Wednesday, April 18, 2012
Forest would be the second "expansion" elementary school added after the early North, South/Central, and West Schools, which all opened before World War II.
- THE NEIGHBORHOOD FILES
- Brian Wolf
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Wednesday, April 18, 2012
Des Plaines' rapid expansion in the 1950s - coupled with the Baby Boom - meant a big growth in the demand for schools. In 1952, Manilow Homes, the developer of the Des Plaines Villas subdivision, purchased a 20 acre plot between Forest Avenue, Fifth Street, and Algonquin Avenue for use as a school. Earlier: Forest School Snapshots First, Algonquin School was built, opening in 1954 and serving Kindergarten through Eighth Grades. This was always meant as a temporary condition, however, and the second phase, Forest Elementary School, was planned and opened in 1956. Forest would be the second "expansion" elementary school added after the early North, South/Central, and West Schools, which all opened before World War II at their original sites…
42.027558
-87.90658
Forest Elementary School
1375 S 5th Ave, Des Plaines, IL
/articles/forest-elementary-school-now-a-cornerstone-of-district-62
277114
/locations/6824196
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
Historic corner anchored by old bank building.
Last week we looked at the southeast corner of Lee and Ellinwood Streets, a view that has changed drastically several times over its history. Just across the street, on the southwest corner, a different story emerges. Earlier: The corner of Lee and Ellinwood streets reborn with Library Plaza. This corner hasn't changed much at all since 1940. It's still dominated by the gleaming marble Des Plaines State Bank building. Next door is the Echo Theatre building, which then held Charles Romano's Tavern and a barbershop, and now holds Athena Investment Group. The next building in the old picture once held the studio of William J. Thiede, the local photographer who made many of the earliest photographs of Des Plaines. Later, Sheppard's Home …
42.04113
-87.88804
Lee St & Ellinwood Ave, Des Plaines, IL
/articles/lee-street-at-ellinwood-then-and-now
/locations/6341549
Thursday, February 2, 2012
From Village Hall to Library, one of the prime downtown corners has seen it all.
- THE NEIGHBORHOOD FILES
- Brian Wolf
-
Thursday, February 2, 2012
Since the opening of Library Plaza in 2000, the central block of Ellinwood Street has returned as a vital part of downtown Des Plaines. In Des Plaines' shopping heyday, this had been the very center of downtown, always with a wide variety of stores. Earlier: Des Plaines State Bank. This is evident looking at these photos. In the first photo, taken about 1909, the stores are mostly frame buildings, with the brick Village Hall on the corner and Spiegler's Department Store a more permanent brick. Remarkably, by the next picture, taken about 1939, every building had been replaced, with the Village Hall replaced by a modern new terra cotta store building featuring a Kroger Grocery. Many of the frame buildings were themselves not even the first …
42.04113
-87.88804
Lee St & Ellinwood Ave, Des Plaines, IL
/articles/lee-and-ellinwood-streets-then-and-now
/locations/6341523
42.040694
-87.886897
Des Plaines Public Library
1501 Ellinwood Ave, Des Plaines, IL
/articles/lee-and-ellinwood-streets-then-and-now
277224
/locations/6341524
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
In these cold days of winter a picture like this helps us remember what awaits us in the spring.
- THE NEIGHBORHOOD FILES
- Brian Wolf
-
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
Pastel modern houses, men in straw hats, glassy buildings overlooking a sun-drenched and deep blue body of water... if I didn't know better, I'd think I was looking at a snapshot of Miami Beach in the 1960s! What we actually see here is the mid-century modern clubhouse at Lake Park, circa the 1960s, serving the 18-hole, par 3 golf course and marina. Earlier: Down by the water at Lake Opeka and Lake Park. From these early days, Lake Park has grown into a mature park. While there weren't even any trees when this picture was taken, today Lake Park includes the beautifully landscaped Lake Opeka, walking paths, a gazebo, fishing pier, volleyball courts, playgrounds and a band shell, providing year-round recreation. Connect on Facebook.
42.016512
-87.898257
Lake Park Clubhouse
1015 Howard Ave, Des Plaines, IL
/articles/des-plaines-or-miami-beach
1561639
/locations/6204673
42.01664
-87.89436
Lake Park
Howard Ave & Lee St, Des Plaines, IL
/articles/des-plaines-or-miami-beach
1508883
/locations/6204674
42.012999
-87.894326
Lake Park Memorial Pavilion
2200 Lee St, Des Plaines, IL
/articles/des-plaines-or-miami-beach
1561629
/locations/6204675
Michael Aldridge
8:20 pm on Thursday, February 9, 2012
When viewing old photos, I marvel at how open and uncluttered city streets once were. Today they littered with an ugly forest of multiple traffic lights, parking signs, painted crosswalks, turning arrows, even signs to tell us when to cross the street. How very modern. Returning the 2-way traffic wouldn’t be a bad idea either. more ›