH6lHxkoEzFc9gvr6coXvlhELjPtEv6SmXlJX7thZ9Q/s1600/19351129ReopenProgram23.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="282" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmd1hKwBEvEa-5SNllMQqB9wkomiun_3VWbsp3tBfga5viHaMajTt8_xBh83BfJVXgrxy8LLaLZ8WB8vWMSDBnva1_KxQ-pOZrMH6lHxkoEzFc9gvr6coXvlhELjPtEv6SmXlJX7thZ9Q/s400/19351129ReopenProgram23.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiduD-CZClvV85gZIfjtLONCrG4Z3wZLmUlGKkgjaAnpokhMu0xf8sv5I7leR8ctGwps0mKd_VdqmctvGSv3XcKzN_haxY_wMVApRjNLMD9cSdBllOuRWznUEL13EPq7bQMTyZuq-S-WlM/s1600/19351129ReopenProgram4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiduD-CZClvV85gZIfjtLONCrG4Z3wZLmUlGKkgjaAnpokhMu0xf8sv5I7leR8ctGwps0mKd_VdqmctvGSv3XcKzN_haxY_wMVApRjNLMD9cSdBllOuRWznUEL13EPq7bQMTyZuq-S-WlM/s400/19351129ReopenProgram4.jpg" width="268" /></a></div><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-color: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; border-width: initial; font-size: 1em; margin-bottom: 14px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE6MhKz2DBe5WUvcAjud_Kki7tmUaaPWSFwOm25AeuTSS7VVrP77fTh88kddaTZfTRCAVppN6bh_x8CHw2bIbvBmHEshZVvc5u9lcZureBoeQT-lb-u6h0CPHvhYqfKqfGsRoJyUaw79Y/s1600/Theatre+Adler011.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="310" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE6MhKz2DBe5WUvcAjud_Kki7tmUaaPWSFwOm25AeuTSS7VVrP77fTh88kddaTZfTRCAVppN6bh_x8CHw2bIbvBmHEshZVvc5u9lcZureBoeQT-lb-u6h0CPHvhYqfKqfGsRoJyUaw79Y/s320/Theatre+Adler011.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">(Courtesy Des Plaines Historical Society; Theatre Historical Society)</div><b><br />
</b></div>BWhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04443995905594721900noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2717406644323517155.post-21080525385189358762010-10-26T10:00:00.000-05:002010-10-26T10:00:59.610-05:00Wright in Maine: Maine Township Town Hall/Good Shepherd Community Church<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLMrQFpYFXSbIFeLpGzc9z9hTzYWFjbPQ3z8oUKVxkcrkEDILQ3TD8D4p6sRr3PO75tkPgnG-J5kT2nXeneIBmElxPXC6I8w8c2A4ZeLL1Q24x4E3twP8TT65Y5ADJAgHVeAfSuLo3xPA/s1600/Good+Shepherd016.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="325" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLMrQFpYFXSbIFeLpGzc9z9hTzYWFjbPQ3z8oUKVxkcrkEDILQ3TD8D4p6sRr3PO75tkPgnG-J5kT2nXeneIBmElxPXC6I8w8c2A4ZeLL1Q24x4E3twP8TT65Y5ADJAgHVeAfSuLo3xPA/s400/Good+Shepherd016.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Front - now the back - of Good Shepherd</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6NYW9CJAuqPYhxrkZ5IEKW8AItd6CeqIkw77hiXlEAzcxMfVL52JgZDbpe9dIn0x3_Hl4zuUC9XoG1mcvlGiiWF_D95nqygW3GUpmU2zLOacHGs5Q3kGELcWtMkvRn7S94N0YHlE-dOA/s1600/Good+Shepherd017.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6NYW9CJAuqPYhxrkZ5IEKW8AItd6CeqIkw77hiXlEAzcxMfVL52JgZDbpe9dIn0x3_Hl4zuUC9XoG1mcvlGiiWF_D95nqygW3GUpmU2zLOacHGs5Q3kGELcWtMkvRn7S94N0YHlE-dOA/s400/Good+Shepherd017.jpg" width="306" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Interior of Church</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="http://achicagosojourn.blogspot.com/2010/10/coolest-city-hall-ever.html">A Chicago Sojourn</a> features this distinctive building just outside of Des Plaines. Maine Township Town Hall was designed by Lloyd Wright and Eric Lloyd Wright, the son and grandson of Frank Lloyd Wright, and built between December, 1958 and May, 1961.</div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaIziZZsLmDF_y4rmkE4M3vwz1v6-U2m4OTxq89rCJrwsovhuDhcUw3p3yBiTUYulTVaAObu3qdFnHVN1u9rES2vudNfiH_xE18ihiLoPL7gsJr3az8nPd4ptYo_83Gqq7Fk7mS9WMDmE/s1600/Good+Shepherd018.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaIziZZsLmDF_y4rmkE4M3vwz1v6-U2m4OTxq89rCJrwsovhuDhcUw3p3yBiTUYulTVaAObu3qdFnHVN1u9rES2vudNfiH_xE18ihiLoPL7gsJr3az8nPd4ptYo_83Gqq7Fk7mS9WMDmE/s400/Good+Shepherd018.jpg" width="293" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lloyd Wright at the church</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The church was sited on two acres set aside from the Ballard Gardens subdivision by builder Godfrey Lindstrom. The design was evidently inspired by Lloyd Wright's famed <a href="http://www.wayfarerschapel.org/">Wayfarer's Chapel</a>. The church displays an interesting break with the signature Wright connection to nature. While the Prairie style normally plays off its natural surroundings, here the natural connection was with a berm created on the site. The church featured a "living wall" that was actually set into the berm, such that the building appeared to be bursting forth from the ground, reaching toward the heavens; the extensive skylights highlighted this <i>axis mundi</i> between heaven and earth. Wright stated his aim here was to "lift on high, literally as well as figuratively, the site from the existing flat terrain; typifying the sense of elevation inherent in the religious purpose of the site and structures". Unfortunately, this being the mid-60s, others associated "set into a hill" with "bomb shelter".</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjimxQ_m5PdbYl10VwPLJ0bk47ynHa130Yp7VmMmc757PEp8lK3wPKMm73ogu6yl6_voU73G4YWx62QulxIs_vJxCVVL04zSK1o_R56-Xe4ftgCh5z9bVSr-Vl-xAXDkll_b-BgfaUxDPY/s1600/Good+Shepherd019.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="215" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjimxQ_m5PdbYl10VwPLJ0bk47ynHa130Yp7VmMmc757PEp8lK3wPKMm73ogu6yl6_voU73G4YWx62QulxIs_vJxCVVL04zSK1o_R56-Xe4ftgCh5z9bVSr-Vl-xAXDkll_b-BgfaUxDPY/s400/Good+Shepherd019.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist concept of completed church, none of which was built.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Three phases were planned for future growth, but the small Lutheran congregation never grew enough for the rest to be built. The first phase was the 200-seat church. It had room for a choir of 40, and an educational wing. The lower level featured a fellowship hall with kitchen, stage, and a teen lounge with pine paneling and a stone corner fireplace. The second phase would have doubled the church's size to 450 seats; and the third would be a wedding chapel atop a 30 foot ivy-covered mound, topped with a copper and stainless steel spire and cross.</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.mainetownship.com/about/history.shtml">Maine Township purchased the building in 1983</a> and continues to occupy it. In 1995, needing additional space, they enlisted Wright-trained architect Arthur Dennis Stevens (former partner of <a href="http://www.revitalizedesplaines.org/2010/09/emmco-stairsdenny-gs-auto-1873-busse.html">Don Erickson</a>) to build an addition in keeping with the style. The berm was moved back away from the wall, to improve access.</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Today the building continues to serve its community beautifully, and Maine Township has recognized it as a gem and works to preserve its unique home.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>BWhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04443995905594721900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2717406644323517155.post-5155253064109601082010-10-19T12:33:00.000-05:002010-10-19T12:33:08.410-05:00Des Plaines Villas<div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i>This article originally appeared in the Summer 2010 <a href="http://www.3rdward.org/storage/Summer%20'10%20R3PORT.pdf">Ward R3PORT</a> at <a href="http://3rdward.org/">3rdward.org</a></i></span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;">The first thing that a first-time visitor to the Des Plaines Villas is probably the layout of its streets. As most 3<sup>rd</sup> ward residents can attest, the layout can be confusing and disorienting to the uninitiated. You have to know where you’re going. You enter at the corners and make a turn onto a curving street. It is a sharp break from the familiar grid.<o:p></o:p></span></div></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqM6V-6hVceOHiiY87gyTLjqFdOKJOTAVVnqfqZLZUDdENjv-vti4q5Ln5KRpsoOH_o04xC4LeVmygJd2oayJaZ-dfUcJubvHXWKk8CJRKVY1VXLPzWBgCe0uEN_L6HXZz-z3cbxqejlc/s1600/Villas+1938.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="381" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqM6V-6hVceOHiiY87gyTLjqFdOKJOTAVVnqfqZLZUDdENjv-vti4q5Ln5KRpsoOH_o04xC4LeVmygJd2oayJaZ-dfUcJubvHXWKk8CJRKVY1VXLPzWBgCe0uEN_L6HXZz-z3cbxqejlc/s400/Villas+1938.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Aerial Photo of the Villas, 1938</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;">The Villas are a fluke of history. At first glance, most people would assume they were in a quintessential post-World War II subdivision. Large-scale subdivisions with non-grid layouts, limited access, and scores of ranch houses proliferated in this era. But appearances can deceive. Look closer, and you’ll notice Tudors, Bungalows, and Colonials. They reveal the true origin of the Villas in the late 1920s. The Villas was an early, large-scale speculative subdivision, and one of the prototypes for postwar subdivisions. <o:p></o:p></span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;">Some of the confusion in navigating the Villas might be that there is no geographical reason for the curves. They are unusually, rigidly geometric and not “winding.” While this may have made platting and sales easier for the developer, it has also made it difficult to keep track of where you are within the Villas. However, it also reduces four-way intersections, calms traffic, and makes the neighborhood more private. Villas residents don’t see cut-through traffic and speeding the way residents of Des Plaines Gardens (Jeanette, Margret, and 2<sup>nd</sup>) do.<o:p></o:p></span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;">The winding subdivision is often traced back to Frederick Law Olmsted’s 1869 designs for Riverside, IL. Like an English village, its streets followed the contours of the land and the Des Plaines River. Des Plaines’ existing street plans were essentially two grids on flat land. The downtown grid followed the diagonal of the Chicago & Northwestern Railroad, and the rest of the city was on a north-south grid. The first subdivision to break the grid with curving streets was Des Plaines Manor I in 1911 (Laurel, Arlington, Webford, Parsons, and Prairie) which was created in a triangular tract where the two grids intersect. Cumberland, with its tuning-fork shaped entry and traffic circle was begun just after the Villas. The layout of the Villas may have been influenced by prominent planner John Nolen. The Villas were arguably the first auto-oriented development in Des Plaines. It was distant from the downtown and train depot. Its curving streets responded to speeding autos, and the limited access points and curves made walking distances longer.<o:p></o:p></span></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHXHOKR7Y16y6GG1DjPl1Lv4Y_Qam2zGH7MEPkeaRyBiBBeBRWWHfHUKL0D_ZEE4M8EB76BVlGRLb-OdD3YVS9Emf5dg3xjjmZHXjuZvhnc7yZhQO97EhfAnMJDZLl_7biHv6B0jxAsxs/s1600/IMG_1674.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="313" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHXHOKR7Y16y6GG1DjPl1Lv4Y_Qam2zGH7MEPkeaRyBiBBeBRWWHfHUKL0D_ZEE4M8EB76BVlGRLb-OdD3YVS9Emf5dg3xjjmZHXjuZvhnc7yZhQO97EhfAnMJDZLl_7biHv6B0jxAsxs/s320/IMG_1674.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNuUjDU5ZWqYkkJh0rHPwTJpq-OWJRV9h2nQkHiFlE_ygNW0JuPfWHDkuJ91IK5hVNB-xaqqYOK0RfQschrNZDaH9pydK5LR-vRwu9wPHxT2Q3IZbQE-cdD1IdwPzIuT2rAK7ucggB3fc/s1600/IMG_1675.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="284" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNuUjDU5ZWqYkkJh0rHPwTJpq-OWJRV9h2nQkHiFlE_ygNW0JuPfWHDkuJ91IK5hVNB-xaqqYOK0RfQschrNZDaH9pydK5LR-vRwu9wPHxT2Q3IZbQE-cdD1IdwPzIuT2rAK7ucggB3fc/s320/IMG_1675.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Plat of the Villas</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;">Des Plaines was growing in 1927 as the regional highways were built, Maine High School was being planned, and industry was blooming. The Villas were an ambitious project including water, sewer, concrete paved streets, cement sidewalks, ornamental street lamps, Norway elms, a 25-foot minimum setback and eight small parks (at the entry corners; these have been developed as home sites). Originally called Homerican Villas, the subdivision was created by a syndicate headed by Merrill L. Hawkins of Park Ridge who purchased 195 acres in the summer of 1927 for $265,000. As builders were planning Wolf Road, the Villas plan was to build the first 50 of 500 planned homes evenly spaced throughout the subdivision. Designed for beauty, all new houses would be subject to review by the Homerican Villas’ architect. The sales office was the Tudor-style building at 925 E. Thacker. </span></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><iframe frameborder="0" height="314" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://maps.google.com/maps?q=Thacker+st,+Des+Plaines,+IL&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Thacker+St,+Des+Plaines,+Illinois&gl=us&ei=QtW9TPLIDYminQfDjNiJDg&ved=0CBQQ8gEwAA&t=h&layer=c&cbll=42.038265,-87.901136&panoid=LNL5tadJaZRHG4xLWk01CQ&cbp=13,204.04,,0,-0.96&source=embed&ll=42.038265,-87.901136&spn=0,0.034332&z=14&output=svembed" width="400"></iframe></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"><a href="http://maps.google.com/maps?q=Thacker+st,+Des+Plaines,+IL&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Thacker+St,+Des+Plaines,+Illinois&gl=us&ei=QtW9TPLIDYminQfDjNiJDg&ved=0CBQQ8gEwAA&t=h&layer=c&cbll=42.038265,-87.901136&panoid=LNL5tadJaZRHG4xLWk01CQ&cbp=13,204.04,,0,-0.96&source=embed&ll=42.038265,-87.901136&spn=0,0.034332&z=14" style="color: blue; text-align: left;">View Larger Map</a></span></div></span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;">The most elaborate homes would have been in the inner circle, with smaller houses on the edges. Had it been completed as envisioned, it would have housed a large proportion of the city, as it was the largest subdivision in the city at the time. While it has long been suggested that the Great Depression derailed the plans, it is important to note that the 20 homes completed (not 50) were built in 1927. Cumberland faced similar trouble. The developers may have been ahead of their time—and market demand—even before the Depression began. Or it could have been the developer; Hawkins was found to control 14 companies which were quickly bankrupted in the Depression.<o:p></o:p></span></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtb2L6C79-JtQ4t187mAXv7muW5755VrpjxjeQ4CmyYKYtM8NHE8MmJP5U35PkeVZPWq3Z7eIDd3flOyFQiIEE7-AValJsBSs_2JEAD7Yeeh7Q7c5BzbAtZf2lMkvOCyVBMJCf7RYctNM/s1600/IMG_1786.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtb2L6C79-JtQ4t187mAXv7muW5755VrpjxjeQ4CmyYKYtM8NHE8MmJP5U35PkeVZPWq3Z7eIDd3flOyFQiIEE7-AValJsBSs_2JEAD7Yeeh7Q7c5BzbAtZf2lMkvOCyVBMJCf7RYctNM/s320/IMG_1786.jpg" width="278" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Diagram of the first fifty lots to be developed. In reality, only 20 were built, and not necessarily on these lots. Note the original landscaping plans and traffic-calming circles at intersections, as well as the wedge-shaped parks at corners.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;">The infrastructure of unused streets, sewers, and water would sit mostly unused for the next 20 years. The Villas became a burden on the city with few residents surrounded by wide-open blocks. The streets gained a reputation as a lovers lane, and children would play in the five incomplete homes. However, when suburbia bloomed after World War II, the Villas with its mature trees were ripe for the picking. <o:p></o:p></span></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBnVRIjN4t3Z3Lgdjl-ghtXHyGlZv6j9xwRnsC5p6RJXPXdU5tdVmqUfScTrZNlqVcIQpQOg7y9Y8Yw5TvYL-L4gMuTMC1EOg49eEJHzOJjcVz36sJ1HyYNaMMnEtjC6ajjPP4v4mRRaY/s1600/1952-06-28+-+Big+Villas+Ad.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBnVRIjN4t3Z3Lgdjl-ghtXHyGlZv6j9xwRnsC5p6RJXPXdU5tdVmqUfScTrZNlqVcIQpQOg7y9Y8Yw5TvYL-L4gMuTMC1EOg49eEJHzOJjcVz36sJ1HyYNaMMnEtjC6ajjPP4v4mRRaY/s400/1952-06-28+-+Big+Villas+Ad.jpg" width="275" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;">Manilow Construction, fresh from developing Park Forest - Chicagoland's prototype postwar planned community - purchased the 750 lots in 1952, re-platted them to 525 lots, and kicked off their $9.5 million project. Architect A.J. Del Bianco designed six different two and three-bedroom models with names like Briarcrest, Chesterton, Barclay, and Beaumont. They had all the state-of-the-art conveniences: white steel Youngstown Kitchens cabinets, waste disposals, high windows for privacy, colored tile, Kohler plumbing fixtures, and a flexible “all purpose room.” Almost immediately after the Manilow project began, the school board acquired the property for Algonquin and later Forest Schools, anticipating the families that would soon move in. </span></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8MnWsX21ZC8Gb1xhspKySDDS17GwJSAIjz7wSjDMuJHetBQsIBQXVtpi92UOXp8yhM1sm700gv1OLCh9hPDWpRb6GFc7YWErJ55hlQicFr4n0eDSn4wjZ5ttCaS5VUnO4_YVwTjPM0Ro/s1600/1-+Briarcrest.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="174" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8MnWsX21ZC8Gb1xhspKySDDS17GwJSAIjz7wSjDMuJHetBQsIBQXVtpi92UOXp8yhM1sm700gv1OLCh9hPDWpRb6GFc7YWErJ55hlQicFr4n0eDSn4wjZ5ttCaS5VUnO4_YVwTjPM0Ro/s320/1-+Briarcrest.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgzu-i9go_-2K_C3bKRI1PyZEPrUkIRWtMv8NeryNRHl_N0yCOgT-vrsYOclVPVgu9AO1_H34yuqI3XjgJafKHqwqPmQaoaAHgO1QJ90N3aWefHvChQcXD94vGOP1asky_Dl7v5C5sYsY/s1600/2+-+Chesterton.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="186" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgzu-i9go_-2K_C3bKRI1PyZEPrUkIRWtMv8NeryNRHl_N0yCOgT-vrsYOclVPVgu9AO1_H34yuqI3XjgJafKHqwqPmQaoaAHgO1QJ90N3aWefHvChQcXD94vGOP1asky_Dl7v5C5sYsY/s320/2+-+Chesterton.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3PgWD3urnCewtGqgBzBcS1T4gD9ClKarhM8qLWZ0RfzdwbeKdWzvd34w_LmgMn6o8Ojb_tiB_6gLW2iHRH9uZWJUnkaulRsn3bapT1TX-7viJiqCx11RJ_J6a2qDPdMeg93O-f3AEN18/s1600/3+-+Barclay.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="227" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3PgWD3urnCewtGqgBzBcS1T4gD9ClKarhM8qLWZ0RfzdwbeKdWzvd34w_LmgMn6o8Ojb_tiB_6gLW2iHRH9uZWJUnkaulRsn3bapT1TX-7viJiqCx11RJ_J6a2qDPdMeg93O-f3AEN18/s320/3+-+Barclay.jpg" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlUf4wiwPt-KJVMYFsiFM6ipgyTg1sTa58nRuQ2DrOMxT2Pa8CHRkud7eQaLHpX3hWLan_EaIxG7s6V49SIBOS7a0Kp68ZKlUKDMn-U4QVW68Z4f_lWsJbZH__xgACx-Zcp04V1NNqc7s/s1600/4+-+Beaumont.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="97" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlUf4wiwPt-KJVMYFsiFM6ipgyTg1sTa58nRuQ2DrOMxT2Pa8CHRkud7eQaLHpX3hWLan_EaIxG7s6V49SIBOS7a0Kp68ZKlUKDMn-U4QVW68Z4f_lWsJbZH__xgACx-Zcp04V1NNqc7s/s320/4+-+Beaumont.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;">The development was largely complete by 1953, and as Des Plaines rapidly grew in the next 15 years, much of it radiated from the nucleus of the Villas.<o:p></o:p></span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;">The Villas are unique in the region, and it is fitting that this summer we were able to celebrate its unique qualities with the first-ever bicycle race “Tour de Villas.” While it may never host a parade, few neighborhoods could accommodate competitive cycling like the Villas did.</span></div></div>BWhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04443995905594721900noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2717406644323517155.post-42261061421994771472010-10-19T11:23:00.000-05:002010-10-19T11:23:15.233-05:00Deval Interlocking PlantThis article appears in this month's <a href="https://docs.google.com/viewer?url=http://www.3rdward.org/storage/Fall%25202010%2520Ward%2520R3PORT.pdf">Ward R3PORT</a> at <a href="http://3rdward.org/">3rdward.org</a><br />
Click to enlarge!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqyNqty3dFKOT-Pc0kSPPlhNA-KERgdqjaLlmaiW5Ih8Ak3wyXjoO8c5Dg5tcYhBwxPCfcIVfxJW-DtZGH1wIr7oj-tTjTKb33V3w7kYaiQVpcl-R9WlzYVINWoUspNvd2Wb_A9vivokU/s1600/Deval.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqyNqty3dFKOT-Pc0kSPPlhNA-KERgdqjaLlmaiW5Ih8Ak3wyXjoO8c5Dg5tcYhBwxPCfcIVfxJW-DtZGH1wIr7oj-tTjTKb33V3w7kYaiQVpcl-R9WlzYVINWoUspNvd2Wb_A9vivokU/s400/Deval.jpg" width="307" /></a></div>BWhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04443995905594721900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2717406644323517155.post-26613887103037490962010-10-11T11:45:00.000-05:002010-10-11T11:45:21.641-05:00Unbuilt Des Plaines: Plew's Triangle<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgozVGXuqFOMlynrEX6nrrzHawOVrwtt3p6_KnHu3-wT4owkBdc7E4zhH4KJBDDA0cv-4BVQg2YXvB8aX8mQH1Dg_HHJvphxekpCbGT2VcbD6jrOxB_kX849JG-zXzlI9r-Cb9V__GNCvM/s1600/Plew+Triangle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="147" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgozVGXuqFOMlynrEX6nrrzHawOVrwtt3p6_KnHu3-wT4owkBdc7E4zhH4KJBDDA0cv-4BVQg2YXvB8aX8mQH1Dg_HHJvphxekpCbGT2VcbD6jrOxB_kX849JG-zXzlI9r-Cb9V__GNCvM/s400/Plew+Triangle.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Here's an interesting proposal for a shops, apartments, and gas station building from 1926, which would have been built where Giuseppe's La Cantina Restaurant now stands.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The building was proposed by the W.L. Plew & Co., which developed the adjacent <a href="http://209.174.179.53/cdm4/results.php?CISOOP1=any&CISOFIELD1=CISOSEARCHALL&CISOROOT=/desplain001&CISOBOX1=Plew">Des Plaines Gardens</a> subdivision, bounded by Algonquin, Lee, the Wisconsin Central, Thacker, and Second. Des Plaines Gardens was started in 1916 by E.B. Kendall, but didn't really take off until Plew took over in 1924. Much of the subdivision was built at that time, although it would not be completed until later. By the late 1930s the subdivision was renamed Westfield as more homes were built.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">In the 1920s, new subdivisions often included a collection of neighborhood stores, for the convenience of 1- or 0- car households, as well as apartments. If you see an older store building in Des Plaines outside of downtown, such as the stores that used to be at Prairie & First, chances are it was part of a subdivision.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Unfortunately this triangle building was never built; instead, a few years later a single-story building containing six shops was built, which did have some Tudor style accents like a slate roof. In 1934 First Federal Savings & Loan, run by Mr. Plew, opened its doors here for the first time. First Federal is now part of First Midwest Bank. In 1963 Nick's La Cantina opened, which grew to take over the whole building, and now operates as Giuseppe's; it was fully remodeled in the 1990s, obscuring any trace of the original building.</div><blockquote><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><b>Typify Good Old Days in New Building</b></span></blockquote><blockquote><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><i>Chicago Daily Tribune, April 18, 1926</i></span></blockquote><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div><blockquote><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Back in the time of good Queen Elizabeth they built their homes and public buildings with high peaked roof, with timbered and beamed facings, and with other picturesque features that have made many romantic souls sigh for the "good old days" - at least architecturally. And then followed all manner of designs - many of which are to the eye as a bit of dust blown by the wind.</span></blockquote><blockquote><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">But now more and more we find our twentieth century real estate men passing up the current designs in building to go back to the days of long ago in planning new structures.</span></blockquote><blockquote><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">The latest instance of this is found in Des Plaines, where W. L. Plew & Co. have announced an extensive building program for this summer. Perhaps the most important unit of the program is a large apartment and store building which will be in the Tudor style of architecture.</span></blockquote><blockquote><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Frazier, Blouke & Hubbard designed the structure, which will stand on a triangular plot at the intersection of Lee and Walnut streets. It is to have all the beams, high roofs, and plaster finish of the Elizabethhan days, but the owners are twiddling their fingers on their noses at the old timers to the extent of incorporating in it a gasoline filling station. But it must be confessed that the gasoline station, modern as it is, will be in harmony with the rest of the building.</span></blockquote><blockquote><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">The first floor will contain a number of stores for the use of the community and the upper two will contain kitchenette apartments, adding still another odd mixture of the ancient and the modern.</span></blockquote><a href="http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=1062+Lee+Street,+Des+Plaines,+Illinois&sll=42.033516,-87.894144&sspn=0.01903,0.038581&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=1062+Lee+St,+Des+Plaines,+Cook,+Illinois+60016&ll=42.033548,-87.894101&spn=0.009451,0.01929&t=h&z=16&layer=c&cbll=42.033506,-87.894139&panoid=x8dM68uW98BD8yfb-n8IKg&cbp=12,340.21,,0,2.4">Map</a><br />
<i>Previously: </i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://www.revitalizedesplaines.org/2009/07/unbuilt-des-plaines-arcade-our-first.html" style="color: #333333; text-decoration: none;"><i>Unbuilt Des Plaines: The Arcade - Our first Superblock?</i></a></span><br />
<i></i>BWhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04443995905594721900noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2717406644323517155.post-72031962334570879122010-09-16T20:03:00.003-05:002010-09-16T23:51:05.287-05:00Demolition: Des Plaines Motor Sales (Chevrolet), 1723 BusseNow being demolished is the old Chevrolet dealer on Busse. It's no great loss; not a significant, attractive, or really even reusable building, but this blog is about history so here it is.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii2Xm7kmajndrA82d5TusUM0v2vpCC8H5S5Y14qH0pCw_M6NdAA5wtyXXJbCfgx_bx_TUx0HBBwi-D9MSTIkgWD2DpaHIiyg44arkiRH9yL989IrLaTFU2nniZnl8R4xQ-L5x7eaDWz9U/s1600/Des+Plaines+Motor+Sales.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="315" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii2Xm7kmajndrA82d5TusUM0v2vpCC8H5S5Y14qH0pCw_M6NdAA5wtyXXJbCfgx_bx_TUx0HBBwi-D9MSTIkgWD2DpaHIiyg44arkiRH9yL989IrLaTFU2nniZnl8R4xQ-L5x7eaDWz9U/s400/Des+Plaines+Motor+Sales.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
The dealership was built in 1950 for Des Plaines Motor Sales, the local Chevrolet dealer. W.A. Townsend started the business on Prairie Avenue in 1926, then moved to 1500 Miner, the <a href="http://www.revitalizedesplaines.org/2010/02/manuel-post-office-building-1500-1496.html">Manuel Building</a>. After World War II, Des Plaines as a whole was booming, and so were car sales. In 1950 Des Plaines Motor Sales erected their new building on the edge of downtown, where Busse, Campground Road, and Northwest Highway meet. The building would also house Maine Leasing Corp., Townsend Building Corp., and W.A. Townsend Agency.<br />
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Through its life, it would house a series of Chevrolet dealers:<br />
1950-1970 Des Plaines Motor Sales (W.A. Townsend)<br />
1970-1978 Sondag Chevrolet (In 1979 Sondag built a new dealership at Golf & Mount Prospect, which closed in 1982; the franchise moved back to the old building)<br />
1983-1991 River Chevrolet<br />
1991-2002 Park Plaines Chevrolet (After closing, the Chevrolet franchise moved to Bredemann's in Park Ridge)<br />
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In 1986, River Chevrolet was proved to be aptly named by that year's devastating flood.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitV4g7P1E8aU9i10CjNvomwJ171WL8Df_SefbA3B-NE5SdNJ-692wq7eXIhWx26p54NWJs-8_kKLjvEYvd5k6KSs_9IzMkEFAz9gfqz_mg-atP15JzEyVaL-nlUUDow8eb8NbxGSHbc6M/s1600/River+Chevrolet.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="291" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitV4g7P1E8aU9i10CjNvomwJ171WL8Df_SefbA3B-NE5SdNJ-692wq7eXIhWx26p54NWJs-8_kKLjvEYvd5k6KSs_9IzMkEFAz9gfqz_mg-atP15JzEyVaL-nlUUDow8eb8NbxGSHbc6M/s400/River+Chevrolet.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The recently built Rand Park Flood Control and Multi-Use Trail Project, better known as Levee 50, was designed in part to protect these properties from flooding again.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf-zB8mLogNA0kL3a2ndOpxjsGsti1WBhGGNHJ8JlxnCWx8UjJSmeXE7Yh1QK09ltI_ZRQAbgN6tSHKpoVheHR5q7_gS2snn6aTyCKi11-pZ6eNBUTp2PNmRiTpqJ8-ZfMNybwkhTtmRI/s1600/Busse+Chevrolet.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="170" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf-zB8mLogNA0kL3a2ndOpxjsGsti1WBhGGNHJ8JlxnCWx8UjJSmeXE7Yh1QK09ltI_ZRQAbgN6tSHKpoVheHR5q7_gS2snn6aTyCKi11-pZ6eNBUTp2PNmRiTpqJ8-ZfMNybwkhTtmRI/s400/Busse+Chevrolet.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Demolition is underway this week, but in this case perhaps a vacant lot will look better than this 8-years-vacant dealership.</div>BWhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04443995905594721900noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2717406644323517155.post-6431355437605831892010-09-14T12:23:00.000-05:002010-09-14T12:23:47.153-05:00EMMCO Stairs/Denny G's Auto, 1873 Busse<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ0NlimwJ303L8ZGDNyVmu-C1d69c9fPRNdbAkenoMpi8v9GQ61woiP62bmEEpX8yYusfvFipTbF7NTRU3IY5UxDAYXeZ4N_1RikkmDKIhXEsv8Sfwuy94KHjacUXxeOLzTisTuGIsjrk/s1600/Picture+017.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="307" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ0NlimwJ303L8ZGDNyVmu-C1d69c9fPRNdbAkenoMpi8v9GQ61woiP62bmEEpX8yYusfvFipTbF7NTRU3IY5UxDAYXeZ4N_1RikkmDKIhXEsv8Sfwuy94KHjacUXxeOLzTisTuGIsjrk/s400/Picture+017.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
The <a href="http://donericksonarchitect.blogspot.com/2010/09/emmco-stairs-des-plaines-il.html">Don Erickson, Architect</a> blog shares the story of this building on Busse Highway. Don Erickson and his business partner Arthur Stevens were both apprentices to Frank Lloyd Wright at Taliesin; the Wright influence should be very clear from this picture. Erickson & Stevens' offices were in this building and elsewhere in Des Plaines for some time, and they contributed a number of distinctive buildings in Des Plaines - 69-77 Broadway (Meyer Dental, near Cumberland Circle), this building, the Chicago Quadrill building across the street, the Des Plaines Mall and 701 Lee Superblock, the 640 Pearson office building, the Le Ronde atrium office building at 950 Lee, the Hawthorne Rand Park apartments, and the Des Plaines Travel Agency building at Ellinwood & Graceland (Starvin' Artist). They also completed ambitious earlier plans for Superblock and the Lee Office Plaza "Golden Pyramid" buildings, which were never built.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz6FjgN_It7_MuRcfkXIaCSPP-dAj2VpH1LlQ4QDBAnZigwP4HilgRVDhoZ4oX4eawL2MuHWI1eiHLjNJkL3-h5RCexkzhde4sjmlB2_Ef_bFO6PFV8HmfFNq2x1JJYLP7LfdsOZ49eyA/s1600/IMG_3320.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz6FjgN_It7_MuRcfkXIaCSPP-dAj2VpH1LlQ4QDBAnZigwP4HilgRVDhoZ4oX4eawL2MuHWI1eiHLjNJkL3-h5RCexkzhde4sjmlB2_Ef_bFO6PFV8HmfFNq2x1JJYLP7LfdsOZ49eyA/s320/IMG_3320.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>BWhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04443995905594721900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2717406644323517155.post-59972626052207206842010-08-10T20:36:00.001-05:002010-10-27T10:13:00.119-05:00The Des Plaines Theatre is 85<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bwchicago/3034111878/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="Des Plaines Theater, 1925 by BWChicago, on Flickr"><img alt="Des Plaines Theater, 1925" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3293/3034111878_18db1b7db4.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPzO9G3K-gvvSL62OuikjJuUNdIh4ECw0sp6oH4zJGQLFO616TYaqix5hgygC1S5YWv_IK0iqRZmNgd3BDRmeRkHdWDL1i9Z4NXWfLvKXORrPMLVTUnogdRv4CwxJFZ39hwldJA9H-5ys/s1600/Des+Plaines+Theatre+85th+Anniversary.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPzO9G3K-gvvSL62OuikjJuUNdIh4ECw0sp6oH4zJGQLFO616TYaqix5hgygC1S5YWv_IK0iqRZmNgd3BDRmeRkHdWDL1i9Z4NXWfLvKXORrPMLVTUnogdRv4CwxJFZ39hwldJA9H-5ys/s400/Des+Plaines+Theatre+85th+Anniversary.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bwchicago/3034111878/" title="Des Plaines Theater, 1925 by BWChicago, on Flickr"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; color: black;"></span></a><br />
<br />
Forget the Des Plaines Theatre you've been to. Forget the black-walled, drop-ceiling, dim-lit twin it's been since 1987 - the only Des Plaines Theatre I've ever known. Forget the fondly-remembered movie house with green walls and a blue ceiling. The Des Plaines Theatre of 1925 outclasses all the modernizations that have occurred since then and points to what an asset the theatre could once again be to our city.<br />
<br />
So to help you step back into the theatre as it was and should be again, here are several articles from the Des Plaines Suburban Times leading up to that opening day 85 years ago - August 9, 1925 at 2pm. They helped me gain an appreciation of just how unique its architecture is - I have studied historic theatres and have never come across anything like it. The proscenium arch is absolutely original in design, anticipating art deco. Every other theatre by architects Betts & Holcomb was designed in the Tudor Style. The rousing success of the Des Plaines led directly to the building of the Pickwick - an even more unusual theatre.<br />
<br />
While the sketches and drawings these articles mention are evidently lost to time, blueprints and other investigative work have allowed us to create images of what the theatre would have looked like in 1925 - and what it could look like again. Far from the seafoam green walls and cobalt ceiling seen when it was a single screen, at opening the theatre was richly colorful and sumptuously decorated in stencils and wrought iron lanterns.<br />
<br />
Imagine what an impression such a unique and inventive interior would leave on a visitor to Des Plaines today. This is not a forgettable theatre; it could once again define Des Plaines just as the Pickwick defines Park Ridge.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAZZz-spy_0n8wLO6KCl0fqBIjnwPNMf6STJdMdKzHlNLKWZ4u3PJzmMyVSArOtFKh_UHBRufzs0wreN9QW90Vj4eK18swJsYDN2fD_GB4pjoCgj4yp9A5GPP2ODs5SaEvPbhdKK5EJsM/s1600/Finished+Lobby+Sheet+Layout1+(1).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="270" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAZZz-spy_0n8wLO6KCl0fqBIjnwPNMf6STJdMdKzHlNLKWZ4u3PJzmMyVSArOtFKh_UHBRufzs0wreN9QW90Vj4eK18swJsYDN2fD_GB4pjoCgj4yp9A5GPP2ODs5SaEvPbhdKK5EJsM/s400/Finished+Lobby+Sheet+Layout1+(1).jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">A wireframe of the original lobby design</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh223eWpWZQJgIhPR3czp820-OE2Gcsy1934JGTF986PI25F87SFAt4CZlmDcIv__y8gO-BYH6hTQhIUmt0InvTXeE-Xy3lgYwpTnlHCo6J4cvgg-1AuqrLl1Wz64ESKXvj_WLUxgMEnMo/s1600/DesPlainesTheatre.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="271" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh223eWpWZQJgIhPR3czp820-OE2Gcsy1934JGTF986PI25F87SFAt4CZlmDcIv__y8gO-BYH6hTQhIUmt0InvTXeE-Xy3lgYwpTnlHCo6J4cvgg-1AuqrLl1Wz64ESKXvj_WLUxgMEnMo/s400/DesPlainesTheatre.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Artist's rendering of a restored auditorium, by Conrad Schmitt Studios</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIHxFjkrwbEsTc44TFp_wOQzOox2r1kiZ4HIfXVKCwDMKqiWvd7ZDIQBpdnLBJvriPmAz4euWOCkZIEtOL1DWuFxbQxbqMuYI8jsRxoeYeXpJgOe0pUG2P8uGc-OPHMwy6KQ2RZ-HROUk/s1600/Theatre+rendering+1925022.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="168" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIHxFjkrwbEsTc44TFp_wOQzOox2r1kiZ4HIfXVKCwDMKqiWvd7ZDIQBpdnLBJvriPmAz4euWOCkZIEtOL1DWuFxbQxbqMuYI8jsRxoeYeXpJgOe0pUG2P8uGc-OPHMwy6KQ2RZ-HROUk/s400/Theatre+rendering+1925022.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">*****</div>July 18, 1924<br />
<br />
NEW BUILDING WILL IMPROVE MINER STREET<br />
-<br />
B. H. Winkelman Lets Contract for $125,000 Structure<br />
-<br />
WILL HOUSE BIG THEATER<br />
-<br />
Big News of Interest to All Des Plaines; Fine Improvement for Business Section<br />
-<br />
The contract for a new $125,000 building for Miner street has been let by B. H. Winkelman. The structure will be located on the lot at the corner of Miner (Northwest highway) and Lee street on the opposite corner to the Masonic temple building.<br />
This big improvement is another indication that Des Plaines is showing a remarkable growth and is one that will meet the unbounded approbation of every citizen in the village.<br />
The contract for the erection of this beautiful building has been let to Ed Nissen, local contractor, and work will be started immediately in the desire to get the structure completed in as short a space of time as possible.<br />
Besides a theater auditorium that will have a capacity of one thousand seats (sic) the building will contain three rooms for store purposes and two flats in the second story. It will be a two-story edifice.<br />
The building has already been leased for a period of ten years to the Parker Brothers (sic) of Chicago (sic). The rental price was not made public by Mr. Winkelman, but we understand it will run into six figures, and will furnish a handsome income for the owner.<br />
The size of the structure will be 100x140, covering the entire lot belonging to Mr. Winkelman on the above mentioned corner. The material used will be pressed brick and terra cotta and of as near fireproof construction as possible.<br />
To facilitate building activities Mr. Winkelman offers his residence and barn for sale cheap to clear the lot in a very short space of time. If his offer is not accepted this week the buildings will be wrecked.<br />
Last summer Mr. Winkelman built the handsome structure at the corner of Center and Ellinwood streets which is a valuable addition to the business section, and now he is to be commended for his decision to improve the lot where he has made his home for many years. This action on his part will necessitate the moving of his family to new quarters.<br />
<br />
<br />
January 9, 1925<br />
<br />
THEATER HOUSE WILL BE TREAT FOR ART 'BUGS'<br />
-<br />
So Says Versatile Writer of Park Ridge<br />
-<br />
GIVES WORD PICTURE<br />
-<br />
General Scheme of Interior to be Late Spanish, of Moorish Flavor; Concealed Lighting<br />
-<br />
Have you seen the drawings for the interior of the new Des Plaines theater? Considerable mystery seems to be attached to the contemplated design. Barney Winkelman just says, "Shush," when asked about it. Ed Nissen assumes an air of injured innocence, and all Betts & Holcomb, the architects, will say is, "'Twill be somewhat different."<br />
Well, we want to tell you, we are on the inside now, have seen the drawings, photographs of the terra cotta models, and sketches of the color schemes.<br />
Subject to correction on our description of the architectural style, we would say that the lobby is a glorified edition of a Moorish harem in the Spanish Moresque, with polychrome terra cotta wainscot, wrought iron lams and ticket booth, and an interesting design of tile floor.<br />
The general scheme for the auditorium is a later Spanish, with rough plastered walls, broken up by symmetrically placed architectural motifs, which frame the exit doors and which have a decorative niche above them. These niches will be flooded with color lighting and the general effect will be in polychrome with gold the predominating color.<br />
All lighting will be concealed, except the low lighting for the house, which will be furnished by unique wrought iron lanterns suspended from the ceiling.<br />
The whole effect is a rich display of decorative plaster in color, with enough plain wall surface, to act as a proper foil, for you know, girls, as Epictetus once said to Julius Caesar (as they were both aligting from the 5:15), "You know, old top, after all, good design is in the discriminate<br />
juxtaposition of plain and ornamental surfaces." I thank you.<br />
<br />
March 20, 1925<br />
NEW THEATRE SOON TO BOW TO OUR PUBLIC<br />
-<br />
Work Being Pushed to Get Structure Finished<br />
-<br />
TO BE THEATRE BEAUTIFUL<br />
-<br />
Large Stage for Legitimate Plays, and Fine Facilities for Popular Screen Productions<br />
-<br />
Des Plaines will soon have the pleasure of helping to dedicate the beautiful new theater building now approaching the completion stage at the corner of Miner and Lee streets.<br />
Work on the big structure has been going on prcatically all through the windter months, and now that the roof has been added workmen are constantly busy on the interior rushing the work as much as possible in order to get the work completed at the earliest possible moment<br />
A very large stage at the north end of the building will furnish ample facilities to show all the best of screen plats in the finest possible manner.<br />
The interior when completed will be most beautiful and no expense is being spared on either the decorations or lighting effects to make it the most beautiful playhouse outside the city of Chicago.<br />
Des Plaines ought to be, and is, wonderfully proud of this addition to her amusement facilities and there is not a doubt but when the latest screen shows are presented the theatrer will have a pulling power that will bring people to our city from a radius of many miles.<br />
The contractor, Ed Nissen, and his corps of workmen are doing their utmost not only to speed the work but to make this structure a monument to their ability as workmen and artisans.<br />
<br />
<br />
May 29, 1925<br />
<br />
WE ARE SHOWING SIGNS OF A GOOD HEALTHY GROWTH<br />
-<br />
Building Activities Reliable Indicator of Conditions<br />
-<br />
VACANT LOTS DIMINISH<br />
-<br />
Business Blocks and Dwellings Arise on Every Hand; Des Plaines in Very Rapid Growth<br />
-<br />
Building operations in Des Plaines are assuming large proportions and every artisan and laborer is employed and being constantly pushed in the effort to rush construction work to the utmost.<br />
The new Des Plaines theater building is rapidly approaching the completion stage. One store room on Miner street is now being prepared for occupancy, and the other rooms are near the finishing point.<br />
The large interior has so far been completed that an onlooker can easily visualize the appearance of the theater when entirely completed and in use.<br />
The walls and ceiling are plastered and decorated and the staging removed, and one is struck with the extra large seating capacity the room will have. A thoroughly modern projection room has been added to the rear upper part and an unusually large stage will have ample space for vaudeville or stage productions.<br />
<br />
June 5, 1925<br />
Opening of Johnson Electric Store<br />
<br />
July 17, 1925<br />
New Movie House Recieving Finishing Touches<br />
-<br />
The new movie house at the corner of Miner and Lee streets, after many months consumed in erection work, is now reaching the final stages of completion and within a very short time its doors will be thrown open to the public. It is thought the grand opening will be held about the first of August.<br />
The big sign of Polka Brothers, who are lessees of the theater, was placed in position yesterday, likewise the seats are being assembled and fastened to the floor and only a few lessor matters are to be taken care of to mark the finish of the big auditorium.<br />
This palatial house is a marked improvement for Des Plaines and Mr. Winkelman, who is the builder, should recieve the plaudits of all our citizens for the erection of such an imposing structure. Polka Brothers, who will operate the playhouse, are interested in a large string of theaters throughout the outlying districts of Chicago, and their buying power is so great that it will assure Des Plaines seeing the very latest and best releases from the producing companies.<br />
<br />
August 7, 1925<br />
NEW THEATER WILL OPEN SOON<br />
-<br />
Polka Bros. Have Arranged Fine Program for Day<br />
-<br />
At last the long awaited event is to happen, for the Des Plaines theater, under construction since last fall, will be opened within the next few days, with a complete program of feature photoplays, as well as a six piece orchestra and five big acts of loop vaudeville.<br />
In addition to the other attractions, Mr. Brown, connected with the Geneva Organ company, installers of the three-manual organ here, will render a number of selections. Mr. Brown has been heard over the radio from station WJJD, Mooseheart, on a number of occassions, playing from Geneva, and he is an artist of great ability.<br />
The show house is one of the most beautiful in any district outside of Chicago and has been the cynosure of many during the final stages of completion. Polka Bros., who are lessees of the house, are interested in a string of theaters and in that way will be able to bring the best of photoplays as well as vaudeville and other entertainment to our city.<br />
On page two of this issue you will find the ad of the new theater, telling of the good things in store for all who patronize the opening event.<br />
The management has submitted a statement and invitation as follows:<br />
The Des Plaines Theater Welcomes You<br />
The conception and building of the Des Plaines Theater are the results of a desire on the part of the residents of Des Plaines and surrounding territory for a larger and more commodious place of entertainment, to meet the requirements of a rapidly growing population and to keep pace with the many other local improvements, all of which are essential to community up-building, advancement, and prosperity.<br />
No pains or expense have been spared to make the Des Plaines Theater complete with all the modern improvements in construction, lighting, pictures, and stage equipment.<br />
It will be conducted as a place of entertainment, where every man, woman and child for miles around will want to come; where they will feel at home amid surroundings designed for their comfort and convenience.<br />
We shall strive to maintain the highest standard of excellence both in our vaudeville and photoplays, and to merit your good will and patronage.<br />
It is our intention to make the Des Plaines theater a place where you, your family, and friends can always be sure of seeing a good show, and to know that right here at home you, your family and friends can always be sure of seeing a good show, and to know that right here at home you have the best in refined entertainment to be found anywhere.<br />
This is your theater, and will be maintained and operated for your recreation and enjoyment.<br />
We realize fully that you will demand the latest and best in pictures, refined vaudeville, high class entertainers and an appropriate and excellent musical program.<br />
All of these we shall endeavour to present. We thank you.<br />
<br />
August 14, 1925<br />
NEW THEATER HAS OPENING<br />
-<br />
Enormous Crowds Witness Initial Performances<br />
-<br />
Some thirty-six hundred paid admission was the result of the opening performances of the Des Plaines theater Sunday afternoon and evening.<br />
Although the theater was not entirely completed the enormous crowd was treated to a fine program which embraced the picture, "Are Parents People?", a six-piece orchestra and five acts of excellent vaudeville.<br />
The organ installation had not been completed, consequently the patrons were disappointed in not hearing the selections of Mr. Brown, but all seemed well satisfied with the caliber of the performance as it was.<br />
Workmen have been busy all week on the organ and now have it about ready for use, so that all theater patrons can have the enjoyment of excellent and fitting music as a complement to the feature programs that will be a rule at this show house.<br />
Uniformed ushers are used and every appointment is patterned after the best theaters of Chicago, so we can feel proud that we have a veritable metropolitan playhouse in our midst.<br />
Only the best has been good enough to have a place in the building. The stage appointments are right up-to-the-minute and the auditorium is likewise ideally equipped. The lighting, the decorations are all that can be desired, while the upholstered seats are comfortable and restful.<br />
The theater is under the management of Mr. Cadwallader, who is desirous of bringing to Des Plaines the very best amusement the community will support. The theater is not for use of Des Plaines alone, but is to be an attraction that will draw patrons from miles around.<br />
<br />
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<br />
Historical Summary<br />
The Des Plaines Theatre was built in 1925 as the northwest suburban flagship for the Polka Brothers chain of suburban theatres, based in Maywood. It was constructed by businessman and saloon owner Barney Winkelmann on the site of his home, built as the retirement residence of the widow of Socrates Rand, a founding father of Des Plaines. The Spanish Baroque Revival building with ebullient polychrome Terra Cotta is the only known theatre designed by Betts & Holcomb departing from the Tudor style. The theater's success prompted the Polkas to build the more elaborate Pickwick Theatre in neighboring Park Ridge in 1927. After hosting the likes of Gene Autry in vaudeville and film, the theater was purchased by H&E Balaban, a spinoff of Balaban & Katz, in 1935, and received a streamline redecoration, including the distinctive marquee, by famed architects Pereira & Pereira. The theater remained a popular first-run and discount cinema until a 1982 fire damaged the building's storefronts. Although the theater itself suffered little damage, it remained closed for a year, and business never fully recovered. The theater was then sold twice, and was twinned in 1987 by Kohlberg Theaters, with much of the décor obscured by walls, a dropped ceiling, and flat black paint, and became newly popular for bargain-basement late runs. The theatre briefly closed in 1997. The next year, Jim and June Burrows of Chicago refurbished the theater for first-runs, but were unable to shake the theater's reputation. It was sold several times in the next few years, settling on Bollywood, closing for a period when a bank purchased it, planning to demolish it for a new drive-through. The Des Plaines Theater Preservation Society was formed to oppose this effort and support restoration as a performing arts center, and the bank's plans were dropped. The theater was sold to the Bollywood operator, receiving some refurbishments through the efforts of the DPTPS. After several years of special programming, DPTPS was unable to reach a long-term agreement with the owner and went on hiatus. More recently the theatre has operated on a rental basis, including a stint of vaudeville revival.BWhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04443995905594721900noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2717406644323517155.post-35650552437708900382010-07-13T16:42:00.002-05:002010-10-02T10:52:45.310-05:00Peter Hoffman's Log Cabin, 796 Center Street<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPICxxdmnRHJ_25gtlmVgROFKPQ-RSFN9ihEb2Iez3475NwkpGMa6oY7KyJaB1Uz3PEAvCyTn2JzKU8RioOh_GpsFZwHmYAFiCRA_sNbRByzNc3eVphGg6rEo9mpR0Jz-EFud8gRI006U/s1600/IMG_3955.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPICxxdmnRHJ_25gtlmVgROFKPQ-RSFN9ihEb2Iez3475NwkpGMa6oY7KyJaB1Uz3PEAvCyTn2JzKU8RioOh_GpsFZwHmYAFiCRA_sNbRByzNc3eVphGg6rEo9mpR0Jz-EFud8gRI006U/s320/IMG_3955.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTD0Eh_bPjILGD0H20RKb54nj6hjAwuvNRvw_wpPT6nohlkw8GB5nvK92m9VBXrlPR478glHeAuR7o2oMWs9M-29BSGvO1CX0qJ6vOvizojmaZDhkI_KUW5li3o1GRdqzhWdyq4yx0iMU/s1600/Peter+Hoffman,+1924.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTD0Eh_bPjILGD0H20RKb54nj6hjAwuvNRvw_wpPT6nohlkw8GB5nvK92m9VBXrlPR478glHeAuR7o2oMWs9M-29BSGvO1CX0qJ6vOvizojmaZDhkI_KUW5li3o1GRdqzhWdyq4yx0iMU/s320/Peter+Hoffman,+1924.jpg" width="250" /></a>During the Fourth of July Parade, there's usually one house that always makes you stop and go "hmm." Standing between a drive-thru bank and a parking lot is one of the odder sights in town - the Log Cabin at 796 Center Street.<br />
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So what IS it? A leftover from Pioneer days? No, that can't be... it's right on a side street. An old restaurant? No... not enough doors. The real answer is just as strange - a hunting lodge and home for one of Des Plaines' most prominent citizens 100 years ago.<br />
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Peter Michael Hoffman lived from 1863-1948, and was the sort of political animal you see in movies. He was the sort of rugged, brusque, driven, larger-than-life character that you generally only witness in court - and, indeed, that's how his political career ended.<br />
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Along the way, he cultivated an interest in hunting, fishing, and the outdoors. He once said, "I was born in a log cabin and I'm going to die in a log cabin." He did indeed, passing in his sleep in 1948, in his den-like bedroom, decorated with antlers and pelts. On one of his expeditions to the north woods of Wisconsin, he met an expert in log construction, and in 1921 Hoffman hired a crew of loggers, including a Native American, to build him a hunting lodge behind his house on Lee Street (Incidentally the next-door neighbor was the Kinder House, in its original location.) I like to imagine Hoffman's wife insisting he get his taxidermy, hunting gear, and poker games out of the house and meeting this dramatic response; his trophies could be displayed in a more appropriately natural setting. Ultimately Hoffman retired to the cabin, leaving the house behind vacant.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjougUlwPMvwnzQsucVoGUbI_R_yyTiHyGikZLBZpGiaNLS8eF3q50eOHC1RtDwx_ubxhRoFMwSAO_Nw9GHt-0Jqm68YgvVDnBsYQuc6xWMMR4AjTEOpW6v1hRP8hqItq4gTbKfKBWizmQ/s1600/Hoffman+House,+1926.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="312" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjougUlwPMvwnzQsucVoGUbI_R_yyTiHyGikZLBZpGiaNLS8eF3q50eOHC1RtDwx_ubxhRoFMwSAO_Nw9GHt-0Jqm68YgvVDnBsYQuc6xWMMR4AjTEOpW6v1hRP8hqItq4gTbKfKBWizmQ/s400/Hoffman+House,+1926.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Talk about anachronism. Peter Hoffman's family settled in Des Plaines as pioneers, in 1842; there really WERE log cabins on farmsteads at that time. But the neighborhood he built it in was an early subdivision, Parson's & Lee's, also known as "Silk Stockings" because it had the city's most elaborate homes where the local elite lived. Today the Hoffman Log Cabin is one of only a few survivors on Graceland, Lee, and Center; most of the rest have been long since replaced by condos, offices, and retail buildings. The Hoffman Cabin was out of place from the get-go, but it is all the more now that it has a parking lot to one side and a bank drive-through to the other.<br />
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If you've been in many log cabins, you might expect to see a sparse, cramped, simple interior. Such was not the case for Hoffman - this would perhaps more appropriately be called a Log Mansion. This house was an absolute luxury. The house was originally adorned with every hind of hunting trophy, taxidermy, and nature scenes, and even the furniture reflected these interests. This explains the elk horns at the peak of the roof. Throughout the home, there was always a pair of glass eyes fixed on you, in a dead pose. Hiding behind branches and logs, all brought home by Hoffman, were wildcats, mountain lions, opossum, bison, elk, moose, deer, eagles, herons, pheasants, ducks, and so forth. Starting with the front door - a huge slab of solid wood with hand-forged hinges and hardware. The house also contained many portraits of Hoffman with other officials, and furniture like a teak wood chair, bear trap, and a wardrobe painted with a mountain scene. The entire house is built of true logs - no visual tricks here. Through the front doors, you come upon a dramatic, 5-foot-wide central staircase, originally carpeted in an Oriental Rug. Hanging above it was a huge wrought lantern on an 8-foot chain. <br />
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On one side of the stair is the impressive formal dining room, with huge solid-wood furniture. This room was decorated with a portrait of Lincoln and a huge wrought-iron lantern.<br />
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To the rear is the reception hall, which had the most elaborate furniture: needle-pointed chairs with hand-carved walnut frames brought from France by Hoffman's mother; tables of teak inlaid with mother-of-pearl (gifts from Chinatown's 'mayor'); a tall grandfather clock; an American flag on a 12-foot pole given to Hoffman by the "40 and 8" for his charity to World War I veterans.<br />
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An archway framed in philodendron leaves leads to the 35-foot living room with a 12-foot natural river stone fireplace. The room had a warm glow emanating from candlelight bulbs, antique furniture, and oriental rugs. The hand-wrought drapery rods bore an "H" monogram. The first floor also contains an ample kitchen, a guest room, and a den complete with a 1930s jukebox. Upstairs, a balcony opened onto three bedrooms and a bath; several of the walls are composed entirely of flattened bark.<br />
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So who was Peter M. Hoffman? After graduating from Des Plaines' schools, he went to a 2 year business college, worked as a grocery clerk and as Money Order Clerk at the Chicago Post Office. He then went to work for the Chicago & Northwestern Railway, where he worked for 17 years, becoming chief clerk for the Freight Department. During this time, he began his climb up the political ladder.<br />
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He was described as coarse, rough around the edges, sometimes oafish. He cut an imposing figure, with a walrus mustache, curly hair, and steely eyes.<br />
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In his time, Hoffman was clearly the biggest political name in Des Plaines. He served as Des Plaines Village Board President in 1893-1894, where he worked hard trying to get cement sidewalks in town. He was Board of Education president from 1898-1917. In 1916 he was also president of Des Plaines State Bank, a director of the Des Plaines Commercial Association. He was also a member of the Chicago Association of Commerce, the Hamilton Club, the Illinois Athletic Club, the Chicago Real Estate Board, the Masonic Fraternity, the Odd Fellows, the Knights of Pythias, the Royal League, the Royal Arcanum, the Modern Woodmen, the Elks, the Loyal Order of Moose, the Maccabees, the German Benevolent Society, the Plattdeutsche Gilde and other fraternal organizations., Meanwhile, he was a Cook County Commissioner from 1898-1904 and then County Coroner from 1904-1923, where he went through a series of typical Cook County scandals - patronage, etc.<br />
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In those days, a coroner served an administrative function - not directly examining bodies. As coroner, he claimed to have "posted over 100,000 bodies." In 1912, he brought in modernization to the coroner's office; he brought in a laboratory, began keeping detailed records, and formed a committee to select physicians to hire. In 1913 he kicked off the Safety First campaign with the Public Safety Commission of Chicago, an early effort aimed at cutting automobile and industrial accidents, including educational programs in schools. He pushed for paved railroad crossings and marked crosswalks. In 1915 he played an important and often-overlooked role in the <a href="http://draft.blogger.com/goog_2126004676"><span id="goog_2126004673"></span></a><a href="http://www.eastlanddisaster.org/default.htm">Eastland disaster<span id="goog_2126004674"></span></a>.<br />
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With a rapidly rising body count, Hoffman realized that a large, central location was needed to store the dead, so that identification could take place in an orderly manner. Observing rescue efforts, he immediately launched a special jury to find the blame for the disaster. Later, he would be tasked with keeping order in the inevitably heated and chaotic scene at the warehousing site.<br />
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In 1922 Hoffman was elected Sheriff. Remember this was the roaring 20s, Prohibition. Hoffman saw Leopold & Loeb; saw Capone's rise to power, and so forth. An ingrained politician, Hoffman would be involved in one of the more embarrassing Cook County scandals ever. In 1926, Republican bosses had slated Hoffman to move up to County Treasurer as a reward for his work with a political alliance in the "country towns" - Cook County at that time had separate boards for the City and still-rural suburbs.<br />
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Hoffman had run for Sheriff as a reformer - odd given his track record as Coroner - and vowed to clean up the corrupt and seriously overcrowded (built for 500, housing 1500) Cook County Jail. He hired Warden Wesley Westbrook from the Chicago Police Department, who was hailed by reform groups as squeaky clean.<br />
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Two of the inmates were bootleggers Frankie Lake and Terry Druggan of the Valley Gang, bigger than Capone in their time. They had been sentenced to a year in prison by Federal Judge James Wilkerson for contempt of court. They arranged to pay the squeaky clean Westbrook $2,000 a month for special privileges, discovered when a newspaper reporter came to interview Druggan.<br />
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He was told by the jailer, "Mr. Druggan isn't in today." The reporter then tried to interview lake. "Mr. Lake also had an appointment downtown. They'll be back after dinner." Naturally this raised the newspaperman's eyebrow. <br />
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The reporter learned from other jail personnel not receiving pay that, after morning roll call, Druggan and Lake were able to do whatever they wanted. In trial, the District Attorney found that Druggan had visited the dentist approximately 100 times in the year, where he met friends, did business, and stopped at banks, friends, and associates on the way to and from the office. Druggan was chauffered from jail in his own limousine to his 15-room Lake Shore Drive apartment with a silver plated toilet seat to spend evenings with his wife. Lake visited his mistress. Other times they went to their doctors and dentists (a dozen visits...), shopped, dined, golfed, went to the nightclubs. They also recieved private rooms with baths, and pampering by the jail staff. That's one way to address overcrowding.<br />
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Hoffman was shocked, shocked! that something like this could happen under his watch, and immediately fired Warden Westbrook. In court, before the same Judge Wilkerson, Westbrook then turned the blame on Hoffman. He explained that, following a visit from 20th Ward Boss Morris Eller, Hoffman came to acommodate the boys for their clearly unfair sentence. Although nobody could prove Hoffman recieved any part of the bribes, which totalled $20,000, Hoffman was found in <a href="http://www.loislaw.com/livepublish8923/doclink.htp?alias=FDCR&cite=13+F.2d+269">contempt of court</a>, and entered the history books by becoming the only Cook County Sheriff to serve prison time while still in office - 30 days, plus a $2,500 fine. Later that year, he resigned, claiming he would work as a private citizen to amend the Volstead act, which he said was unenforceable and overtaxed the Sheriff's resources.<br />
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Two weeks later, he was appointed assistant forester in charge of the county forest preserves, where he served until 1932.<br />
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In 1990, the Sun-Times described him so: "Perhaps the most buffoonish of all Cook County sheriffs was Peter M. Hoffman , who wore a diamond-studded gold star in the Prohibition era. Hoffman was the prototype for dim-witted sheriff Peter B. Hartman in the rollicking newspaper play "<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Front_Page">The Front Page</a>," by Ben Hecht and Charles MacArthur. It was Hoffman who merrily opened up the western suburbs to Capone's mob. The sheriff also was reputed to be on gangster Johnny Torrio's payroll."<br />
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In 1970, Hoffman's daughter, Evelyn Johnson, who lived in the house from 1948 until her own death in 1995, said in a newspaper piece on the house, "I love this place, and I love old things. There is so much around that should be preserved. I have tried to keep everything in its original state - the lanterns, the collection of old guns, the oxen yoke and bear trap, as well as all the animals, fish, and birds."<br />
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<s>Unfortunately, the house today is starting to show its age; sags are visible in the roof and bark and logs seem to be rotting. The house has been listed for sale several times in the past several years, and, judging from this video, is now unoccupied with many of its furnishings missing.</s> This house is clearly one of the most interesting in Des Plaines and is more than deserving of landmark protection; why isn't it?<br />
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<b>UPDATE 09/10: </b>The house was rehabilitated over the summer to address the previous issues. Many of the logs were stripped of bark, stained, and sealed to prevent rot; many boards and logs were replaced; and the trim was painted green. The Hoffman cabin has a refreshed look and a new lease on life.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><a class="normalBlackFont1" href="http://draft.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=2717406644323517155">DN-0081077, Chicago Daily News negatives collection, Chicago Historical Society.</a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a class="normalBlackFont1" href="http://draft.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=2717406644323517155">DN-0081223, Chicago Daily News negatives collection, Chicago Historical Society.</a> </div>BWhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04443995905594721900noreply@blogger.com25tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2717406644323517155.post-60054524989934243472010-05-12T22:45:00.000-05:002010-05-12T22:45:56.064-05:00Updates downtown<div class="MsoNormal">It’s spring, and downtown is buzzing with work crews. You have to admit - things ARE getting better. Throughout downtown, crews are busy continuing to overhaul the landscaping. There are new trees, grasses, and shrubbery – and they’re in well-designed, attractive arrangements. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQogC1YZUmmkqpMr3QiooeKz3u9Etjn6Bwpz412Wg2RtX1VUVbwBedzdafogCOPLBQDM8wxJm9lQjqmAqi2j6iAk4Kc99W0guhBrps92isoD4A4O3WDFY0iHcyl39CqFeVObgv_3wzMYg/s1600/IMG_1668.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQogC1YZUmmkqpMr3QiooeKz3u9Etjn6Bwpz412Wg2RtX1VUVbwBedzdafogCOPLBQDM8wxJm9lQjqmAqi2j6iAk4Kc99W0guhBrps92isoD4A4O3WDFY0iHcyl39CqFeVObgv_3wzMYg/s320/IMG_1668.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://www.revitalizedesplaines.org/2009/06/look-at-tenpins-in-des-plaines.html">Sim’s Bowl</a> has sprouted a “For Sale” sign, now that the city appears to be backing off its purchase.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">The familiar “Acorn” streetlights that have been downtown for about 15 years now have almost all vanished, in anticipation of the new streetlights. I am hopeful that this means the new streetlights are better-designed.; it would be disappointing if the older ones were refurbished.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2j7cO25KdjUcoUET0enQE9F7j9EKrNsxa2Zm8yb6zoeGOaw47QzCYQYAH4zDA2nfaENvZA_ILoQSNwmf0Oeinw6MiA-8GZOqLPPP6Fhc3xYSo0SSaFfvKDe9jmY4PZX_NjGH5MBx_dPg/s1600/IMG_1664.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2j7cO25KdjUcoUET0enQE9F7j9EKrNsxa2Zm8yb6zoeGOaw47QzCYQYAH4zDA2nfaENvZA_ILoQSNwmf0Oeinw6MiA-8GZOqLPPP6Fhc3xYSo0SSaFfvKDe9jmY4PZX_NjGH5MBx_dPg/s320/IMG_1664.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Metra Dry Cleaners has moved from the building next to Sim’s into the <a href="http://www.revitalizedesplaines.org/2009/09/cwm-brownsearssubway-building-miner.html">C.W.M. Brown</a> building at the northwest corner of Miner and Pearson.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB5z9jRkbcpdx0wN8oyR7-O3YROGiBx-xhtu6I6R028HkZDmZgo4XZK7TXUyEARR2euNZ-bxVpV8LX_BOKszRzhyphenhyphenQff0DI6ftnn9AF2ji6urxKGx0HCT8Y5o-WPvQVcnofZYZxTKx77yc/s1600/IMG_1665.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB5z9jRkbcpdx0wN8oyR7-O3YROGiBx-xhtu6I6R028HkZDmZgo4XZK7TXUyEARR2euNZ-bxVpV8LX_BOKszRzhyphenhyphenQff0DI6ftnn9AF2ji6urxKGx0HCT8Y5o-WPvQVcnofZYZxTKx77yc/s320/IMG_1665.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">An air conditioning unit has been installed in the train station, for commuter comfort. The Brasserie restaurant in the station unfortunately still has handmade paper signs.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKMeWDtXWmrJMW5GcwNA4nTpvCyUF0BiVz9kAuqDO80_i7kwnvvRa2BeWUeHZp-uTh8qYbsPGd3yiVMvOlcFO7LRouIms-1sHp_cCRzGlikWG2m3hCBwTyi8J-JX-t6PHk9nyLWpKKLlA/s1600/IMG_1669.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKMeWDtXWmrJMW5GcwNA4nTpvCyUF0BiVz9kAuqDO80_i7kwnvvRa2BeWUeHZp-uTh8qYbsPGd3yiVMvOlcFO7LRouIms-1sHp_cCRzGlikWG2m3hCBwTyi8J-JX-t6PHk9nyLWpKKLlA/s320/IMG_1669.JPG" width="239" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">The <a href="http://www.revitalizedesplaines.org/2009/10/des-plaines-masonic-temple-at-85.html">Masonic Temple</a> building has received fresh white paint on its piers, instead of the differing, peeling colors that were there before, with a gray coat over the concrete base. The dry cleaners storefront has also been repainted gray from blue. It’s too bad they didn’t match the brick and concrete’s natural colors, but it’s a big improvement nonetheless. There is also a fresh coat of paint on the city-owned<a href="http://www.revitalizedesplaines.org/2010/01/des-plaines-realty-toy-and-hobby-house.html"> 1486 Miner building</a>.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEyW-eNkuB08bnqlB3jjWaD_6mk8EC6rdJ-SlfZff42GGLriW-eq7o7FMeQ_z1V-AuX6mXS5Bxwy5OouUExYWliy2hEdBXpZiyDCE5fB2zF2JbbGshSxrJ5z8WF5KLi_RcFHXuJH8SIz0/s1600/IMG_1670.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEyW-eNkuB08bnqlB3jjWaD_6mk8EC6rdJ-SlfZff42GGLriW-eq7o7FMeQ_z1V-AuX6mXS5Bxwy5OouUExYWliy2hEdBXpZiyDCE5fB2zF2JbbGshSxrJ5z8WF5KLi_RcFHXuJH8SIz0/s320/IMG_1670.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal">Most of the downtown traffic signals have been replaced with LED lights (I hope they have accounted for a way to keep them from getting snowed over – the old lights produced heat.) As part of this process, many of the crosswalk signals now have countdown timers, and the poles have been stripped down to bare metal instead of faded, peeling, and rusting yellow paint.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Alderman Matt Bogusz is pursuing an <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1103385234579&s=2759&e=001PyHl_h8JVCFPyrXn8-UvY7SOfKk8ABiZL8Yqht8MFq5EaQBU5FK2QGwpYEqmVkYaQONDFRZrbZk47WfGIohlVosOlixww5dzQw8ql3NaYOkOXXRpWQsFovWpA24NrcBny-g88fMoap8o5DW3MyZaeiz6rdcqvunFLqudvoJ_8_MQBoiLSkEXWoFtJNceT7aDF2IplZ4-QVZY0T39eoJuDA==">initiative to help small businesses get a start in the city</a>.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">It is a great sign that we have several Aldermen and a mayor taking an active interest in our beautiful downtown. Not only Alderman Patti Haugeberg, 1<sup>st</sup> ward alderman, but also Bogusz and Mark Walsten. We are fortunate to have a leadership that cares about making things better. These little improvements add up; taking a walk through downtown is starting to feel significantly better. With the right plan, this direction can yield great results.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">The Des Plaines Journal today features a photo of the old <a href="http://dimbeautyofchicago.blogspot.com/search?q=prince+castle">Prince Castle</a> ice cream stand that was once at the northeast corner of Lee and Prairie, where the 701 Lee (First National) office building now stands.<o:p></o:p></div>BWhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04443995905594721900noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2717406644323517155.post-88468590761527745492010-04-15T14:05:00.000-05:002010-04-15T14:05:58.873-05:00McDonald's - 55 Years Since 1955Today marks the 55th anniversary of the first Ray Kroc McDonald's.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIJbh-a0FBnWflufpLCAXolTOd8TV6bAWVpHsMH-kowUMtwbJKa1PomuCbEq-AgsZ_5MuVYGarfWPGDh3j6ud7dQx62B4HfKLzktJ7OALYGusa4g3EK9a5RjAUiTvL7ct9JNCAxA_LnB0/s1600/IMG_1469.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIJbh-a0FBnWflufpLCAXolTOd8TV6bAWVpHsMH-kowUMtwbJKa1PomuCbEq-AgsZ_5MuVYGarfWPGDh3j6ud7dQx62B4HfKLzktJ7OALYGusa4g3EK9a5RjAUiTvL7ct9JNCAxA_LnB0/s400/IMG_1469.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Mid-60s, with "Winterfront"</div><br />
Why is McDonald's in Des Plaines important? It was not the first McDonald's - it was the the 9th overall.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT44lQg4LSlwGr6bpEATjR3HxVVq26E0zMbQuoRECxp3soFX4PGcXIUBDdEh3wF3HopFERCtzb1ioArGEDX6oAf_GpaT1XvWIzoKGehDzDl1ju462ww1YIZjeKz-yYgNWCZAUdMzEUZYI/s1600/IMG_1449.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT44lQg4LSlwGr6bpEATjR3HxVVq26E0zMbQuoRECxp3soFX4PGcXIUBDdEh3wF3HopFERCtzb1ioArGEDX6oAf_GpaT1XvWIzoKGehDzDl1ju462ww1YIZjeKz-yYgNWCZAUdMzEUZYI/s400/IMG_1449.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div>Drive-ins and chain restaurants already existed before McDonald's, of course - there were many drive-up food stands throughout the country, of variable quality, and there were chains like White Castle and Howard Johnson.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlaY1CfuA3Atuph394DzAizNqvHX9MRNhdS5e3q-eTVJy7Qdz6yP5_5D-pWrORFPzrLjFJY0OmCHPDFtqaTGhRe4AnaJbUmjNa-5H4COVMxGVHt6mk6vD8EmNSfQOel3DOIUPCbKUCdF4/s1600/mcdonalds_cup.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlaY1CfuA3Atuph394DzAizNqvHX9MRNhdS5e3q-eTVJy7Qdz6yP5_5D-pWrORFPzrLjFJY0OmCHPDFtqaTGhRe4AnaJbUmjNa-5H4COVMxGVHt6mk6vD8EmNSfQOel3DOIUPCbKUCdF4/s1600/mcdonalds_cup.jpg" /></a></div><br />
McDonald's started off as an orange juice stand run by Dick and Maurice McDonald in Monrovia, CA called the Airdrome (it was adjacent to an airfield) in 1937. In 1940 they cut it in two parts and moved it to San Bernardino as a popular BBQ stand. The real innovation of McDonald's came in 1948 as they streamlined their menu to maximize profitability, slashing it to the core most popular, profitable, and efficient items. They fired all the carhops and created a new self-service window concept. They divided labor, setting aside a window for burgers, a window for fries, a window for drinks, a window for shakes. Through these innovations, they were able to maximize turnover and serve many more people.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQU3syPQ90m0fJw_Sb2lM1GjOXs4JF9-1Sr7RdxoPbOktC5LaAr8PbsgrBifxP7W3acHu1cNZxXO0a1PFiskXN-W_NAxeJ4oqlE6mzn_xexf1A7-f4xDIeX4ogYaCB7cOPNKN0EN64VRY/s1600/mcup1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQU3syPQ90m0fJw_Sb2lM1GjOXs4JF9-1Sr7RdxoPbOktC5LaAr8PbsgrBifxP7W3acHu1cNZxXO0a1PFiskXN-W_NAxeJ4oqlE6mzn_xexf1A7-f4xDIeX4ogYaCB7cOPNKN0EN64VRY/s320/mcup1.jpg" width="283" /></a></div><br />
In 1953 they employed architect Stanley Clark Meston to develop a new building with them, one they could franchise. It had to be efficient, eye-catching, modern, and identifiable. Meston's design created a fishbowl kitchen with glare-proof tilted glass walls, so that customers could see for themselves how clean and fast the food was made. It was bright and inviting. The first of 9 of these was built in Phoenix. These early franchisers were allowed to do pretty much whatever they wanted, which resulted in several failures; some were serving tacos, hot dogs, and all manner of things. Meanwhile, business at the San Bernardino location continued to thrive, and Ray Kroc, a multimixer salesman, came to town to see how they could possibly be selling that many milkshakes.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1y7xNmNVfmviZAtTXf7XWAnfE2XcTpHQgZAJr44ytId4rELpj25u-JwsE3h1aTRbcW_l9A4J0t6wlGdTYat8QPQuRv_sLqpbJ2L62CiaKyTxabE7ED3EGQblI5o2mKb86ZqHoK85dThY/s1600/McDonald's+1982+AIA.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="271" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1y7xNmNVfmviZAtTXf7XWAnfE2XcTpHQgZAJr44ytId4rELpj25u-JwsE3h1aTRbcW_l9A4J0t6wlGdTYat8QPQuRv_sLqpbJ2L62CiaKyTxabE7ED3EGQblI5o2mKb86ZqHoK85dThY/s400/McDonald's+1982+AIA.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">1982 AIA Photo</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div>Arlington Heights native Kroc secured the franchise rights, and chose Des Plaines for his first store. Even though it wasn't an optimal location, it made a good pilot store, because it was near his home, at the intersection of several major highways, and he could easily get to downtown Chicago on the train for meetings. Kroc enlisted Des Plaines architect Robert Stauber to modify Meston's plans, down-scaling it to make it more efficient for the market and site, and adding a basement for storage in lieu of the outdoor sheds used in sunny California. Eventually the McDonald's Corporation Kroc founded would develop a new real estate strategy that allowed them to grow explosively and remain stable (in many ways, McDonald's Corporation is as much a real estate company as a food service company). The McDonald's system of careful regulation instead of total control made it a dependable and cheap option, leaving much of the competition behind in its early years.<br />
<br />
So, McDonald's in Des Plaines represents the synthesis of chain restaurants, drive-ins, and division of labor; innovations that catapulted McDonald's to the top of the heap, inspired hosts of imitators, and changed the way America and the world eat.<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 20px;"><textarea id="slideshow_embed_ta" style="height: 270px; width: 800px;"></textarea></span></span><br />
But this misses part of the story. It's also how America developed after World War II - in sprawling development outside the established city. And McDonald's would become the opening shot in many of the suburban strips. Lee and Rand in Des Plaines is an excellent example of one of the earliest strips. When McDonald's came in, there was in fact ALREADY a self-service chain just a couple doors down - Dairy Queen. It's still there, the Las Asadas Mexican restaurant on the corner. There were gas stations (3 of them still there) and other drive-ins. So in addition to this very significant and visible McDonald's, there's a context with an important story about America's development that remains ignored.<br />
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This is more important in light of the fact that McDonald's was largely reconstructed in 1984-1985. Reports differ on whether only the original basement was reused, or if the walls and roof were also. It's a mostly accurate reconstruction; they recreated the original dies for the metal trim and used old stock tile where possible; basing it all on blueprints from a 1958 restaurant since Stauber's could not be found. However, they added gardens where none existed (supposedly at the City of Des Plaines' insistence) and moved the sign from the south end of the lot. The reconstruction is not necessarily significant as the 1st McDonald's itself, but as one of the first times a national corporation created a museum to itself on the site of its founding. It gains added significance from that context of other development around it.<br />
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There's more to the story, but I'll talk about that another time.BWhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04443995905594721900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2717406644323517155.post-74115526724432937822010-04-12T12:42:00.001-05:002010-04-12T14:22:53.732-05:00A Letter from Conor Kendrick - A Proposal for Sim's Bowl?I received this note from Conor Kendrick, a fan of Revitalize Des Plaines! He has some great ideas - see what he has to say!<br />
<div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br />
</span></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"> Hi, my name is Conor Kendrick, I have been a lifelong resident of Des Plaines, Illinois and I am about to graduate college with a degree in Parks and Recreation with a minor in Environmental Science. In returning to Des Plaines, I have an idea of what can help revitalize the downtown.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><br />
Let me start off by saying isn’t this “Revitalize Des Plaines” group great!? I like all the old pictures that have been posted, of places I remember, and place’s I had no clue even existed until now. I had no idea that this many people cared about the city.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><br />
Second, as I've stated on multiple posts in this forum about Sim's Bowl, I am looking to buy it and operate it. I worked there for 7 years (throughout high school then when I was in on breaks from college), and did everything except bartend and cook. I was successful in attracting new leagues and parties to Sims, and I even ran my own league that took up most of the 16 lanes. I was also instrumental in getting the bowling alley at Palwaukee Airport operational once again, and now it looks like they are going to have two night leagues there. Given my previous experience I know how to operate a bowling alley successfully in today’s market. The problem with the previous operation was that they still thought it was 1959 and not 2009 when it came to marketing and upkeep. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><br />
However, it is estimated that it would take about $1,300,000 to acquire the real estate, refurbish the equipment, remodel the kitchen and bathrooms etc. The initial plans are to get a loan for $1 million so we need to raise $300,000 in capital. The purpose of this letter is to see if anyone was interested in investing with me in this enterprise. I am not asking for money right now, just what you are willing to invest. I am in the process of setting up a new company to own and operate the bowling alley.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><br />
I strongly believe that Sim’s can be a successful enterprise; it just needs the right owners with the right plans. I have plans for the bowling alley and the storefront and apartments next door which include:</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><br />
• Bringing the building up to code<br />
• Refurbishing the Retro charm and equipment<br />
• Developing the cleaners building next door (which comes with the purchase) into a storefront and a microbrewery<br />
• Attracting bowling leagues<br />
• Making it a clean family friendly place for parties and open bowling</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><br />
I appreciate your time in reading this, and if you have any questions or are interested in investing you can contact me through my email or my cell phone, both are provided below.<br />
<br />
Sincerely,<br />
Conor Kendrick<br />
Kendrick.conor@gmail.com<br />
(847) 373-7500</span></div>BWhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04443995905594721900noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2717406644323517155.post-24090839421386285812010-04-10T11:38:00.003-05:002010-08-15T09:38:04.154-05:0080 Years of Maine East High School<div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGzfX6fjlVKDkfsVzEKyXDLHkAkJsD-zmTYGaIkD7SHg8uaeNoTm_b_lqmS2dqyGKhYeqBEXZ28t0klDjKKmScHApXt93LqRhovv2CeY5GkxaHrvIyHNNeKBFVWmbSmWYB0KfnCBwem10/s1600/Maine+East+Enfuse.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="302" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGzfX6fjlVKDkfsVzEKyXDLHkAkJsD-zmTYGaIkD7SHg8uaeNoTm_b_lqmS2dqyGKhYeqBEXZ28t0klDjKKmScHApXt93LqRhovv2CeY5GkxaHrvIyHNNeKBFVWmbSmWYB0KfnCBwem10/s400/Maine+East+Enfuse.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">This post comes a little late - Maine East actually opened March 24, 1930.</div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bwchicago/2943684962/" title="1941 Maine East by BWChicago, on Flickr"><img alt="1941 Maine East" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3147/2943684962_58f03a53a9.jpg" width="350" /></a></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">The original Maine Township High School first opened in 1902 and will be the subject of a future post. The history of Maine Township High School East began in October, 1924, when the school board passed a resolution ordering the purchase of sixty acres at Potter and Northwest Highway. This choice went against the wishes of the township voters. This must have remained the subject of controversy, because the school board subsequently in December set a special election for May 23, 1925 to allow voters to decide on the site. Ultimately, the same site was chosen, the former Hoffman Farm - smack dab between the two towns - and out of walking distance for anyone. Until Maine West was opened, Maine High was identified as being in "Park Ridge or Des Plaines, IL"</div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bwchicago/3030685679/" title="Maine East with Gym by BWChicago, on Flickr"><img alt="Maine East with Gym" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3281/3030685679_395e82b51f.jpg" width="350" /></a></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bwchicago/3091729594/" title="Dempster & Potter - Maine East High School - Vogel Card by BWChicago, on Flickr"><img alt="Dempster & Potter - Maine East High School - Vogel Card" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3283/3091729594_a010e48e84.jpg" width="350" /></a></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">The conflict between Des Plaines and Park Ridge was evident nowhere more than in the high school. Describing the 1902 building, Mark Henkes later wrote,</div></div><blockquote><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">since 1892 there had been a rivalry between Des Plaines and Park Ridge concerning the all-important location of Maine High School. The Des Plaines Village Council drew a petition that year asking that Park Ridge unite with Norwood Park to build a school so Des Plaines could locate one of its own.</div></div></blockquote><blockquote><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">Even though Maine High School created somewhat of a bond between Des Plaines and Park Ridge, it obviously went only so far. A distinctive competitive spirit between the two villages would continue in respect to the high school as well as other fields which would evolve with the progression of expansion.</div></div></blockquote><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">This conflict dragged on into the 1920s:</div></div><blockquote><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">Another hot issue during the '20s was the Maine High School. A petition signed by 500 Park Ridge parents in 1921 asked that Park Ridge be able to build a high school because of what they called unsatisfactory busing of pupils to and from Park Ridge.</div></div></blockquote><blockquote><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">By this time of course veterinarian Edward Manuel had departed with his horse and buggy service and livery stable and had graduated to the bus service we now call United Motor Coach. Many Park Ridge pupils took the train to the high school in Des Plaines, but Manuel did have a morning and afternoon route for the students.</div></div></blockquote><blockquote><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">Dr. Earle, president of the school board (and a Des Plaines resident), argued that departments would have to be dropped because there would not be enough students to fill classes. He also said that Maine Township was one of only three townships in Illinois that offered free bus service, even though it was against the law. "Would Park Ridge be able to provide its own free transportation?" he asked.</div></div></blockquote><blockquote><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">Park Ridge retorted that the town would double its student population in two years, thus requiring a high school of its own. A high school would also enhance the growth of the town, they said.</div></div></blockquote><blockquote><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">In the end, Park Ridge did even better. In 1930, Maine High School was moved from Thacker Street in Des Plaines to Potter and Dempster in Park Ridge. Now it was Des Plaines' turn to bus its pupils.</div></div></blockquote><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/yark64/3246952324/" title="Maine East High School 40's by yark64, on Flickr"><img alt="Maine East High School 40's" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3349/3246952324_1027a9b9f2.jpg" width="350" /></a></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">Of course, Park Ridge would still bus its pupils too. With the site selection squared away, next came the design of the building itself. A $500,000-$750,000 - in 1927 dollars - building was announced in September, 1927. It was the product of Zook, McCaughey, and Chubb, a Park Ridge firm best known for the Pickwick Theatre and St. Charles Municipal Building, as well as the Rand Park Fieldhouse, 1930 Des Plaines Post Office (now pawn shop), and numerous other buildings in the region; the firm later specialized in schools. But this was perhaps the most elaborate and beautiful of their school buildings.</div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.ioa.ucla.edu/resources/ucla-resources/powell.jpg"><img src="http://www.ioa.ucla.edu/resources/ucla-resources/powell.jpg" width="350" /></a></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">Designed after the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Powell_Library">Powell Library at UCLA</a>, Maine East is an exuberant exercise in Spanish Revival mixed with Art Deco and Prairie influences. It is easily one of the most beautiful buildings in the area, and one of the most historic and beautiful high schools in the Chicago Suburbs. When built, it was also one of the largest, tallest, and most elaborate buildings around. The building clearly follwed the trend established by Dwight Perkins' Schurz High School, which had revolutionized the design approach to high schools when it was built in 1910.</div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bwchicago/2942821991/" title="Maine East by BWChicago, on Flickr"><img alt="Maine East" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3062/2942821991_6547ef9a3f.jpg" width="350" /></a></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">The unconventional, state-of-the-art design focused on a central entry tower capped with a green skylight. The new school's design was to feature a paved court in the Italian Style graced with a fountain, which the 500 seat cafeteria would open onto. It also featured a 40'x80' library finished in knotty spruce with floor to ceiling windows for ample natural light and views of the countryside, with alcoves and conference rooms, designed to hold 7,000 books, expandable to 20,000 with a balcony. Now the study hall, this room had attached senior history and English classes, so that students could easily access reference works. There would be a 80x100 foot gymnasium with 500 fixed spectator seats, and a small girls gym which could open onto it, seating up to 1000 spectators. A $50,000 40'x75' swimming pool with seating for 350-500, to house Maine's national champion swim team. An auditorium seating 1,000, designed to accomodate a future 800 seat balcony, with an orchestra pit. 48 rooms - 6 English, 5 Math, 4 commercial, 2 mechanical drawing, 3 shop rooms, a public speaking room equipped to show film, 3 history and civics, 4 foreign language, 2 sewing, 1 cooking, 5 laboratories, an accounting room complete with bronze fixtured cashier windows, and 1 science room. A central tower with a radio room in the roost and a band/art room below it. The school was divided in two wings, with boys lockers and washrooms in the South wing and girls in the East. And the whole school was set far back with dramatic, beautiful landscaping including a formal garden. Blueprints were provided for another wing and other additions. Voters passed the plan by an 8 to 1 margin.</div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bwchicago/2942812667/" title="1955 Maine East by BWChicago, on Flickr"><img alt="1955 Maine East" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3050/2942812667_17d994d708.jpg" width="350" /></a></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">The school was designed to accommodate 1000 students when it was built, and to easily accomodate additions. Old Maine had been built for 250, and was later expanded to 650. Maine was built over the course of 1929. Unfortunately, owing in part to cost overruns and the onset of the Great Depression, the auditorium - which would have rivaled the Pickwick in size and beauty - and fountain were dropped from the plans, set aside for a future date that would never come (although this would still be the right place to build a future addition, adding visual balance to the old Gym). The swimming pool came very close to being cut. The school's opening itself was jeopardized. Luckily, the principal marshaled a $100,000 loan and was able to convince board members to go on full steam ahead. It opened March 24, 1930. In November of that year, Frank Lloyd Wright gave a lecture in the Gymnasium pleading for a greater role of Art in America's schools; he could scarely have chosen a better location. The newspaper noted that although his topic was "New Schools" he instad talked about how the machine age called for a new style in architecture, and that Schools are the appropriate place for that to grow.</div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bwchicago/2943671650/" title="Maine East by BWChicago, on Flickr"><img alt="Maine East" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3057/2943671650_ba59931b55.jpg" width="350" /></a></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">By 1935 Maine needed to grow, applying for a $60,000 federal grant; matching the original architecture, it would contain 10 classrooms; four on the second floor and the remainder on the third floor, to be used for music. Music rooms were finished with acoustical treatments of pecky cypress wood ceilings and acoustical plaster made to look like stone.</div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bwchicago/3091729732/" title="Dempster & Potter - Maine East High School - Cameo Card by BWChicago, on Flickr"><img alt="Dempster & Potter - Maine East High School - Cameo Card" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3027/3091729732_9f5a2646b0.jpg" width="350" /></a></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">In 1938 the township voted on borrowing $50,000 in bonds to pay the township's share of a $150,000 PWA auditorium with 2,200 seats and seven classrooms. The voters overwhelmingly said "no".</div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">Need surfaced again in 1949 as enrollment surged to 1,800 and expected to reach 2,400 in the near future; the principal called for 29 new rooms including science, 6 shops for woodwork, metal craft, electrical, printing, blueprint reading, and mechanical and architctural drawing; music rooms; an auditorium seating 1,850; a new cafeteria; a new gym with a capacity of 3,588; a library expansion; and more shop space. The $2,500,000 proposal was approved by voters, but the same voters also turned against the bond issue, beliving it too expensive and expansive. The plans were further delayed by a government restriction for steel in gymanasiums. However, because the margin of defeat was less than 100 votes, a new campaign was launched and the bond passed the second time.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: center;"><object height="260" width="350"> <param name="flashvars" value="offsite=true&lang=en-us&page_show_url=%2Fphotos%2Fbwchicago%2Fsets%2F72157623697518143%2Fshow%2F&page_show_back_url=%2Fphotos%2Fbwchicago%2Fsets%2F72157623697518143%2F&set_id=72157623697518143&jump_to="></param><param name="movie" value="http://www.flickr.com/apps/slideshow/show.swf?v=71649"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://www.flickr.com/apps/slideshow/show.swf?v=71649" allowFullScreen="true" flashvars="offsite=true&lang=en-us&page_show_url=%2Fphotos%2Fbwchicago%2Fsets%2F72157623697518143%2Fshow%2F&page_show_back_url=%2Fphotos%2Fbwchicago%2Fsets%2F72157623697518143%2F&set_id=72157623697518143&jump_to=" width="350" height="260"></embed></object></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Slideshow</b></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">The addition, by school architecture firm Childs & Smith, who went on to design Maine West, opened in May, 1953, while the Gym and Fieldhouse remained under construction. Again, the design was state-of-the-art modern. The new corridors were softly lit with recessed fluorescent lighting, pastel tiled walls, two murals (one of Noah's Ark, the other of an editorial cartoon) and giant 6-foot bulletin boards inviting posters. The music department's old practice room was replaced with seperate band and chorus rooms with practice studios. The old cafeteria was remodeled into a freshman-sophomore library. And again, the building was built of brick to harmonize with the old building and set in landscaping. Part of it was even an extension to the original building with matching brick and spanish tile roof. The auditorium was graced with a 48 foot wide by 34 foot deep stage and 80 person orchestra pit, while the beige and blue color scheme and upholstered seats made the audience comfortable. The fieldhouse was touted as so large that it could accomodate a basketball game, shotput, pole vault, high jump, broad jump, and track running - all at the same time, while wrestling, shuffleboard, and trampoline events happened in the balcony. Theoretically, at least.</div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">As the baby boom went on, enrollment reached 4,500-5,300 - the maximum comfortable capacity of the school was 3,800 - and the need for a new high school became obvious. A few classrooms were added in a hyphen addition between the old building and auditorium, perhaps the main architectural misstep at Maine East, but at least the historic campus was preserved. This small addition partially covers the original cornerstone; if another addition ever becomes necessary, this would be a good place to put it, as this was where the auditorium would have originally been sited. This would visually balance the original building. <a href="http://www.revitalizedesplaines.org/2009/09/happy-birthday-maine-west-50-years.html">Maine West </a>opened in 1959, and Maine Township High School became Maine East for the 1960-1961 school year. Maine South opened in 1964, and more growth came in 1968, as Maine North was built along with additions at East and South.</div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">These additions, by the firm McCaughey, Erickson, Kristmann, and Stillwaugh (the same firm that was once Zook & McCaughey) included a Girl's Gymnasium, new art, industrial arts, occupational therapy, exercise, printing, television, ceramics, and special ed classrooms, in an addition in the courtyard of the school. More shops were added as well as a new pool. The old girl's gym - the original school's gym - was remodeled into a library and classrooms. Part of this addition would have included an addition to the Potter Road side of the school, on the end of the old Gym, which would have destroyed the patio and gardens. History teacher and Maine alum Paul Carlson - who would go on to teach for 48 years at Maine East - led an opposition to save the gardens, and ultimately succeeded. The administration offices were instead located at Maine South. Unfortunately the gardens have since disappeared, and all that is left is a few bushes. Maybe it's time to put them back, as the Paul Carlson Alumni Memorial Garden?</div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">In 1981, the state-of-the-art (and it would be even today) Maine North was closed due to declining enrollments. Outside consultants suggested the older and larger Maine East should close instead, but community sentiment prevailed. A third floor was added to the south end, making it better match the rest of the school. In 1999 science rooms were rebuilt within the school and masonry repairs were undertaken by the ARCON firm. Last year, training rooms were added and some rather unsympathetic windows have replaced older, slightly more sympathetic ones.</div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">The old pool is worth special note - it still exists under the patio outside the gym. It has elaborate, beautiful tile mosaics, but unfortunately can no longer hold water. What is to become of this extraordinary feature?</div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: center;"><object height="385" width="640"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/VBr8xhHEj8k&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&hl=en_US&feature=player_embedded&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/VBr8xhHEj8k&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&hl=en_US&feature=player_embedded&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowScriptAccess="always" width="350""></embed></object></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://susanbur.tripod.com/favorite.htm" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7Aj_ZB51QxvcdYi0Mvz5FzYvovoiigsOxq50TimGHt1LnAT6hfa3L9_xYyNu1flYNpp069xCq-2CivgaaP_-ytVpio3EgH2NGh-EzD0LlWv6DjRzxg_dhBDTmSJBYGTD3hOOeUxF3oF8/s320/2005+Reunion+004.JPG" /></a></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">Some more great pool pictures are at <a href="http://www.cheryltime.com/maine_east/index.html">http://www.cheryltime.com/maine_east/index.html</a></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">Although time has altered and eroded many of Maine's details, such as the gardens and the elliptical walkway to the tower entrance, it still stands today as a living, working part of our history; one of few public buildings of its age in our area still serving its original purpose.</div></div>BWhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04443995905594721900noreply@blogger.com25tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2717406644323517155.post-398493114096289042010-03-30T12:26:00.004-05:002010-04-14T12:58:40.324-05:00Square Deal Building, 1514-1516 Miner<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwENROtYwz1_kn7QzctKMhYCaxOVMQP3hduZySrQ7hAaOd5BcHtJhTflsrbGRJGZkfBA2pWiI1iHkVWjD0zkg3s6ICf3wc1y0qxd17NgVtL3mQ4rtKVE3KohTPUUgq3BI50XvzoVWuINs/s1600-h/Square+Deal+Now.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="205" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwENROtYwz1_kn7QzctKMhYCaxOVMQP3hduZySrQ7hAaOd5BcHtJhTflsrbGRJGZkfBA2pWiI1iHkVWjD0zkg3s6ICf3wc1y0qxd17NgVtL3mQ4rtKVE3KohTPUUgq3BI50XvzoVWuINs/s400/Square+Deal+Now.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><a href="http://www.wahljewelers.net/">Wahl Jewelers</a> is one of the most enduring businesses in Des Plaines. The Wahl firm was founded in Chicago in 1894, moving to Des Plaines in 1949. The Des Plaines roots go back even farther, though, as Wahl came into Des Plaines by taking over John Kray, Jeweler, which had been in Des Plaines since 1892, founded by his father, Ray Kray. Kray advertised himself as watch inspector for the Chicago & Northwestern Railway and United Motor Coach, two local institutions that relied heavily on timeliness. Wahl now is in its fourth generation of family ownership (with a fifth in the wings) - the F.X., F.F., F.C., and R.C. Wahl families.<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><object height="340" width="560"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/Sv2_WAIcM4k&hl=en_US&fs=1&hd=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Sv2_WAIcM4k&hl=en_US&fs=1&hd=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="560" height="340"></embed></object></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsVtcRNiJlK1ggjVQBrhyphenhyphentOiIGkxwCpJWa-LJ6D1ZF5KoZJUE5z9n9jutUktnjVf-XbZB-3fAXicMReVHKgEzF87xU5rBPb0Flmgd-cLn1iCa9qxj9Eef1vsZxDuZlRwHQhuvhAu1OnJ0/s1600-h/Kray+1892.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="167" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsVtcRNiJlK1ggjVQBrhyphenhyphentOiIGkxwCpJWa-LJ6D1ZF5KoZJUE5z9n9jutUktnjVf-XbZB-3fAXicMReVHKgEzF87xU5rBPb0Flmgd-cLn1iCa9qxj9Eef1vsZxDuZlRwHQhuvhAu1OnJ0/s200/Kray+1892.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Kray in 1892 (presumably a different building)</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhaxJz-qTB20VeFkDeJg7mDKzmBGv0ssEZYNwBJNrN1ZSW7okvuKztAnv-vSIwyNOYLU32yuPGCei2V-YZiISluAIdP7YjcIlFDaY4h5sOnvs9NzNKKsfL8WXMIyYDWeCu3qq50wZDAEg/s1600-h/Wahl+Mlodoch.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhaxJz-qTB20VeFkDeJg7mDKzmBGv0ssEZYNwBJNrN1ZSW7okvuKztAnv-vSIwyNOYLU32yuPGCei2V-YZiISluAIdP7YjcIlFDaY4h5sOnvs9NzNKKsfL8WXMIyYDWeCu3qq50wZDAEg/s1600/Wahl+Mlodoch.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-style: italic;">The old Wahl Building, after a 1950s Modernization. The 'before' look can be seen below - much more detail is visible in the unique and attractive brickwork.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-style: italic;">No sign of what it looked like before the brick false front. Thanks to Malcolm Mlodoch for this pic.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKD5JbRbwjWmspDa_kjBEDuskeB2CMljIn5prsFF-kD82dPrUclRJQuky-o7QzDJLIGv2mykzAqessnOZRM5_V2_nY9ay1ucuqwrbyegQ4V2mIjtPMYRG9lqFSunS4tXc4szmf6K1JRFo/s1600/Harness+Shop+Kray+Behmiller.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="312" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKD5JbRbwjWmspDa_kjBEDuskeB2CMljIn5prsFF-kD82dPrUclRJQuky-o7QzDJLIGv2mykzAqessnOZRM5_V2_nY9ay1ucuqwrbyegQ4V2mIjtPMYRG9lqFSunS4tXc4szmf6K1JRFo/s400/Harness+Shop+Kray+Behmiller.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Walter Harness Shop, circa 1920</i>. <i>Courtesy Des Plaines Historical Society.</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div>For many years, the other building on this site was the Joseph Walter Harness Shop. Founded by his father, Jacob Walter, in 1862, it stayed in business with his brother, Philip, until Walter's death in 1941. As a young man, Walter drove a stagecoach between Des Plaines, Shermerville (Northbrook) and West Northfield, carrying passengers and mail. The business was originally on Ellinwood, and moved to Miner Street in the 1890s. The Walters were one of the first Catholic families in Des Plaines, and moved here from Bensenville because the railroad allowed easy access to the nearest Catholic church in Grosse Pointe (Wilmette). They were one of the families who worked to move a small mission church from Arlington Heights via flatcar in 1883, serving as the first St. Mary's.<br />
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A 1941 Chicago Tribune article described the shop, already a throwback:<br />
<blockquote>When enter the dark little shop, it is as if you are stepping back into another era. The front of the room is dark and the whole little building has a musty atmosphere. On the walls hang saddles, bridles, and harnesses. In back, in what was once the room set aside for the printers, is the workshop. There one sees the old sewing horses, old spool cases, and box after box lines the shelves that mount to the ceiling. But there is modern equipment, too, for today, two elderly men repair everything from airplane parts to dog harnesses.<br />
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In the old days, harnesses were all made by hand and that was about all the shop handled. But Joseph and his brother, Philip, have decided that harness making is too much work and they keep the shop now mainly as a spot where they can kill a little time. People come from all around to have bits of work done.</blockquote><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdC-7UrcX8mWfsqQA0s5kTN4xA7FcSh8OjcTn3t1ZjpcgvVrFY3SmLagzsqxE7jOJXpG5AvEzbFitxyqvBVtnx0pxLjEDLDMYdPBMt5sTcD2b8LXDwSIoYTwbhdQQkX408awXIHf1X6xg/s1600-h/Square+Deal+1950.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="297" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdC-7UrcX8mWfsqQA0s5kTN4xA7FcSh8OjcTn3t1ZjpcgvVrFY3SmLagzsqxE7jOJXpG5AvEzbFitxyqvBVtnx0pxLjEDLDMYdPBMt5sTcD2b8LXDwSIoYTwbhdQQkX408awXIHf1X6xg/s320/Square+Deal+1950.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div> <i>Under construction in 1950. Square Deal is in the storefront to the far right.</i><br />
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Before the harness shop, the building served as a drug store, hardware store (the original home of Kinder Hardware), grocery store, post office, and a printing shop where the first newspaper was printed. After Walter's closed, it became S.C. Wessell Real Estate and Becker Roofing. In 1950 Luigi Capozolli moved the building, said to be over 100 years old and Des Plaines' oldest store building, "out to pasture" - it was moved to his farm near Cumberland and Golf Roads, used as an outbuilding. It has since been demolished.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguyyHhH1F6x7dvD2G0S-h4yat2XzBPGAacZCLbnsPartXLenXMqzTurjLffT-UOMia-a0ubsdrI6fKn3WPFROhBgy-ZSYDTKKQJ13rtCmfmic2KGeh_w1Gf-enY_SIfBOz1yH19eh4CDU/s1600-h/Square+Deal.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguyyHhH1F6x7dvD2G0S-h4yat2XzBPGAacZCLbnsPartXLenXMqzTurjLffT-UOMia-a0ubsdrI6fKn3WPFROhBgy-ZSYDTKKQJ13rtCmfmic2KGeh_w1Gf-enY_SIfBOz1yH19eh4CDU/s1600/Square+Deal.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"> <i>1950 Square Deal Building, featuring a distinctive Midcentury "Exterior Lobby" display front. Photo courtesy Malcolm Mlodoch.</i></div><br />
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Capozolli then built a new building for his Square Deal Shoe Store. Like Wahl, Square Deal began in Chicago, at Diversey and Milwaukee in 1921. Moving to Des Plaines in 1931 in the Behmiller Building, it grew into the family shoe store we know today. By the 90s the store expanded to the old Wahl site. Square Deal is now in its third generation of family ownership. Square Deal has seen a lot of changes throughout the years, and still displays a size 37 shoe from <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Wadlow">Robert Wadlow</a>, the world's tallest man at 8'11" in the 1930s (who had a job visiting shoe stores as a promotion) as well as a disabled fluoroscope x-ray shoe fitting machine.BWhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04443995905594721900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2717406644323517155.post-18134974135535857492010-03-25T16:08:00.001-05:002010-03-25T16:10:18.708-05:00History of 1512 Miner, R.C. Wahl Jewelers<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe-83BpmxAQ0cCLXkmLolYRbGnSo5c3Rd313EtWX8_Peb4J2buHaCwiZq8LNAVd7jbsGj_n6bqoRQvCLHuaKS-pIQF9y0_A5Lu4m4UlGUoRdYkg1sw0s_9_TNUaZxbfsNicnC1mN5xUio/s1600/1512+Miner+Old.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPRo1zqppRRz3Wet-XHVCWJNspulPHAQK1a8SnrRl57e7CljF1GRB6BNRZYnd3TqGVU7u6K775KNBQVkgDrEOW2b47bh1gwIG080ijIgEf9SBejMCaMQ11l-g64N9W1KTlgV_bt-rd18Y/s1600/1512+Miner+R.C.+Wahl.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="393" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPRo1zqppRRz3Wet-XHVCWJNspulPHAQK1a8SnrRl57e7CljF1GRB6BNRZYnd3TqGVU7u6K775KNBQVkgDrEOW2b47bh1gwIG080ijIgEf9SBejMCaMQ11l-g64N9W1KTlgV_bt-rd18Y/s400/1512+Miner+R.C.+Wahl.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Wahl Jewelers now occupies one of the newer buildings on Miner Street, built in the last 20 years, but retains its address from its many years next door at 1514 Miner. The previous building at 1512 Miner is shown below. Originally a simple Victorian design, with a closed in gable and bay window, it later was remodeled with a cartoonish Tudor facade. I don't know too much about its occupant history, except it once contained Vick's Barber Shop, a Restaurant, and much later,<br />
1971-1972 The Great Pants Explosion (a wonderfully ridiculous business name that had an equally ridiculous sign)<br />
1972-1976/09 Elda's and Vera's Uptown Boutique<br />
1977 Hairlines by Remo<br />
1980-1983 Felice Vincent's Hairdesigners<br />
<br />
Eventually it was demolished for the present Colonial Revival style R.C. Wahl Jewelers building, as Square Deal Shoes expanded (around 1993?). We'll cover those downtown fixtures in the next post.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe-83BpmxAQ0cCLXkmLolYRbGnSo5c3Rd313EtWX8_Peb4J2buHaCwiZq8LNAVd7jbsGj_n6bqoRQvCLHuaKS-pIQF9y0_A5Lu4m4UlGUoRdYkg1sw0s_9_TNUaZxbfsNicnC1mN5xUio/s1600/1512+Miner+Old.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe-83BpmxAQ0cCLXkmLolYRbGnSo5c3Rd313EtWX8_Peb4J2buHaCwiZq8LNAVd7jbsGj_n6bqoRQvCLHuaKS-pIQF9y0_A5Lu4m4UlGUoRdYkg1sw0s_9_TNUaZxbfsNicnC1mN5xUio/s320/1512+Miner+Old.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5T-aQGdPf4u_hlfGGqicSu_BE4B2Q3IIiSid_bhTholKfYNYg9euxsqTOzQK32WpbHSd8iJ5izwevlvQwN1oTKxJwFFKls8EuToI2r91jgEd9PNFnjH7j0TZp_GggjxSGoOq-xDOuqMY/s1600/1512+Miner+Mlodoch.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5T-aQGdPf4u_hlfGGqicSu_BE4B2Q3IIiSid_bhTholKfYNYg9euxsqTOzQK32WpbHSd8iJ5izwevlvQwN1oTKxJwFFKls8EuToI2r91jgEd9PNFnjH7j0TZp_GggjxSGoOq-xDOuqMY/s320/1512+Miner+Mlodoch.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">(bottom photo courtesy Malcolm Mlodoch)</div>BWhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04443995905594721900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2717406644323517155.post-31500157528734658552010-03-03T05:00:00.003-06:002010-07-25T12:28:37.948-05:00History of 1504 Miner & 1508 Miner, Leona's and Total SecurityWhen the Thoma House was demolished in 1929, the articles said that it was to make way for "a modern furniture store". I haven't been able to determine what that store was or if it ever opened.<br />
<br />
<b>1504 Miner</b><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bwchicago/2943685724/" title="1939 Zephyr Interior by BWChicago, on Flickr"><img alt="1939 Zephyr Interior" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3057/2943685724_4ef7bd4aeb.jpg" width="400" /></a><b> </b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>The Zephyr Cafe circa 1939, looking every bit as modern as the <a href="http://www.msichicago.org/whats-here/exhibits/pioneer-zephyr/">Pioneer Zephyr</a> for which it was undoubtedly named, which was a hit at the 1934 Century of Progress Exposition. Appropriate, since the restaurant presumably relied heavily on train passengers.</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bwchicago/2943668454/" title="1957 Zephyr Inn Interior by BWChicago, on Flickr"><img alt="1957 Zephyr Inn Interior" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3194/2943668454_0cbc767ccc.jpg" width="400" /></a></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Toned down by 1957, it later featured a large mural of <strike>pioneers</strike>. (A reader advises me they were Mediterranean or Latin American Field Workers.) Probably not the mountains of Illinois.</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQrO-wg30evniIwBzeKiCdeK0WudcWpPLTdbyD9Su_Uaec33Er8KNLw_t-c4E3TAAD0albraWFqj4we3B5lOtOFxzs8aU6XPBYmpZhH8QlBVXgU6Px6RViuOniTu_QmRwfm_mc94C40hU/s1600-h/zephyr%20sign%201957.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="181" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQrO-wg30evniIwBzeKiCdeK0WudcWpPLTdbyD9Su_Uaec33Er8KNLw_t-c4E3TAAD0albraWFqj4we3B5lOtOFxzs8aU6XPBYmpZhH8QlBVXgU6Px6RViuOniTu_QmRwfm_mc94C40hU/s320/zephyr%20sign%201957.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Close-up of the Neon Sign in the window</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit-WmNlWvmeQRhAL68LOqO-ys3syBvNnVTQFWG-Q9ge8qGMQoHb91niddEov0zelf3ubG0jLDwoqi79sQXglFLIDnPGtkVS-qetazIwXXF3COFM9x56PyubE-wAdf7nm4HcC9kgXpWM_I/s1600-h/Zephyr%201936%20Ad.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="264" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit-WmNlWvmeQRhAL68LOqO-ys3syBvNnVTQFWG-Q9ge8qGMQoHb91niddEov0zelf3ubG0jLDwoqi79sQXglFLIDnPGtkVS-qetazIwXXF3COFM9x56PyubE-wAdf7nm4HcC9kgXpWM_I/s320/Zephyr%201936%20Ad.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Ad from 1936 opening</div><b><br />
</b></div>The Zephyr Cafe opened in July 1936 on the left side of the building; a different tenant was next door in the same building. The facade was simple Streamline Moderne; covered in randomly-sized cut stones with two notches at either end. It was managed by the Ladas Brothers - Sam, Andrew, John. The family also ran the Arlington Cafe in Arlington Heights. Like the Sugar Bowl, it featured good, diverse meals and a soda fountain - the slogan was the straightforward "Good Food". In 1938, the Herald described it:<br />
<br />
<blockquote>The people from all over this part of the county, the tourists and visitors, all have pronounced this Cafe one of the finest in this section.<br />
It is attractively furnished and tastily decorated, which makes it a most cheerful place, and here amidst comfortable surroundings, one of the most courteous services is afforded the public. Whether at noon luncheon or dinner, you will find all the satisfaction of good service and high quality of food that will please the most jaded appetite.<br />
Good food is a watchword with this concern and the management is so careful in supplying high quality continually that it is the kind of a place to which you can go and be sure of a good meal.<br />
Thr manager personally sees that the people of this part of the country are not only given the choicest of food, but the latest dishes of the day and that the best of service is always given regardless of the size of the order. They have provided the very latest of equipment in the kitchens, and everything is in the very best of condition and appetizing when served to the guests.<br />
They specialize in genuine Chinese Chop Suey and real Italian Spaghetti. You are assured of the finest at moderate prices.</blockquote>You won't find too many Greek restaurants today claiming to serve genuine Chinese Chop Suey (isn't that an oxymoron, since Chop Suey is an American invention?) and real Italian.<br />
<br />
In 1949, the business was expanded next door, to the Zephyr Lounge and Steak House next door, which had previously housed "The Curiosity Shop", a resale and antique shop that opened in 1946. Called colorful, beautiful, comfortable, and relaxing, and featuring gorgeous circular booths, a "magnificent" bar, and an all-mirror background, the Lounge sounds like somewhere I'd like to kick back a few drinks.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTSGwAkQu74T98oZokQMvLwAba95mlr9wfhzaI2bh7AbSOZv-k-zZ9fw_cMQp2AmA6rgoVWdJKvrpQ94BjBKX5_NdRL-n1u4yI5DwmrVk20yZ6-5o9oCg85O3AxLtpVPoG74RqZuq76WI/s1600-h/1949-10-21%20DPH%20-%20Zephyr%20Lounge%20Photo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTSGwAkQu74T98oZokQMvLwAba95mlr9wfhzaI2bh7AbSOZv-k-zZ9fw_cMQp2AmA6rgoVWdJKvrpQ94BjBKX5_NdRL-n1u4yI5DwmrVk20yZ6-5o9oCg85O3AxLtpVPoG74RqZuq76WI/s400/1949-10-21%20DPH%20-%20Zephyr%20Lounge%20Photo.jpg" width="255" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;">By the time it closed, around 1967-1970, the two were together known as the Zephyr Restaurant.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">In 1971-1972 it was briefly the Aristo Restaurant. From 1973-1985 it was the popular Sawa's Old Warsaw Polish restaurant, which still operates in Broadview.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiznhmaIPDb8-jwd4gseYe1BDvPFlYpIHGEYvF2-CEHYhNxZqeSnazXJUtCVw1zsXENYZFejYaE21ibudTEQP4T1LH7vvGzrZJ3SfEi_JJdG039LhYd4RH6MzLDXpTMWxV4-62XTIiyZAs/s1600-h/scan0006%20(3).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiznhmaIPDb8-jwd4gseYe1BDvPFlYpIHGEYvF2-CEHYhNxZqeSnazXJUtCVw1zsXENYZFejYaE21ibudTEQP4T1LH7vvGzrZJ3SfEi_JJdG039LhYd4RH6MzLDXpTMWxV4-62XTIiyZAs/s1600/scan0006%20(3).jpg" /></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: left;"></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"></div><b>Photo by Malcolm Mlodoch</b><br />
<div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Next it became Magnolia, another Polish restaurant, from 1987 to at least 1989. In March 1993, Booeymongers, a blues club with a pizza kitchen, opened, and closed in 1996. Booeymongers updated the (green!) facade with stucco and an arch at the top, but kept the notches. From 1998-1999 it was Zodiac Chinese Restaurant. Later that year, the Leona's chain opened a location, which it remains today.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEKEo445GsRyTLqv2Mz18apYOqFcaBliWjhRZngsBOvX3a13mfniwdjTLf3qB95N3mWBoRWvA9UtnA0J2_jIareZfvN_uXFnjobeYiYudRL2tjUVpkjO0nqI56svzQ1wU2Mz_hYWCJR38/s1600-h/Miner%201504.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="222" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEKEo445GsRyTLqv2Mz18apYOqFcaBliWjhRZngsBOvX3a13mfniwdjTLf3qB95N3mWBoRWvA9UtnA0J2_jIareZfvN_uXFnjobeYiYudRL2tjUVpkjO0nqI56svzQ1wU2Mz_hYWCJR38/s400/Miner%201504.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>1508 Miner</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZh7uLkTe_dDU9hthSRlf6a0rU2Drwxg4_YjQEF5BZvgag_uTC-pAS7YxNl5xviyIDCERxSbRYqiOTxYvisNhH3FdJCoS5E9YX8i2AaSRmyQi8IR8cZjaOTJmNkZ-3I2KQCuj-jjb1Tk4/s1600-h/Miner%20Lee%201936%20DPHSG.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZh7uLkTe_dDU9hthSRlf6a0rU2Drwxg4_YjQEF5BZvgag_uTC-pAS7YxNl5xviyIDCERxSbRYqiOTxYvisNhH3FdJCoS5E9YX8i2AaSRmyQi8IR8cZjaOTJmNkZ-3I2KQCuj-jjb1Tk4/s320/Miner%20Lee%201936%20DPHSG.jpg" width="210" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b>A Glimpse of 1508 Miner's original facade, 1936 Des Plaines Historical Society Postcard</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2RkYCoOkB8RmpDobEmqdW8EG1_4jVgrzSUKTAtDTBiwjswBzE5q9XPzhc9aljv6odEC2VWYz7QbHp6CtU298nF4mWjQom7_sJ2lsV2tBz2BAMk5RgRD9wotjaQNFmYIRD5xY865dj-Gw/s1600-h/1950s%20Miner%20Street%20Cropped.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="194" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2RkYCoOkB8RmpDobEmqdW8EG1_4jVgrzSUKTAtDTBiwjswBzE5q9XPzhc9aljv6odEC2VWYz7QbHp6CtU298nF4mWjQom7_sJ2lsV2tBz2BAMk5RgRD9wotjaQNFmYIRD5xY865dj-Gw/s320/1950s%20Miner%20Street%20Cropped.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><b>"Modernized" By 1940 with Faux-Marble</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHwjJ1zOoHuly9M7C1B2tZHHWWUuRWL_BnRk3QAYkrMr7caTJJFU9RcxvWW01xLfhv_QFAWGDNMSkuP1NbctPdfqv8FoNcaRy6yOF_OzVd4w2n0qQwj7q0CfOdsZ7fzGpSWoEZMhz8jWs/s1600-h/scan0008%20(3).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHwjJ1zOoHuly9M7C1B2tZHHWWUuRWL_BnRk3QAYkrMr7caTJJFU9RcxvWW01xLfhv_QFAWGDNMSkuP1NbctPdfqv8FoNcaRy6yOF_OzVd4w2n0qQwj7q0CfOdsZ7fzGpSWoEZMhz8jWs/s320/scan0008%20(3).jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Toned down a bit... (Malcolm Mlodoch photo)</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnx3B8O63G8arZVNHegLN4o9yUDv0QD3jOR3CvpeRwEwHs2kv8NKzj41FOYqGzfLBrfMIwjiipZ9uKeUOfxfNK-npLoJsQTji2M_ixxyY7L8EmzE6nA140j3SJxM3ZdMb2UMn4wOw6n8k/s1600-h/1508%20Miner.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="210" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnx3B8O63G8arZVNHegLN4o9yUDv0QD3jOR3CvpeRwEwHs2kv8NKzj41FOYqGzfLBrfMIwjiipZ9uKeUOfxfNK-npLoJsQTji2M_ixxyY7L8EmzE6nA140j3SJxM3ZdMb2UMn4wOw6n8k/s320/1508%20Miner.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b> And Today's Inoffensive but Boring Facade</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">Again, there was little to be found on this building pre-1949. It had a short-lived but attractive stepped facade originally. In 1949, Frank's Apparel opened, a women's wear store. In May 1958, Leonard's for Men and Boys opened, closing in 1963. The next business was Kier Men's Wear, closing in 1974. Audrey's Bridal Boutique was in business here from 1976-1995, with Signature Studios Photography inside. Square Deal Discount Shoes closed in 1997. Cookie Garden was next. Currently it is Spy Source/Total Security Solutions.</div>BWhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04443995905594721900noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2717406644323517155.post-54146222494986337652010-02-23T15:47:00.000-06:002010-02-23T15:47:54.460-06:00More Thoughts on Sims Bowl<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;"><b> </b>This letter appeared earlier this month in the Journal. What do you think?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;"><b>Sims Demolition Could Be Another Mistake</b></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;">In 1985, an ambitious development called River Woods Park was proposed for the same block of Ellinwood Sims occupies. It would have featured a four-winged, nine-story, 436-unit apartment building with an underground parking lot, a health club, small office building, and green space. Ellinwood Street would have been eliminated. Then checks started bouncing in 1986. The proposal languished for another year because the developer had options or owned the parcels on the block. The city considered taking over these properties, but decided they could not afford the risk.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;">Then The Prime Group bought the old Riverwoods Lumber property at the corner in 1988; four other developers had been looking at the block. They proposed an 11-story senior citizens home and a 22-story apartment building on the site of Sims and other businesses, with 20% set aside for low-income subsidized apartments and the rest luxury apartments. Ultimately the 22-story building was dropped, and the senior proposal became the Heritage, finally opening in 1993.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;">You might remember yet another high-rise proposal from 2005 that would have covered the entire block. The same year, there were vague rumblings of an "entertainment" proposal. Neither came to pass.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;">This isn't the first time the city has taken the "demolish first, ask questions later" approach. The block between Pearson and Miner actually was cleared in 1986-1987 in hopes of attracting new development. Officials believed this would "serve as a catalyst to redevelop the area and bring back the intense interest despite more than 10 years of redevelopment talk." Three or four plans came and went until 1999, when Library Plaza was finally developed - building single-story strip malls on the sites of stores that had apartments above. A net loss, with 12 years of lost property and sales taxes, plus the cost of demolition and construction, plus the loss of attractive historic buildings. The ten years of vacant lots between Lee and Pearson didn't attract developers and only further disconnected downtown, since nobody likes walking through a vacant lot. Chicago did the same thing with Block 37 across from Marshall Field's, cleared in 1989 and finally opening as a lackluster shopping center this year. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;">Let's look at some other examples of this strategy. Two doors down from Sims is a small, barely-used or visible pocket park; the building there was demolished all the way back in 1954 as part of the large city parking lot that was once behind it. (The city must think the citizens miss that parking lot more than we'll miss a bowling alley!) The park that was between the Sugar Bowl and Brown's was cleared for a walkway between two parking garages that were never built; this vacant land created an opportunity to stick a driveway to Metropolitan Square right in the middle of our most important business street. Old Maine Township High School/Thacker Junior High, replaced with the lackluster Central Park that could have occupied the footprints of any of the surrounding condominium buildings. The 1874 North School, torn down to make way for a parking lot. And so forth. I'm hard-pressed to think of an instance of Des Plaines-led demolition without a redevelopment plan that has produced anything better than a small park or parking lot.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;">Unless they are a threat to public safety, vacant buildings are better than vacant lots, because vacant buildings have reuse options and vacant lots - especially city-owned ones - are tax drains.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;">City officials would be well-advised to learn from these past mistakes. They say they're talking to three developers now. How many of them are serious? How many will stick around for two years? What will the climate be like in two years? The plan is for retail and condos, but we have plenty of those to go around. There are many retail vacancies in Metropolitan Square, and there are storefronts in Library Plaza that have still never been occupied. What would draw shoppers to that side of downtown, without an entertainment anchor like a bowling alley? There are condo buildings that aren't complete. There are plenty of office vacancies, too. So why are we so confident a big development is around the corner? "If you tear it down, they will come?" Demand for quality new development will not come until we have fully utilized the resources we already have, by establishing downtown Des Plaines as a worthwhile destination for distinctive shopping, dining, entertainment, and living. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;">This assumption of redevelopment has been a big factor in depressing downtown revitalization. Why invest in maintaining a building or running a quality business when redevelopment might be imminent? Sims had been expecting a buyout for years.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;">TIF money is designated to remove blighted conditions from downtown. But now we propose to use it to send a functional building to a landfill and create a vacant lot. In the meantime, it will be a mid-block parking lot - something specifically discouraged in the 2007 parking study, in a block that same study showed had no demand for parking. We will be creating blight and taking properties off the tax rolls.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;">Let's not make the same mistakes yet again. Instead of buying and demolishing the block, secure options, or let the developer do it. There is no good reason to demolish anything until new development is financed and shovel-ready. In the meantime, if the proposals fall through, existing businesses can continue to be productive. Let the park district run the bowling alley, or let someone else run it on short-term leases, so it is productive. Would it cost more to fix the roof than to demolish the building? Rosemont and Melrose Park are building new bowling alleys - and you can't build the retro character Sims has.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;">It's time to stop the unsuccessful "strategy" for downtown that we've pursued for the last 40 years. We have aggressively removed much of our history and character. Before losing the things that can give our city a unique identity, before we go past that tipping point towards Anytown, USA, we need to step back and create a real plan for downtown - to use our resources efficiently to achieve a reasonable goal. We need to identify and protect many of the dwindling historic places that are left so that they can help us have a more productive future. Most of all, we need a vision of what we want downtown as a whole to be, instead of continuing its death by a thousand cuts. Creating a strong downtown isn't as easy as making a parking lot and crossing your fingers. Before we do something else we might come to regret, step back and think about how it factors into a comprehensive master plan in revitalizing downtown Des Plaines. It's too important to leave to chance or developers.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;">Brian Wolf</span>BWhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04443995905594721900noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2717406644323517155.post-51045888241964581422010-02-22T13:36:00.001-06:002010-02-22T13:38:10.720-06:00Thoma House Hotel, 1504-1508 Miner<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgnpJIgYe_S5iGVH4RG2-rKou2IvwQCmKJKeo_BqCrIPK1-Mf106k-Y1YWodMrdCEQkhcDUHI6HbtP9Z6sTAJCwaztTy-63roz3THQuOvSVybZfTu0vG_Pk7AeMHjsRRVsYj4HHzIuJtQ/s1600-h/ThomaHouseSketch2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="283" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgnpJIgYe_S5iGVH4RG2-rKou2IvwQCmKJKeo_BqCrIPK1-Mf106k-Y1YWodMrdCEQkhcDUHI6HbtP9Z6sTAJCwaztTy-63roz3THQuOvSVybZfTu0vG_Pk7AeMHjsRRVsYj4HHzIuJtQ/s400/ThomaHouseSketch2.jpg" width="400" /></a> </div><div style="text-align: left;">The Thoma House Hotel, also known as the Desplaines House, was one of the most distinctive landmarks in downtown Des Plaines from 1883-1929. It was built for about $10,000 back in 1883 and containing a noted bar. It was purported to be one of the finest hotels in Chicago suburbs, located directly across from the railway depot.</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyqF0ZqakOGBVjsXZ3wKSj6AWbRv1Lfvz99mEMDSM9RjqMhZXNdP6gNpm3uy3YANJ0he-iDmF3sSgiuX7EvT7tzHV9SBWHuED3whDZ_FeUQgjWmdxRhgCDZ0xrfXYZdUnUfzjUJc2ycds/s1600-h/1897%20Des%20Plaines%20House%20ad.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyqF0ZqakOGBVjsXZ3wKSj6AWbRv1Lfvz99mEMDSM9RjqMhZXNdP6gNpm3uy3YANJ0he-iDmF3sSgiuX7EvT7tzHV9SBWHuED3whDZ_FeUQgjWmdxRhgCDZ0xrfXYZdUnUfzjUJc2ycds/s1600/1897%20Des%20Plaines%20House%20ad.jpg" /></a></div>The three story building contained 35 guestrooms, a lodge room, entertainment room, place for public meetings, and later the first bowling lane in Des Plaines. It advertised itself as a summer resort. Remember, Des Plaines was "out in the country" for Chicagoans at that time, and the Methodist Campgrounds were a popular destination - though you wouldn't find the Thoma House's "fine brands of wines, liquors, and cigars" there.<br />
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The Thoma House was frequently used for meetings, including those of the Village Council before the Village Hall was built in 1893.<br />
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Around 1915, Thornton Shaw took over the historic Thoma Hotel, renaming it "Shaw's". Mr. Shaw extensively remodeled to make it again the pride of the town. Catering to "first-class patronage and banquets," Shaw's became known for good cooking, however briefly. He designated the Bowling Alley for the use of "the most fastidious Ladies".<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6tugE-1S3bm5lY9vJo_L-4ICKnbvQvZBkXvF5uiq8xXR_O-DeE-vem4l9nrIKCYGzNKz6jjrpUbPD9qow5dpkQbbDdiHLzdCj3LVeGkEKgIhst5HMQ8EDqECKWRAB7sM21gm_lkWZb2g/s1600-h/1916%20Shaw's.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6tugE-1S3bm5lY9vJo_L-4ICKnbvQvZBkXvF5uiq8xXR_O-DeE-vem4l9nrIKCYGzNKz6jjrpUbPD9qow5dpkQbbDdiHLzdCj3LVeGkEKgIhst5HMQ8EDqECKWRAB7sM21gm_lkWZb2g/s1600/1916%20Shaw's.jpg" /></a></div><br />
It was sold to Bernhardt "Barney" H. Winkelman in 1916. He replaced the bowling alley addition with his own Recreation parlor building in 1921. He continued to operate it as the Des Plaines House until 1929, at which point it had become outdated and to some degree dilapidated, and was replaced by a furniture store. Today its site is occupied by Leona's and Total Security.BWhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04443995905594721900noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2717406644323517155.post-24074051329636449272010-02-16T16:29:00.001-06:002010-02-16T22:43:35.740-06:00Brown's / Winkelman Recreation Parlor Building, 1502 MinerThis building served the vast majority of its lifetime as Brown's Department Store. It has a few stories to tell.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNW5GdbyCfw1_NyPjO1mBzkpPYNYhnpYQyCw7cmN_xnncEeKiLscxOoyL_79NnzYToilN0snM6Oxb1rp26-7BKq-6I86EiEGnjui6k1kIbKqkMWgTd1iWbXJCYJzwRip_PEJHHIW46sR0/s1600-h/1502+Miner+Mlodoch.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNW5GdbyCfw1_NyPjO1mBzkpPYNYhnpYQyCw7cmN_xnncEeKiLscxOoyL_79NnzYToilN0snM6Oxb1rp26-7BKq-6I86EiEGnjui6k1kIbKqkMWgTd1iWbXJCYJzwRip_PEJHHIW46sR0/s320/1502+Miner+Mlodoch.jpg" /></a></div><br />
It was built on the site of the Thoma House Hotel's bowling lane annex and stables. The bowling lanes had opened by 1905.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikG5PPjwFIGZKw0Mxd3N2r5kgkptJUDaM8JY0WAMOEv8nyy4775rdGL0nSmESitmo0D9oMA6g30seS9M5rbhK-TjjdJ_ZaHTp05m2FXTChoe1UzRVEzDD9Lq9zjLv8p9o5Tn_aXyybKjU/s1600-h/1502+Miner+1922.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikG5PPjwFIGZKw0Mxd3N2r5kgkptJUDaM8JY0WAMOEv8nyy4775rdGL0nSmESitmo0D9oMA6g30seS9M5rbhK-TjjdJ_ZaHTp05m2FXTChoe1UzRVEzDD9Lq9zjLv8p9o5Tn_aXyybKjU/s320/1502+Miner+1922.jpg" /></a></div><br />
Bernhardt H. "Barney" Winkelman, one-time proprietor of the Thoma House, built this building in 1921. Winkelman was a very prominent businessman; over the years he also owned and operated the lumberyard next to the tracks at what is now Ellinwood and Lee, and the adjacent saloon; the American House saloon on Ellinwood where Center Street was eventually built, and the land behind it reaching to Prairie. His house was the former home of Socrates Rand's widow at Lee and Miner, where he eventually built the Des Plaines Theatre (his house was moved to Jefferson Street and later demolished).<br />
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The building was based on a stock design from the Midland Terra Cotta company. At this time, you could basically order a building facade from a catalog. Don't be surprised if you see a twin somewhere. Since it was replacing bowling alleys, the new building featured 7 pocket billiards tables, a snooker and billiard table, and 2 bowling alleys. This closed in 1932.<br />
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By 1935, it had become home to Janet's Tea Room, formerly of Lee Street, described thus by the Suburban Times on February 2: <br />
<blockquote> Janet's Tea Room is one of the most popular in this section and merits the large patronage it receives, for it's one of the cleanest and most sanitary—serving the most palatable foods to be found anywhere. It is very popular with the people of Des Plaines and Cook county.<br />
This tea room has gained a name that has spread far and wide as a place where the local people and the traveling public can more than satisfy their demands in the matter of obtaining good food.<br />
The menu not only consists of the prime necessities of life, but many delicacies are offered that are inviting and tempting to the taste of the most fastidious appetite.<br />
Cleanliness is one of the outstanding features of this modern eating place, and this is not confined to the counter alone, but goes into kitchen, where all dishes are thoroughly washed and sterilized.<br />
The service is equally satisfactory whether your order be large or small, as the owner makes you feel at home and that your patronage is appreciated.<br />
Let us suggest that if you want your next luncheon party to be a success that you call and make arrangements here and leave the rest to them. You are sure to find everything to your entire satisfaction.</blockquote>It seems that the restaurants downtown clustered around the train station to better serve that clientele. Later in 1935, the building became home to Sears, Roebuck, and Company, which remained here only two years before swapping locations with the struggling Brown's Department Store in summer 1937.<br />
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In this location Brown's refocused on soft lines - clothing and fabrics, and eventually focused even closer on women's and children's active clothing. Known for its parakeets and other birds kept throughout the store, Brown's closed its doors in February, 1996.<br />
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The building almost became a Bruegger's Bagels, going so far as mounting a sign, but then that chain ran into financial trouble. It instead became a National Quik Cash payday loan office. The back half was converted into a series of shops, including Bagel Cafe (then a-Adams Driving School), Family Hearing Center, Ursula's Jewelry, Clip N' Curl, and Stuff & Puff Tobacco.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bwchicago/7187900/" title="brownspredemo1 by BWChicago, on Flickr"><img alt="brownspredemo1" src="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/8/7187900_f36538b195.jpg" width="400" /></a><br />
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The building was demolished to make way for the driveway to Metropolitan Square.<br />
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(top photo by Malcolm Mlodoch)BWhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04443995905594721900noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2717406644323517155.post-80186659927990133432010-02-09T12:49:00.005-06:002010-03-26T11:41:25.637-05:00Manuel Post Office Building, 1500-1496 Miner (Brumlik's; Demolished)<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicsCit7cZJRLrcEXjXEfJ_Lm1UD1IMRXrfUK5twAqwIns5lVZPiQKO-Pd7QRsyrLbtncbeZM_GEf6a_3TMQZH-aPBjRTFWgYTnqoFV8EgxuZaElMN-o0WzRuZQ_iZcPHqxiMQAhd3EWNA/s1600-h/19072_242199383491_740123491_3343562_8384437_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="321" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicsCit7cZJRLrcEXjXEfJ_Lm1UD1IMRXrfUK5twAqwIns5lVZPiQKO-Pd7QRsyrLbtncbeZM_GEf6a_3TMQZH-aPBjRTFWgYTnqoFV8EgxuZaElMN-o0WzRuZQ_iZcPHqxiMQAhd3EWNA/s400/19072_242199383491_740123491_3343562_8384437_n.jpg" width="400" />(1)</a></div>This building was built as the Des Plaines Post Office, a Taxi Garage, and store. It was the Manuel building, built by Dr. Edward A. Manuel, a veterinarian who established Des Plaines' first public transportation system, a horse and buggy, out of a stable on this site.<br />
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<blockquote>The Suburban Times, October 15, 1920<br />
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DR. E. A. MANUEL'S BUSINESS BLOCK<br />
Expected That It Will Be Ready For Occupancy November 1st<br />
LOCATION ON MINER STREET<br />
Building is Finely Equipped - Fine Construction - Will Be A Credit To Our Town<br />
<br />
(By E. D. MacL[uckie])<br />
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Dean Swift once said that the man who could make two blades of grass grow where one grew before deserved better of mankind than the whole race of politicians put together.<br />
Then, what shall we say of the man who plans and erects a fine business structure in the center of his own village, not only as an example of thrift and good business principles, but as an example for his neighbors to emulate? Pericles of old adorned Athens, so is our good fellow citizen, Dr. E. A. Manuel, beautifying this little town of Des Plaines.<br />
Let us call your attention to how this is being done:<br />
Facing the Northwestern station on the north stands Dr. E. A. Manuel's new store, garage, and apartment building, which is fifty feet wide and one hundred thirty-eight feet from front to rear. Seventy feet of the front portion is two stories high, the remainder being one story in height.<br />
The rear portion fifty by sixty-eight feet is a convenient and substantial garage, which will not only be the home of the doctor's fine taxi-service but which will comfortably house twenty automobiles. The garage has a cement floor, is provided with an office ten by sixteen feet, and a lavatory and toilet. Its large basement accommodates the steam-heating apparatus and call the coal required for a season's run. A chute from the garage floor to the basement permits the convenient handling of the coal. The floors, stairways, and supports are all reinforced concrete and cement.<br />
The steam heating of this portion of the structure guarantees a temperature of 50 degrees in the garage and 70 degrees in the office during any kind of weather.<br />
A cement driveway nine by seventy connects the garage with Miner street. Were this driveway extended seventy-five feet, it would run under the west eaves of the Northwestern station, which shows how conveniently located this building is.<br />
The driveway has a hundred barrel cistern under it, which will supply the entire building with soft water (what a luxury!) Besides the cistern there are two man-holes in the driveway, one for coal and the other for goods.<br />
The front fifty by seventy feet of the structure will accommodate two business houses, the new post office on the left and a store on the right of the automobile entrance. The post office is twenty-two by seventy feet, while the store is sixteen by sixty feet. Each of these is supplied with a lavatory and toilet. These are on the first floor. On the second floor are two up-to-date six room apartments, each boasting a parlor overlooking Miner Street, a dining room, a kitchen, a bathroom, and three bedrooms and (housewives take notice) each bedroom has a clothes closet. Hot-water heat supplies the front seventy feet of this building.<br />
The dental suite in the front and middle part of the second floor is uniquely complete and arranged, consisting of a handsome waiting room with a liberal skylight, an office separated from the waiting room by a heavily-plated opaque glass partition, an x-ray room, a toilet and lavatory, two operating rooms, and a laboratory. This suite has two entrances, one for ingress and one for egress. The walls of the operating room are padded to keep out the noise from the trains.<br />
On the second floor is a large central hall communicating with a gentlemen's and a ladies' toilet, the dental suite, and the apartments.<br />
At the rear of the seventy-foot addition and on the second floor is an immense open-air porch, extending across the building, which will be closed in by wire screens in summer and glass in winter.<br />
This portion also has a liberal basement for the hot-water heating plant, coal, and storage, Its stairways, walls, and supports are re-enforced concrete and cement.<br />
Not even the roof has been neglected or overlooked; for it is made with sheathing on the rafters; this is covered with flaxlinum, which is a strawboard of seventy-five percent flax and the [SNIP] "If it will keep out the cold, it will keep out the heat."<br />
The floors are cement and terrazzo mosaics, cement on the parts to be covered in linoleum, and terrazzo mosaic in halls and rotundas.<br />
Lastly, but quite important, is the attractive facade, or front, of this new business block, (and we call it "business block" with much gusto.) It has four entrances. Over the left one in raised terra cotta letters are the words, POST OFFICE. Over the right hand entrance is the one wod, STORE, in the same kind of letters, while a long ornamental lintel over the middle, or garage, entrance bears at each end a representation of an automobile wheel, flanked on the left by a pair of nippers above a wrench and on the right hand by an automobile "jack," which replicas are bound together by the appropriate legend: TAXI SERVICE. This lintel with its adornments is strikingly appropriate for a garage whose location is the very best. The word OFFICE adorns the stairway entrance.<br />
Above the central entrance near the roof is an eagle perched upon a United States shield with its traditional thirteen stars and thirteen stripes, all in terra cotta.<br />
The large plate glass window frames are trimmed with genuine copper, thus insuring safety and durability. The front entrances are trimmed in terra cotta, while the front wall is capped with cut stone.<br />
The construction of this building has been greatly retarded because of the inability to secure material. Few buildings are built on the careful and honest lines in both material and workmanship that this one has been, which is a compliment both to the builder, Mr. W. G. Wille, and the owner, E. A. Manuel.<br />
The building will be fully completed and occupied by November first.<br />
In conclusion, this whole structure embodies the ideas of comfort, solidity, strength, durability, and congruity, which typify in many aspects the character of its owner, Dr. E. A. Manuel, who could give to this community no better example of progress and no more fitting monument of his own worth and business integrity. </blockquote>...and now it's a driveway!<br />
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Before this building was built, Dr. Manuel was already operating the Des Plaines Depot Garage here, selling Hupmobiles and Dodge Brothers Motor Cars; this later became Des Plaines Motor Sales in the new building. Manuel's taxi service grew into the Suburban Auto Coach Company and then United Motor Coach (with its passenger depot later in this building), before being absorbed into the Regional Transportation Authority in 1965. Dr. Manuel's impressive house still stands at the corner of Rand Road and Elk Boulevard.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl724d2f9XWij2LhCNGi0aHvaBY3x7Wv6pu2h-sCYE_l42RkMNbBtwwxvHl-StqBVfh8qxjFIMNluAsqjY20wmhCNFJtArQeWuq7VMDSKPSvQSmX2nKzT-uAEKEK-_TbZk1Y5rDisX3qA/s1600-h/Manuel+Stable+1900.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="258" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl724d2f9XWij2LhCNGi0aHvaBY3x7Wv6pu2h-sCYE_l42RkMNbBtwwxvHl-StqBVfh8qxjFIMNluAsqjY20wmhCNFJtArQeWuq7VMDSKPSvQSmX2nKzT-uAEKEK-_TbZk1Y5rDisX3qA/s320/Manuel+Stable+1900.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>The E.A. Manuel Livery and Boarding Stable, circa 1900. From "March of Progress", 1956</i></div><br />
The post office moved to the Masonic Temple building after five years, in 1925, although the back garage portion was later used by the Post Office. Over the years, much of the Terra Cotta on the first floor was removed as the store and garage became an auto showroom, and in about 1954 a total modern aluminum storefront system was installed as Brumlik Shoes moved in.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK_Xu8vjFbILkEdIY1bl_iuUEbcbvGF-8oyHkuCLljNSOI5Xyqq-MSRUWGpAvRN5qAa9vXpbXbpbQPaFAQctDyKgTDB8Rw2VtNUH88yHEI4UoUcrdVh07LLr94g55P1-clSAcu3oDduHo/s1600-h/Brumlik%201946-04.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK_Xu8vjFbILkEdIY1bl_iuUEbcbvGF-8oyHkuCLljNSOI5Xyqq-MSRUWGpAvRN5qAa9vXpbXbpbQPaFAQctDyKgTDB8Rw2VtNUH88yHEI4UoUcrdVh07LLr94g55P1-clSAcu3oDduHo/s320/Brumlik%201946-04.jpg" width="180" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI4TqOAESUwxo-XGDdRFvtJc73sB-sZUk3nAOuupR6hBFh8mtNe4apGjQF2SP4FJ7OTqECNvbWfhtTQWm84I8PcKZTA5q8QeZTiCnfRxj_F41WqOPU-j-agr08DMoeJYDYpxdbgzM07Co/s1600-h/Des%20Plaines%20Motors%201940s.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI4TqOAESUwxo-XGDdRFvtJc73sB-sZUk3nAOuupR6hBFh8mtNe4apGjQF2SP4FJ7OTqECNvbWfhtTQWm84I8PcKZTA5q8QeZTiCnfRxj_F41WqOPU-j-agr08DMoeJYDYpxdbgzM07Co/s320/Des%20Plaines%20Motors%201940s.jpg" width="142" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieryBXzbCTAsVyRpirKW_T86FJk2BAu6bcZAl8VgOazb4Ug-e61aFEGfeYkMsgE8Bl7QSFVEkmZWd0jO-CWeFK1E5xC6TuN3oEjDeSdBaqx5SYv33As5tO_5HOnBBk9Qf4t-c55F9UDdU/s1600-h/Brumlik%201950s.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieryBXzbCTAsVyRpirKW_T86FJk2BAu6bcZAl8VgOazb4Ug-e61aFEGfeYkMsgE8Bl7QSFVEkmZWd0jO-CWeFK1E5xC6TuN3oEjDeSdBaqx5SYv33As5tO_5HOnBBk9Qf4t-c55F9UDdU/s320/Brumlik%201950s.jpg" width="126" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM0D0ThHLzwrvaFvdyDyqRRK4NpkUG23JRlfi5xHdfoNHId8djiqloWelPZmiJWyN2a1tUdlHMfOhRT7COh2hPNz-moAp_Y7cuExHkRILS4KLhRvkP-KsWZiN2AEPjhTAo7oWXglJ9ICo/s1600-h/Brumlik%20Storefront.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="290" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM0D0ThHLzwrvaFvdyDyqRRK4NpkUG23JRlfi5xHdfoNHId8djiqloWelPZmiJWyN2a1tUdlHMfOhRT7COh2hPNz-moAp_Y7cuExHkRILS4KLhRvkP-KsWZiN2AEPjhTAo7oWXglJ9ICo/s320/Brumlik%20Storefront.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>1946 postcard, 1950s postcard, 1960s via Chamber of Commerce booklet</i></div>In 1980 the Des Plaines City Council elected to purchase the Brumlik building to provide access from Miner Street to the Park Place parking lot. This was done in anticipation of a 3-story transportation center on the train depot's site, which would have connected via overhead walkway through this property to another parking deck in the Park Place lot. The transportation center would have connected to the Behrel deck, and in turn to the rest of Superblock, had it developed as planned. Although the owner of Brumlik's protested, the store closed in September, 1980, and the building was demolished the next month.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPtJOgX58SQ3j2nbpYRcC4xRLsZY8jBYzJAgJsYMRsbJAdVsRtzI4ydtV_1MoEB52BuvfRwihDDxXDMb09KdNAN4hl65g0RVhHg6C_K_AUAwkYFaQzgl1-_mxbP55EAp9P2hkpgmOC4XM/s1600-h/Superblock+Diagram.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPtJOgX58SQ3j2nbpYRcC4xRLsZY8jBYzJAgJsYMRsbJAdVsRtzI4ydtV_1MoEB52BuvfRwihDDxXDMb09KdNAN4hl65g0RVhHg6C_K_AUAwkYFaQzgl1-_mxbP55EAp9P2hkpgmOC4XM/s400/Superblock+Diagram.jpg" width="268" /></a></div><br />
By the following March, the transportation center was down scaled to what we see today; there would be no overhead walkways going through the site. A park was built there, Miner Square, and was outfitted for $8,000, then upgraded for $20,000 more two years later. The building's demolition was ultimately unnecessary; an 'arcade' could have been built directly through the building for parking access, as many other downtowns have done. The park was again redone in the late 1990s. The removal of this building made it possible 20 years later to remove the adjacent Brown's building and put in a driveway to Metropolitan Square, further degrading Miner Street.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOjS-z428tqc-CLRgRlV_3mv6T77zzjpX-PWqJCjGttVt4iPsfzMEgO1C-6M6NY5nBPkXOwoP_Ea9ihkhQpGb3n7XobCK2DjRHwCcfflK1gzFF9D9cXiPLvdUv2QVUJbguLoqPgJ5rNcg/s1600-h/Miner%20Square.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOjS-z428tqc-CLRgRlV_3mv6T77zzjpX-PWqJCjGttVt4iPsfzMEgO1C-6M6NY5nBPkXOwoP_Ea9ihkhQpGb3n7XobCK2DjRHwCcfflK1gzFF9D9cXiPLvdUv2QVUJbguLoqPgJ5rNcg/s320/Miner%20Square.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">(2)</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.historicaerials.com/?poi=9868"><img src="http://www.historicaerials.com/featuredPOIImage.aspx?poi=9868" /></a></div><br />
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<br />
Upstairs:<br />
1926 - Dr. Heller<br />
1935 - Dr. R.W. Schulze<br />
1953 - Dr. Warren W. Kreft<br />
<br />
1496 - <br />
<br />
1916-1925 Post Office<br />
1926-? - Behrens Realty<br />
1935-1947 Women's Specialty Shop<br />
1940-1947 - Seurborn Singer Repair (upstairs?)<br />
1956?-1960 - Bus Depot<br />
1958-1964 - Maine Travel Agency<br />
1968-1980 - Ivy Temps<br />
<br />
1500 -<br />
1935-1951 - Des Plaines Motor Sales (Del Townsend Chevrolet)<br />
1954-1980 - Brumlik Shoes<br />
<br />
<i>Photo 1 Courtesy of Mace Mlodoch; Photo 2 Courtesy of Malcolm Mlodoch</i>BWhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04443995905594721900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2717406644323517155.post-7175765428263078572010-02-01T11:15:00.003-06:002010-03-30T11:41:27.606-05:00John Behmiller Building, 1520 Miner<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7Ufy-_mr87Qe2ajcCt4A21Okdgc-qFPYCvRuugOGGGavWVWSS3_xBPjD1aZUR2NXfyrJLgwCn9p9IrnaF0in5wyZRQUwJiChwndIaR9Rfy_0wO4_seuAbxZoE8j_R2GnnAy9unhFBuAw/s1600-h/Behmiller%20IMG_8284-%20copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="368" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7Ufy-_mr87Qe2ajcCt4A21Okdgc-qFPYCvRuugOGGGavWVWSS3_xBPjD1aZUR2NXfyrJLgwCn9p9IrnaF0in5wyZRQUwJiChwndIaR9Rfy_0wO4_seuAbxZoE8j_R2GnnAy9unhFBuAw/s400/Behmiller%20IMG_8284-%20copy.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>The Behmiller Building is one of the most attractive buildings downtown. Built in 1897, it is the only example of Queen Anne architecture downtown, with distinctive twin oriel (bay) windows. It seems to use the same brick, name plaque, and limestone banding courses as the C.W.M. Brown Building next door, suggesting it was probably designed by the same builder/architect, believed to be Frank Cook. There is a cornerstone, but it is now too weathered to read. From what I've been able to discover, it was originally the Behmiller Grocery store, although it became (briefly) Brown's shortly thereafter.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXt361ut_LsdkxppF0b5tBhHs_BqrmHuBJJnwqMl6KC0SRK4Zblp0WiUi5xmz_Roh4D6CAqUQqMNFxF_LdjZluk2pNCca6x3OMky0U8fi5sg_UnY0bkzUOg7IK3kELf3ljHVT5LHxu-4I/s1600-h/Behmiller%20Sears.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXt361ut_LsdkxppF0b5tBhHs_BqrmHuBJJnwqMl6KC0SRK4Zblp0WiUi5xmz_Roh4D6CAqUQqMNFxF_LdjZluk2pNCca6x3OMky0U8fi5sg_UnY0bkzUOg7IK3kELf3ljHVT5LHxu-4I/s400/Behmiller%20Sears.jpg" width="400" /> </a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">At some point, probably the 1950s, it was "modernized" with the addition of a permanent wedge-shaped canopy and new storefronts, with Lannon Stone below. While these aren't terrible and don't detract too much from the building, they do obscure some of its detail.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlzqLUJFzbkkpqmYXeEnRFjywh5ggvv9iIrBa_Sjda8Jfj-LcWMkAhoT4kuivxXrP6tx-Nltwfn6X2iuhnVXo4-imsPP3jOijmGkV08eYZ1eOHok-yHGqdZckvNeYH-TaxeLzehIor_Gk/s1600-h/Behmiller%20Old.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlzqLUJFzbkkpqmYXeEnRFjywh5ggvv9iIrBa_Sjda8Jfj-LcWMkAhoT4kuivxXrP6tx-Nltwfn6X2iuhnVXo4-imsPP3jOijmGkV08eYZ1eOHok-yHGqdZckvNeYH-TaxeLzehIor_Gk/s640/Behmiller%20Old.jpg" width="216" /> </a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">This photo shows the now-hidden base of the oriel windows and the glassy storefronts. Surprisingly, the building also had storefronts in the basement, with a stair going down. (What an awful-looking tree in this photo!) The building today is not too far off from the original. The biggest difference is the now-missing, unusual parapet at the roofline, which contributed to the "peaky" pattern of this end of the block.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bwchicago/3091725092/" title="Miner & Pearson - Hoffman Card by BWChicago, on Flickr"><img alt="Miner & Pearson - Hoffman Card" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3266/3091725092_7a509c1ac3.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Here are some of the businesses that occupied the Behmiller Building:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">1518</div><br />
1937 - Singer Sewing Machine Store<br />
1954-(1979) - Sebastian Real Estate<br />
(1984) - Louis Delegge American Family Insurance<br />
1987-1990 - Susie Software<br />
1993 - The Clock Doctor<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Complete Business Center</div>John's Shoe Repair<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div>1520 <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">1935?-1950 - Square Deal Shoe Store</div>1956 - Holmes Motor<br />
1959 - Des Plaines Dental Laboratory<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Piggy's Market</div>1982 - Lee CameraBWhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04443995905594721900noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2717406644323517155.post-56476972499523204442010-01-25T06:10:00.004-06:002010-06-09T09:21:44.735-05:00Hello Lamppost, Whacha Knowin'? Des Plaines Street Lights<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-vIgCmeh664mGvljfH9B3kLOiYX7NTTe3cWvgIK9KPOLwdDK-JBr6QMLgfx4N5jyoibtg55hzl7ey4O_S8NmwQrTXwqqVdsrbci3J6GsxOGg0NYdHAcoWNszqsBNnaWUbeE5rJjcEJxc/s1600-h/street-light-close-up.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-vIgCmeh664mGvljfH9B3kLOiYX7NTTe3cWvgIK9KPOLwdDK-JBr6QMLgfx4N5jyoibtg55hzl7ey4O_S8NmwQrTXwqqVdsrbci3J6GsxOGg0NYdHAcoWNszqsBNnaWUbeE5rJjcEJxc/s200/street-light-close-up.jpg" width="150" /></a></div>By the end of the year, expect to see 90 new ornamental streetlights throughout the downtown area. 80% of this $1.2 million project is funded by a grant from the <a href="http://www.dot.state.il.us/opp/itep.html">Illinois Transportation Enhancement Program</a>; the remainder is funded through TIF 1. There hasn't been any official word on what these lamps will look like; in that light, let's look at the streetlights that have been used downtown in the past.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiskPLGJfPfjpmIHWhlTvqEXlzuYJKRr6TcuxC1S-4izlwBzjmnyhSMid3NzXl6GxF2KEdpX9X3l4AIWbNG0tVviWqU7_McZmrh7E3ATunF7WwbbmpSdp6BEY78gQNIT2zijHXj0_uvIjg/s1600-h/1915%20Ellinwood%20Lights.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiskPLGJfPfjpmIHWhlTvqEXlzuYJKRr6TcuxC1S-4izlwBzjmnyhSMid3NzXl6GxF2KEdpX9X3l4AIWbNG0tVviWqU7_McZmrh7E3ATunF7WwbbmpSdp6BEY78gQNIT2zijHXj0_uvIjg/s320/1915%20Ellinwood%20Lights.jpg" width="56" /></a></div>These were the first, placed on Ellinwood Street around 1915.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWJuYlv3uFntp5ixHVN43FEhm_ta-ZNlpX1XfDQ9lhovnhcxbrjW5MMWPhjti_45G94l9Ae-QZWq8ZpRH1Yh2G_8elBVDzvWGSaaGY0ndh5oe6sGdbxK8OJz7B-BnJkrOctlbTkpDRXUw/s1600-h/1915%20Miner%20Gillespie%20Printery%20Light.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWJuYlv3uFntp5ixHVN43FEhm_ta-ZNlpX1XfDQ9lhovnhcxbrjW5MMWPhjti_45G94l9Ae-QZWq8ZpRH1Yh2G_8elBVDzvWGSaaGY0ndh5oe6sGdbxK8OJz7B-BnJkrOctlbTkpDRXUw/s320/1915%20Miner%20Gillespie%20Printery%20Light.jpg" width="85" /></a></div>This is the only example of this light, which was placed outside the Gillespie Printery building on Miner street around 1913.<br />
<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFi3QyKh5j6NpuGb1lkng7J8sve3_XNphTfmFYm1ySjoz8whkMbHIMgZU4bDkElbef6RWsdhJ3H61KcsNplV3Dimbrzm73owLkos38-73DWIQ4t2m13gANQekX0cJD9WLRaZanH7KtDb4/s1600-h/1926%20Spanish.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFi3QyKh5j6NpuGb1lkng7J8sve3_XNphTfmFYm1ySjoz8whkMbHIMgZU4bDkElbef6RWsdhJ3H61KcsNplV3Dimbrzm73owLkos38-73DWIQ4t2m13gANQekX0cJD9WLRaZanH7KtDb4/s320/1926%20Spanish.jpg" width="56" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi1DdEOTRFdv1Y9RXOYG3coToEpBirDgoNCB8x3B4fjAQ-fPlFxMHoIo3b2Gq9Go6oJpqXLfXu3lHgFbwl9CuuazlQzWu4oG044yNiDjMK2H0QQ0zZVaQQfOBsaK3_SNEbDhIZc8DMsCI/s1600-h/1945%20Acorn%20Globe%20Replacement.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi1DdEOTRFdv1Y9RXOYG3coToEpBirDgoNCB8x3B4fjAQ-fPlFxMHoIo3b2Gq9Go6oJpqXLfXu3lHgFbwl9CuuazlQzWu4oG044yNiDjMK2H0QQ0zZVaQQfOBsaK3_SNEbDhIZc8DMsCI/s320/1945%20Acorn%20Globe%20Replacement.jpg" width="41" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaCfKy0dTf2h8jA5SlGTUQO4sC9jwjX9OjYOHWf3o38YDDrME5rKQnQIFJQfjF95uEkXKn5CgD8LQfEn9A4Gwd1nWpK44X-PwNxOWgbkX0CWpw8h_Ib7RmGTZfjg4m82LsXrcp2Nu6IpQ/s1600-h/spanish%20streetlight%202.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaCfKy0dTf2h8jA5SlGTUQO4sC9jwjX9OjYOHWf3o38YDDrME5rKQnQIFJQfjF95uEkXKn5CgD8LQfEn9A4Gwd1nWpK44X-PwNxOWgbkX0CWpw8h_Ib7RmGTZfjg4m82LsXrcp2Nu6IpQ/s320/spanish%20streetlight%202.jpg" width="54" /></a></div><br />
These attractive lights were downtown Des Plaines' standard from 1926-1956. The Spanish-style lantern atop a concrete base was modern but still fit in well with the architecture of the city, particularly the Spanish style Des Plaines Theatre and Des Plaines State Bank. Later, around 1946, some of the broken lanterns were replaced by "Acorn" style globes. These standards were all removed in 1954 as these pedestrian-scaled lights were replaced by tall highway lights.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSxHewJ15vAguerxpshAnNjp0nrhHCPq8QGkEKQzm8yhZo8Z602KBxSP9JfmhH80_S39gwdpeMcSvekuxaDNNBGJ4nqDuDA9aFGu0Ol_oQzYYFdJPaGYmpmThm3ExR9OUDuxPNgfgFmZo/s1600-h/1985%20DOT%20Lamps.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSxHewJ15vAguerxpshAnNjp0nrhHCPq8QGkEKQzm8yhZo8Z602KBxSP9JfmhH80_S39gwdpeMcSvekuxaDNNBGJ4nqDuDA9aFGu0Ol_oQzYYFdJPaGYmpmThm3ExR9OUDuxPNgfgFmZo/s320/1985%20DOT%20Lamps.jpg" width="120" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAfSZ5GZt_JfAPLi-rEs8zRFfcDonACi7AA4ffAcTTery7CG35uE-do8ok8bmQMSGbpKSsMcsJnWmbmQ1UvaPgdE5Sl8WZ0BsY2_rE7jMDw7GxTts_0M10uBIfMHiJ9iJqJXROOgRmlpc/s1600-h/1955%20Cobra%20Light.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAfSZ5GZt_JfAPLi-rEs8zRFfcDonACi7AA4ffAcTTery7CG35uE-do8ok8bmQMSGbpKSsMcsJnWmbmQ1UvaPgdE5Sl8WZ0BsY2_rE7jMDw7GxTts_0M10uBIfMHiJ9iJqJXROOgRmlpc/s320/1955%20Cobra%20Light.jpg" width="90" /></a></div><br />
The mercury vapor lights to the left went up soon thereafter. While they were very modern in design, they didn't do much for the sidewalk experience; just shiny poles. This type of light is for lighting the street, not the sidewalk. Inexplicably, one of these still exists at the corner of Ellinwood and Pearson. These were in turn replaced by the similar, but even taller, sodium vapor lights to the right in the mid-80s.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIqu5gRwwkBwwDTdC8RCCGW3I4nva8liZDphPi68omeLg49r1ZSc5ilOCbtmsjQjVGRPYFNeLomAIgIMa26u-2JUELBmhUJ-fwz_GmSIlFfUuOCH2YAThBcaA2Imkem1VTGpVJwkeJzyw/s1600-h/1995%20Acorn%20Light.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIqu5gRwwkBwwDTdC8RCCGW3I4nva8liZDphPi68omeLg49r1ZSc5ilOCbtmsjQjVGRPYFNeLomAIgIMa26u-2JUELBmhUJ-fwz_GmSIlFfUuOCH2YAThBcaA2Imkem1VTGpVJwkeJzyw/s320/1995%20Acorn%20Light.jpg" width="78" /></a></div>So in the mid-1990s the city installed many of this style light in parts of downtown. While not unattractive, this style light tries to look old-fashioned but isn't; you can see many similar lights in shopping centers across the country. Worse, the acorn tops aren't energy-efficient; light shines in all directions, adding to light pollution in the sky while doing a poor job of lighting the sidewalk. The paint on these lights is fading and the globes are discoloring.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTZyrIAbGPBr8oJMEgF3JsUG_8V6mtk-QE6auGJ0r2cf8-of5WeM203HalZFoOWLj0EKPzdEhEUIUuMrSVljZ7lOhf3siOu-AA3egst08q8OPE-IQhyp0Uo09VH6Az2Y3Z2yAbTc5dgqY/s1600-h/2007%20Metropolitan%20Square%20Lights.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTZyrIAbGPBr8oJMEgF3JsUG_8V6mtk-QE6auGJ0r2cf8-of5WeM203HalZFoOWLj0EKPzdEhEUIUuMrSVljZ7lOhf3siOu-AA3egst08q8OPE-IQhyp0Uo09VH6Az2Y3Z2yAbTc5dgqY/s320/2007%20Metropolitan%20Square%20Lights.jpg" width="109" /></a></div><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
These lights are only in Metropolitan Square. They light the street and sidewalk somewhat better than the acorns, and they're not as tall as the Cobras. But they have that fake old-style look, too.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijsUVrp2XjG-gvo1bYHCFDTidg5YgZS59Q7Nz6vO9M5m3N6JLAvMxjwy5T66Q-QlLcDREIg6Cblft-Iv9s9aNA2GhkDHWiw8xE6I9rwvWYSGy3iVT11y-2FXc82OHv8LVgP1h5Vm3o_Rk/s1600-h/C&NW.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijsUVrp2XjG-gvo1bYHCFDTidg5YgZS59Q7Nz6vO9M5m3N6JLAvMxjwy5T66Q-QlLcDREIg6Cblft-Iv9s9aNA2GhkDHWiw8xE6I9rwvWYSGy3iVT11y-2FXc82OHv8LVgP1h5Vm3o_Rk/s320/C&NW.jpg" width="97" /></a></div> Then there were these, used at the C&NW stations.<br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bwchicago/3030685765/" title="Ellinwood and Pearson by BWChicago, on Flickr"><img alt="Ellinwood and Pearson" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3188/3030685765_e366a15795.jpg" width="350" /></a><br />
And the earliest lights of allBWhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04443995905594721900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2717406644323517155.post-12212189306962245782010-01-19T07:00:00.004-06:002010-01-19T08:24:23.771-06:00Our Lost Heritage: Earle House and Rand Mill<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0Eojduzx2E_yI3M3lAcPf9xSVdyBC2zf0thCUU0sH7BMISqndTtPUvVxuDlC3zjWJieSeaqYsymNsccy06Rf0g2viC9LpidJkyn0Si6ydEENsXRRnX5-K3EkSeNPjx759F1_DalOuJM0/s1600-h/HAARGIS%20-%20Earle%20House.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="271" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0Eojduzx2E_yI3M3lAcPf9xSVdyBC2zf0thCUU0sH7BMISqndTtPUvVxuDlC3zjWJieSeaqYsymNsccy06Rf0g2viC9LpidJkyn0Si6ydEENsXRRnX5-K3EkSeNPjx759F1_DalOuJM0/s400/HAARGIS%20-%20Earle%20House.jpg" width="400" /></a><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyZ8hKt4EFiuiSAuMYKxcXch-xUKYvZf77Ioo36smJ3cPuxYqPSfY75iqdXd8yUdi5TE98PHMwdVjoJK4geTKgPS7_TjRl7rTxcOemPuKptLH9z0fQ39zDRDkoAlERxvTu-ZkqKN6neTw/s1600-h/HAARGIS%20-%20Rand%20Mill%202.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="232" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyZ8hKt4EFiuiSAuMYKxcXch-xUKYvZf77Ioo36smJ3cPuxYqPSfY75iqdXd8yUdi5TE98PHMwdVjoJK4geTKgPS7_TjRl7rTxcOemPuKptLH9z0fQ39zDRDkoAlERxvTu-ZkqKN6neTw/s400/HAARGIS%20-%20Rand%20Mill%202.jpg" width="400" /></a><br />
</div>The Earle House and Rand Mill was unquestionably the richest historical site in the city when it was lost in 1978. Today it is largely forgotten, living on mostly in the fading memories of Des Plaines citizens angry about our squandered heritage.<br />
<br />
Here is a list of ideal historic sites; you'll probably agree any of these are places a community would value enough to name a landmark on its own merit.<br />
<br />
-The home of one of the village's first doctors<br />
-The home of a leading citizen, responsible for the creation of the high school, library, parks, and forest preserves<br />
-A beautiful Queen Anne mansion with a distinctive copper dome<br />
-The sawmill, one of the community's oldest buildings, which created the railroad ties for the railroad that was responsible for the development and growth of the town; in effect the heart and engine of the village<br />
-A grist mill that ground farmer's grain<br />
-A business operated by the community's first citizen and civic leader<br />
-A park bringing together the three things most responsible for the community's growth: the river, the train, and the highway<br />
<br />
The Rand-Earle campus was <u>every one</u> of these things. Was this not a History Campus? Was this not a Riverwalk? This could have been a home run of a historic site. Instead, today we are left with The Landmark, a nice condominium with a sick joke for a name.<br />
<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzyolTokpzniVre_5BnM9H9hJl60dY9b1r2_r6wpxIW9u4IUqrg1LRPS-bgZbW3unjUqHVYgHJV3TMOonE8JJrawVV279Kqs7W__q1LsGNnoPnf9XadJGsPbrahcspsrab9MNdjypfy-I/s1600-h/Earle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzyolTokpzniVre_5BnM9H9hJl60dY9b1r2_r6wpxIW9u4IUqrg1LRPS-bgZbW3unjUqHVYgHJV3TMOonE8JJrawVV279Kqs7W__q1LsGNnoPnf9XadJGsPbrahcspsrab9MNdjypfy-I/s320/Earle.jpg" width="211" /></a><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Dr. Earle, who could "see more with one eye than most men could with two"</i> - <i>thus why half his face is shaded.</i><br />
</div><br />
<b>Dr. C. A. Earle</b><br />
<br />
Dr. Clarence A. Earle was one of Des Plaines' first renaissance men, seemingly skilled at everything he tried, and he is accordingly a popular subject in local history books. Don Johnson's 1985 book "Des Plaines, Born of the Tallgrass Prairie, tells us:<br />
<br />
"Clarence Arthur Earle was born in Colfax, Indiana, on February 4, 1862, the son of Silas and Mary Ann Hall Earle. His father died when Clarence was only twelve years old, yet despite this damaging setback, Clarence continued his secondary education, graduating at the young age of fifteen. Soon after, he embarked on a teaching career which lasted from 1877 to 1885. Still, he had never been able to suppress his desire to become a doctor and while teaching in Iroquois County in 1882, Clarence studied medicine in the office of Dr. P. Stebbing of Kankakee. Enrollment at the College of Physicians and Surgeons in Chicago followed, and by February of 1887 Clarence had obtained his coveted medical degree.<br />
<br />
Clarence practiced medicine both as a private practitioner and as an intern [at Cook County Hospital] until 1889, when he and his wife, Helen Pearce Earle, moved to Des Plaines. By the mid-1890s [1892] Clarence's flourishing practice enabled the family to have a spacious home constructed at the northeast corner of River Road and Miner Street.<br />
<br />
A dedicated, talented man, Dr. Earle was, in many ways, the epitome of the storied country doctor. He was also pleasantly eccentric. Some of the city's longtime residents have stated that while answering a housecall, the good doctor would simply drive his Model-A up to the front of the patient's house and then absentmindedly jump out, leaving the car standing in the middle of the street with the engine on and the keys in the ignition. The car was destined to either sit in the street for the duration of the doctor's visit or be moved by the first person who happened along. It seems everyone in Des Plaines knew how to handle the situation.<br />
<br />
Dr. Earle's duties as a physician were not limited to his own successful practice. He acted as a medical examiner for the Chicago and North Western Railroad, the Wisconsin Central Railroad, New York Life Insurance Company, and the Northwestern Masonic Aid Association. Dr. Earle also served as a staff physician for both the Benjamin Electric Company and St. Mary's Training School. It is a fact long known, though latterly often forgotten, that this "country doctor" was also a nationally known expert on childhood diseases [due in part to his involvement at Maryville]. Dr. Clarence A. Earle's lifetime of service came abruptly to an end when he died on October 28, 1938. He was 76 years of age."<br />
<br />
Oh, and where did he park that Model A? In Rand Mill, which he used as a garage.<br />
<br />
The 1916 Beaudette book described him thus:<br />
<br />
"Dr. C. A. Earle, President of the Maine High School Board, comes from an Eastern family of talented writers. He is himself a historian whose articles are much appreciated. Due to Dr. C. A. Earle's activities and interests are most of the educational advantages of Des Plaines. He is ever ready to assist and encourage the aspiring student. Dr. Earle is an acknowledged authority on any subject upon which he condescends to write. His historical data have made him well known, in and about the country. Libraries seek him for authentic facts. He has a daughter, Miss Gladys, who is teaching school, while one of the sons, Walter, is taking a pre-medic course at the Chicago University. Walter is a member of the "varsity" swimming team and took "first" in the inter-department contests last spring. Percy is finishing his high school course at the Maine and is an athlete. The oldest son, Norman, is in the Naval Service. The examinations both physically and mentally at West Point are known to be the most rigorous of any. Mr. Norman Earle gained a record at West Point of ranking<br />
as second in general scholarship.<br />
<br />
Dr. Earle possesses one of the finest historical literary collections in this vicinity, which he continually is increasing."<br />
<br />
Dr. Earle earned that position in part for his work pushing for a high school to be built in Des Plaines in 1902. Earle Field, across Thacker Street, was then named for him; Central School sits there now. As an avid teetotaler, Earle Field came with the provision that alcohol never be served there.<br />
<br />
In the same book, Earle was credited as the driving force behind the creation of the Des Plaines Public Library. The persistent Earle argued for a library for the populace of Des Plaines, a ”largely foreign sturdy industrious people who are just learning the value of an education.”<br />
<br />
"Des Plaines Public Library is a valuable educational asset for the community. Its existence is due largely to the untiring efforts of Dr. C. A. Earle.<br />
<br />
With a courage born of conviction that Des Plaines needed a public library, Dr. C. A. Earle, one of our most aggressive citizens, spared neither time nor energy to awaken the public to a sense of that need.<br />
<br />
Although Carnegie Libraries were not ordinarily established in villages of this size, Dr. Earle won Mr. Carnegie's interest as well as that of the community and on May 2, 1906, the first library board was organized."<br />
<br />
A 2007 Daily Herald article described his contributions: "Then in 1905, 50 voters in the town that then held 1,666 residents placed the issue of establishing a free public library and a tax to support it on the ballot. On April 18, the voters approved the referendum and the village board unanimously resolved to provide $500 per year every year thereafter to maintain the library.<br />
<br />
But even before residents decided in the library's favor, Earle was writing to philanthropist Andrew Carnegie, asking him to fund its establishment.<br />
<br />
"In February of 1904, Dr. Earle received a discouraging letter from Carnegie's personal secretary, informing him that his request ... was out of the question because Des Plaines was too small a community," said Sandra Norlin, the library's present executive director.<br />
<br />
"Undaunted, but polite, Dr. Earle responded. He described Des Plaines as a rural village of 'largely foreign, sturdy, industrious people who are just learning the value of an education,' and, therefore, worthy of consideration," she added.<br />
<br />
Earle received a form to fill out, but no encouragement. However, after two years and several more letters, Carnegie finally agreed.<br />
<br />
"The commitment by Carnegie and the village's officials allowed the library to become one of many civic improvements -- including new schools, parks, sewers, lights and gas -- to create a community that would, according to Dr. Earle , 'stand without a peer among the villages to the northwest of Chicago'," Norlin said. "<br />
<br />
Earle was perhaps the first local historian, writing many articles on history for newspapers and the Des Plaines Historical Quarterly, including one on the origins of the name "Des Plaines". Don Johnson's 1985 book tells us that "Only through his exhaustive research was the pioneer history of Des Plaines preserved for posterity." He descibed his work, saying "To me the collecting of early local history has been an intriguing pastime. I have unearthed interesting records from old attic trunks, from boxes in the lofts of outhouses, corn cribs and garages. In the quest for early local history, the word 'failure' does not exist." He tracked down the Conant Diary, kept by early settler Augustus Conant, the first man to be legally married in Maine Township in 1836, which is one of the key documents of the early history of Des Plaines. The diary was found mouldering in a Rockford garage.<br />
<br />
An absolutely tireless progressive, Earle was a vocal advocate for creating the Forest Preserve system in 1910, which he saw as a way to protect rapidly dwindling native species. In 1913 he moved onto drafting enabling legislation for parks in small towns. In 1919 he and other local leaders met and founded the park district. In 1920 he was elected police magistrate. <br />
<br />
And of course Earle was an important doctor; he was a member of the Chicago Medical Society and was well known for his work in preventive medicine, scarlet fever, and diphtheria. In his spare time, he was active in the Lions Club, Boy Scouts, and botany.<br />
<br />
<br />
How fitting it was for such a prominent citizen and historian to build a prominent house on a historic site! The Earle house, built in 1892, was a Queen Anne gem, complete with a copper domed belvedere. Earle couldn't have picked a more prominent or historic site if he had tried; the very nexus of the factors that allowed Des Plaines to exist. The corner of Miner and Rand Road brought together the river, which had attracted the Native Americans to the site, the railroad, which allowed Chicago to prosper, and the roads, which would grow into highways and bring Des Plaines into the mid-20th century. Des Plaines exists largely because it brings together so many modes of transportation; what site could better express that? <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnjWe9sinCrHm6xIcz1i8e_uaUs1xuOLkT-zvmCjj3DBxlhqLGnEL-RXA10ac8Xt3-do2HLPNuHxGqx4P3KpCIuJ0DzB3hJXQJlOza5XS2JM0YEcWU2q1OOz1kruBgDfPfuH1CTD25yxM/s1600-h/Socrates+Rand.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnjWe9sinCrHm6xIcz1i8e_uaUs1xuOLkT-zvmCjj3DBxlhqLGnEL-RXA10ac8Xt3-do2HLPNuHxGqx4P3KpCIuJ0DzB3hJXQJlOza5XS2JM0YEcWU2q1OOz1kruBgDfPfuH1CTD25yxM/s320/Socrates+Rand.jpg" /></a><br />
</div><br />
<b>Socrates Rand </b><br />
"Squire" Socrates Rand is often thought of as the "father of Des Plaines" because he was among its first officials and led many of the major improvements that brought the town of Des Plaines into being out of a collection of farms. Among his many accomplishments, he laid out the route following a Native American trail for Rand Road, the principal northwestern road and United States Mail Route in 1845. He operated the first hotel. Later he served as supervisor and overseer of highways and bridges. He served as town treasurer for 20 years. Much later, Rand Park would be named for him. These are just a few of his achievements; let's take a look at the timeline of his life to better understand<br />
<br />
1804 - Born in Franklin County, Massachusetts, working on his father's farm and Mill. Was a timber dealer and shipbuilder there and built harbors throughout NY. He attended territorial councils there, where some men told him to go to Chicago. He came to Chicago to work on the harbor in 1834 and bought 320 acres in Des Plaines the next year. He hired a well-to-do man to settle on land west of the river, which induced a band of Germans to settle there. These settlers became supporters of Rand's road building projects.<br />
1835 - Settled on west bank; elected justice of the peace<br />
1836 - Performed first marriage in what would become Maine Township<br />
1837 - Opened home for Episcopal services<br />
1838 - First school in his cheese room, taught by Harriet Rand with about 15 students<br />
1850 - Township of Maine organized; Rand served as moderator at first meeting April 2, 1850<br />
1850 - Married Fanny Wicker<br />
1851 - Postmaster<br />
1851-1852 - Illinois & Wisconsin Railroad builds sawmill with timber donated by Rand; Rand given contract to grade 4 miles of railroad between Norwood Park and Des Plaines<br />
1854 - Job completed, the derelict mill is sold to Rand. Unable to sell the engine, he continues operating itself<br />
1854 - First trains run<br />
1857 - First subdivision of Maine Township, by the Illinois & Wisconsin Land Company, named "Town of Rand" for him. Des Plaines as we know it would grow around this subdivision. Residents would have considered themselves a resident of the Town of Maine, however; Town of Rand was just a name on a plat.<br />
1860 - Provided land for first Methodist Campground, which remained at this location until 1865.<br />
1866 - Sells farmland at corner of Miner and Lee<br />
1868 - Donated timber for German Lutheran Church<br />
1869 - Renamed Des Plaines to match Railroad station, which in turn was named for the river, important for filling up its tank for steam.<br />
1876 - Moved to Chicago<br />
1890 - Died Feb 20<br />
1895 - Widow bought and built house where Des Plaines Theatre now stands<br />
<br />
<b>The Rand Mill</b><br />
The property was first owned by the Thacker family, and in 1851 the Illinois and Wisconsin Railroad company purchased it and quickly erected a sawmill to cut ties for the railroad they were extending from Jefferson Park to Crystal Lake. Although it was on the river, it wasn't hydraulically powered - no water wheel here. The railroad job complete, they sold the mill to Socrates Rand in 1854, since he had worked for the railroad and its associated land development company. Unable to sell the engine, Rand continued to operate it as a saw mill until 1861, when he converted it into a grist mill for farmers to grind their grain; grist mills were de facto centers of the community. The mill closed in 1875.<br />
<br />
Later, his grandson Robert Dooley, son of Earle's daughter Gladys, would recognize that history, boasting in an ad in 1960's <i>Centi-Quad-O-Rama</i>, "It was with a sense of historic destiny that Robert chose the firm's present location on Des Plaines' 125th Anniversary directly behind the home of his grandfather, Dr. Clarence Earle, one of the city's early historians whose writings furnish the basis for most of the background information available on Des Plaines. The old Earle residence was built on the original site of Rand's Mill, the community's first business and oldest landmark." <br />
<br />
By 1970, though, Dooley had changed his tune and sought to have the Mill site rezoned for two four-story apartment buildings. Ironically, Dooley cited the nearby forest preserve - the forest preserve Earle had been responsible for creating - as a factor that would make the site good for apartments. The fledgling Des Plaines Historical Society, then headed by firefighter David Wolf, fought to preserve the Mill. Since the city government was overwhelmingly in favor of rezoning for apartments, the Historical Society fought to preserve it as much as possible; including exploration of moving it to the park next to River Road at Ashland. Neither the move nor the apartments came to pass.<br />
<br />
There was talk of moving the Des Plaines Historical Society to the Earle House instead of moving the Kinder House. By 1974, the Bicentennial Commission, then headed by Wolf, was looking at lasting projects to commemorate the nation's bicentennial; the three ideas were: turning the old city hall into a "heritage hall" that could be used by senior citizens, youth groups and for a public information center; a bicentennial park; or preserving the Earle House and Mill. None of these came to pass. Wolf even included this plan in his platform during his unsuccessful run for mayor in 1977.<br />
In March, 1978, after Mayor Herb Volberding refused to issue a demolition permit, Dooley said that he would demolish the mill unless the city paid him $1 million. He did not base this figure on any appraisal; this was simply his demand. He also claimed that the idea of rezoning the parcel for historic preservation was not a sincere attempt to preserve the property, but part of a long campaign by the city to harass him. He sought to demolish it saying that its deteriorating state had prevented him from receiving insurance for the past five years and wanted to develop the land eventually. He did not have anything to say about why he allowed it to deteriorate to that point. On April 3, the city council voted on a two-week demolition delay, and the Landmark Commission planned a hearing for May 24. Dooley lowered his demand price to $575,000 with the conditions that it be used only for a museum and/or park with prohibition of alcohol (in accordance with Dr. Earle's wishes) and a hearing to discuss the offer was scheduled for May 16; a hearing for National Register status was scheduled for June 15.<br />
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Then on May 14, tragedy struck. A fire broke out in a second floor bedroom of the Earle House, which had been converted into five apartments, and was believed to be caused by an overloaded electrical socket. There was no indication of arson. The fire burned for an hour and caused $50,000 in damage, which wasn't covered by insurance. Damage was mostly contained to the second floor and wasn't considered a total loss, but the 22(!) people living there were left without a home. Dooley hadn't sought to demolish the home, since the rental income was paying the taxes. Dooley withdrew the $575,000 offer and the home and mill were soon demolished.<br />
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As a coda to the story, suitcases and trunks filled with letters and documents that had been collected by Earle were discovered in the charred attic, along with collections of antique tools and medical instruments. They were salvaged by Robert Albrecht, who had demolished the house. Albrecht was disappointed that nobody had discovered the treasure before the house burned; he estimated that only a third was salvagable. Dooley said he didn't want the "junk" unless it was worth something. Albrecht planned to donate the collection to the Des Plaines Historical Society on July 4, 1980, but Dooley then demanded their return; Albrecht feared Dooley would throw them away.<br />
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The Landmark Condominums were started later in 1978.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ61j_Ib_U1Ho6Qe_zs3ZC59lQ4GH8ymD9lWws0D5OvZNDS0jWVjcG2norhzOQUz_HaykZuI_5UyGrAez-s3AK95TxO8roZUyOs2EB-MVMVFrF65oI5KsfGjmMrjt8wPd8SvwgPJrHUQ8/s1600-h/IMG_3972.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ61j_Ib_U1Ho6Qe_zs3ZC59lQ4GH8ymD9lWws0D5OvZNDS0jWVjcG2norhzOQUz_HaykZuI_5UyGrAez-s3AK95TxO8roZUyOs2EB-MVMVFrF65oI5KsfGjmMrjt8wPd8SvwgPJrHUQ8/s320/IMG_3972.JPG" width="320" /></a><br />
</div><div id="greasedLightboxOverlay"><div id="greasedLightbox">(b&w photos from Illinois Historic Preservation Agency's HAARGIS system)<br />
</div></div>BWhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04443995905594721900noreply@blogger.com17