Des Plaines on YouTube

Des Plaines on YouTube: History Book Author

The author of a new book chronicling Des Plaines history spoke about the work in a video published by the Des Plaines Public Library.

The author of a new book chronicling Des Plaines history spoke about the work in a video published by the Des Plaines Public Library. David Whittingham, readers’ advisor at the Des Plaines library, in cooperation with the Des Plaines History Center authored Images of America: Des Plaines, released in November 2012, and celebrated at a release party in December. Whittingham, speaking at the historical Kinder House, said many people in Northern Illinois think of Des Plaines as being very similar to other suburbs, blending in. “But there’s a lot of very distinctive, special things to Des Plaines, and that’s one of the things I tried to point out in the book is some of those special things,” Whittingham said. Two aspects of the city that have …

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Des Plaines Yesterday and Today

Des Plaines History Retrospective 2012

We reflect on the buildings we lost and the history we rediscovered.

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 these short histories of places in Des Plaines has had several layers. I wanted to help current residents remember the different roles places have …

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Des Plaines Yesterday and Today

Phat Bao Temple Continues Diverse Spiritual Legacy

The church building at Prospect Avenue and Illinois Street has been home to several congregations.

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 anticipation for the new church's 1960 completion, the old church was sold to St. John Greek Orthodox Church in August 1959, and another addition was completed …

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Des Plaines Yesterday and Today

Hair Salon, Yoga Studio, Frame Shop, Occupy Historic Paint Store

The building on the southwest corner of Lee Street and Prairie Avenue was constructed in 1949 and home to Prairie Lee Paint Store.

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 a curved corner, giving it a sleekness rarely seen in downtown Des Plaines. The recessed, angular storefronts made a stark contrast, putting much of …

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New Des Plaines History Book to Be Released

“Images of America: Des Plaines” by David Whittingham, in cooperation with the Des Plaines History Center and Des Plaines Public Library, will be available beginning Nov. 26.

A new book that chronicles the growth of Des Plaines will be officially released on Nov. 26. Images of America: Des Plaines, by David Whittingham in cooperation with the Des Plaines History Center and the Des Plaines Public Library, features approximately 200 historic photographs. The book tells the story of a community, called Rand, that began in the 1830’s, when settlers built farms along the Des Plaines River, and follows the expansion of Des Plaines into the modern-day suburb it has become, according to a press release by Arcadia Publishing. A reception to celebrate the book release will take place at the Des Plaines Public Library, 1501 Ellinwood St., on Dec. 14. Whittingham will give a presentation about the book, and will be …

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Des Plaines Yesterday and Today

Hardware, Grocery Stores Preceded Mexico Restaurant in Downtown Des Plaines

Mexico Restaurant has become a fixture of downtown, and its heavily-remodeled home held several important businesses before it.

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 Lee Street. For 77 years prior, the space at 694 Lee was one of downtown's oldest retail businesses. When Ace Hardware closed, generations of Des …

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Make Sugar Skulls at Des Plaines History Center

At a Dia de los Muertos celebration, children who visit the history center on Oct. 27 will be able to experience this fun Mexican tradition.

House Fire, Nursing Home Strike, Maine West Soccer Suspensions, More Top Stories

A roundup of the most-read stories from Oct. 7 to Oct. 13.

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Des Plaines Yesterday and Today

Historic Lustron Home Recently Sold in Des Plaines

Unusual steel home on Lincoln Avenue sold for $105,000.

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 wood or nails. It is on a steel frame, with porcelain enameled steel exterior wall panels that never need painting. Windows were aluminum-framed. …

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Photos: Historic Figure Robert Kennicott

The naturalist, explorer, Smithsonian founder was son of Dr. John Kennicott, one of the first doctors in the Des Plaines area.

The mysterious circumstances surrounding the death of one of the Des Plaines area’s most prominent historical figures will be discussed at a special fundraising program hosted by the Des Plaines History Center on Oct. 4. Robert Kennicott was a prolific naturalist, explorer and founding member of the Smithsonian Institution when he was found dead on a riverbank in Alaska in 1866, while on an expedition for Western Union to plan for telegraph lines and collect more specimens for the Smithsonian. In these images we see Robert Kennicott dressed in clothes like those worn by French Canadian trappers at the time, the last known photograph of him in his Western Union uniform, a picture of his father, Dr. John Kennicott, one of the first doctors …

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