As 2012 comes to a close, so does my contributions to the Des Plaines Yesterday and Today column. I began writing about Des Plaines history in 2009. My curiosity about Des Plaines history reached back to my childhood, but I was always frustrated at how it could be difficult to discover the stories behind the places around us. I realized that the imperfections and scars on the buildings I passed daily were marks left by other members of our community. As I gained the skills needed to uncover these stories, I felt compelled to make these marks legible for future generations. My goal in writing …

A humble church with a spiritual history sits at Prospect Avenue and Illinois Street. It has served as an incubator to several growing congregations during its history. The little church grew when 43 members founded Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in 1945. At the time, the meetings were held in a private home. Then, in 1946, the simple, concrete block church was built. The congregation grew, and the church expanded in 1947, again in 1950. The congregation completed construction itself. By 1954 the church was running out of room, and launched a fundraising drive for a new edifice. In …

It may not look like it today, but the building at the southwest corner of Lee Street and Prairie Avenue is a streamline moderne gem. Constructed in 1949, the building was originally home to the Prairie-Lee Paint Store. Founded in 1929 at 718 Lee Street, Prairie-Lee advertised itself as "Des Plaines Oldest and Most Complete Paint Store". Besides paint and supplies, Prairie-Lee carried wallpaper, custom venetian blinds, window glass, and pictures & picture frames. The last item would prove key, as Prairie-Lee survives to this day as Prairie-Lee Print and Frame. The building originally featured…

One of Des Plaines' oldest mexican restaurants is housed in a building with a long past of its own. Mexico Restaurant has quietly been one of the longest lasting eateries in downtown Des Plaines. Its first location on Ellinwood Street was demolished in the mid 1980s for an ill-fated redevelopment scheme which would not materialize for another 15 years, ultimately taking the form of Library Plaza. In the meantime, Mexico Restaurant became one of the few tenants to thrive in the ill-fated Des Plaines Mall, and one of even fewer to survive the mall's demise. In 1998, the restaurant moved to 694 …

A home on Lincoln Avenue, sold within the last week, is one of Des Plaines' more unusual dwellings. The home is a Lustron, one of seven in Des Plaines. Introduced in 1947, the Lustron was one of the most popular and unique premanufactured houses in the U.S. The Chicago Vitreous Enamel Corporation created the Lustron Home. Because of post-war shortages, the government ordered all materials to go to the housing effort. Unable to make its panels for gas stations and commercial remodeling, the Lustron was created to keep the company in business. Unlike most houses, the Lustron contains almost no …

In 1935, Des Plaines' city leadership was feeling cramped, and applied for a grant to find relief. The old Village Hall, built in 1892, was created to serve a much smaller village than the city that existed 44 years later. Des Plaines had grown, with annexations and subdivisions of former farms, a larger administration that had to fit in quite a small space, shared with police and fire. A new municipal building at Graceland and Prairie avenues was dedicated on June 26, 1937. Today, the site provides parking for the Civic Center and the Des Plaines Police Department. Sign up for Patch’s free …

Joseph Jefferson and his sons, Hiram, Daniel and Luther were pioneers of the Des Plaines River valley. They arrived by 1839. The travelers were Wealthy farmers from Vermont and they purchased land on a glacial ridge adjacent to the Des Plaines River, ensuring fertile soil. The Jeffersons built a large enterprise on their Woodside farm. Hiram and his father built two log cabins on the land, which were later replaced by a frame house and in about 1856 by the brick house, which now houses the Izaak Walton League. The Izaak Walton League is a nationwide conservation organization. Founded in …

Today, tidy ranch homes surround the hidden Shagbark Lake, a product of Des Plaines' very first industry. The homes have spectacular views and access to lake recreation, but are prone to flooding. In 1868, Franklin Whitcomb purchased 36 acres of land along the Des Plaines River. Of these acres, 20 contained clay suitable for brickmaking. The factory sat on what is now River Road at the end of Campbell Avenue. The clay pits were south of what is now Algonquin Road. Whitcomb was foreman at Park Ridge's Penny & Meacham brickyard, the industry which established that town, first known as …

From the 1950s to the 1970s, the drive-in movie was a summer ritual. While today only two drive-ins exist in Chicagoland - the Cascade in West Chicago and the McHenry Drive-in Theater - there were once many. Changes in moviegoing habits and real estate pressures led to the disappearance of most drive-ins, but memories endure. For Des Plaines residents, the local drive-in was the Oasis, named for the nearby Des Plaines Oasis on the tollway. The theater opened in 1961 and held 1,546 cars. The drive-in took the Oasis concept to the extreme. While most drive-in theaters lacked a theme, the Oasis …

In the first image Village Hall is pictured, circa 1936, at Ellinwood and Lee streets. The front of the building, as shown, faced Ellinwood Street, and the old Des Plaines fire station side faced Lee Street. The photograph is from the Des Plaines History Center’s collection, and records show it was donated by the Des Plaines Fire Department in 1971. Stay connected: Receive an email from Des Plaines Patch with headlines. The second image is of the same site as it appears today, with an American Mattress store, 1461 Ellinwood St., occupying the corner of a strip mall in the Library Plaza …

Soon, a car dealership will hold its grand opening on Rand Road while another down the street closes its doors. Jidd Motors, specializing in used luxury cars, both domestic and import, was founded in Brookfield in 2010 and is in the process of opening, while Napleton Chrysler Jeep Dodge plans to move out. Earlier: Bus Stop Causes Controversy Built in 1969 for Doyno Motors Des Plaines Volkswagen, the starkly modern and glassy International Style building exemplified the hip new import, priced at only $2339. In 1973, they added Mazda to the lineup, and in 1980, Peugeots began to be sold as well…

Today's Independence Day parade kicks off at 10 a.m. down Center Street in Des Plaines with the theme, "Des Plaines... You've Got Talent!" While once the parade went the short distance down Ellinwood Street, and later down Lee Street for decades, since 1992 it has led down tree-lined Center Street. Through it all, the patriotic theme has endured and grown. Although we may be in another dry spell for fireworks, Des Plaines has not forgotten how to celebrate our country. Stay connected: Receive an email from Des Plaines Patch with headlines in the morning.

A new drive-in opened in Des Plaines last week, and, while Des Plaines has been home to a number of drive-ins, Rand Red Hots, 1441 Rand Road, is the only one that still looks like a drive-in. Rand Red Hots has a very brief menu, reminiscent of the limited-menu, fast-service model perfected by McDonald's, whose first corporate restaurant is just around the corner on Lee Street. Rand Red Hots has given the building a major makeover, with new blacktop and concrete, a rebuilt restaurant area, removed car shelters, new lighting outside, and more. Open from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., business has been …

Related: Check out all three posts about Maryville's history. In 1950, the school was renamed Maryville Academy and the campus Maryville, City of Youth. Postwar prosperity decreased the number of residents to about 700 by 1952, and foster homes began to take the place of institutional living. The schools closed by the end of the 1960s. The job of once again reinventing Maryville fell on Father John Smyth, appointed superintendent in 1970 to an organization operating at an enormous deficit. He began fundraising, building residential cottages, and planning to demolish the obsolete buildings …

Related: Check out all three posts about Maryville's history. The school was productive and successful, and the campus doubled in size to 880 acres with the purchase of the adjacent Parmalee farm. The new land was intended to be used for a Catholic university in the future. However, disaster struck on October 15, 1899, devastating the largest institution of the Chicago Archdiocese. A fire of undetermined origin, thought to have started by a dropped coal or candle, ignited the wooden chapel, and flames quickly spread to the administration building, barns, grain sheds, and shop buildings. The …

The Maryville grounds are a familiar sight in Des Plaines, and were one of the features to put Des Plaines on the map in the late 1800s. While the campus has been remade several times over, one of the most prominent buildings, the Villa, has been maintained since 1897. Perhaps the only place in Des Plaines that could truly be called a mansion, the Villa was designed for the archbishop to beat the summer heat. Earlier: Patch contributors are wanted, religious leaders, business leaders, nonprofit communicators and more. The history of Maryville Academy's campus, 1150 N. River Road, began in …

After 20 years in business, Oliveti's Italian Ristorante, 1575 Ellinwood Street, has closed its doors for good. The business appeared to fall on hard times during the recession in the last several years, and the building has been listed for sale for two years. In addition, new Italian restaurants have opened and increased competition in the area. Stay Connected: Receive an email from Des Plaines Patch with headlines in the morning. Oliveti's was named after a suburb of Salerno, Italy, where former owner Anthony Ferrazzullo was born. It began as a small cafe in Arlington Heights specializing …

The Des Plaines Methodist Camp Ground opened for its 153rd season on June 3, including its historic pool. Many residents do not realize it, but the campground, 1900 Algonquin Road in Des Plaines, is open to the public, and the public is especially welcome at the pool. But all the cool summertime dips might have never been, had a group of guys not decided to wheel a piano around the countryside collecting donations for its construction 90 years ago. Earlier: The newest park in Des Plaines had a grand opening recently. Fundraising for the $30,000 pool was handled led by a group of young men at …

Built in 1902 at a cost of $15,000, Maine Township High School was fairly small, designed by architect F.C. Allen, who worked nationwide, and built by Danville contractor Moore & Son. The school wasn't ready by opening day, so its students met in the old grammar school in Park Ridge until November 8. It would be a relief to students who until then attended high school in Jefferson Township. It could not have been crowded, though, because only 35 students attended opening day, swelling to 50 students by the end of the year. The first graduating class of 1904 numbered just 3. Along with the …

While Des Plaines has had a litany of failed development schemes, Riverview was the first and largest. Bounded by Oakton, River, Touhy, and Lee streets, it experienced a quick burst of activity, then fizzled. All that remains of its fledgling industry today is a building occupied by Schawk, Inc., a graphics service and brand design company, 1695 S. River Road, numerous identical frame houses, and a church. After the construction of the Douglas Aircraft Plant during World War II, many of the streets filled with economical but sturdy colonial brick duplexes, wiping out any remaining signs of …