Des Plaines Yesterday and Today
Old Des Plaines Municipal Building Use Hotly Debated in 1974
When it was built at Graceland and Prairie avenues in 1937 it included the city’s administrative offices, police department and library.
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 daily newsletter. The federal government's Public Works Administration aided local projects including this one during the Great Depression. Des Plaines…
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Brian Wolf
3:55 pm on Wednesday, September 19, 2012
Thanks Rick. Dave Wolf is my grandfather and took the color slide photos above. more ›