1000 Old Green Bay
This unique post-modern home, built in 1970, is the newest house on our tour.It was designed by Albert Belrose, who was well-known in the mid-to-late 20th century for his distinctive modern designs. He was born on the south side of Chicago and graduated with a Master’s degree in architecture from Harvard. When he returned to Chicago, he worked for the firm Perkins and Will, who designed the historic Crow Island School in 1940, before leaving to work on his own in the early 1950s.As an architect, Belrose said that he was influenced by the work of Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, the German-American architect regarded as one of the pioneers of modernist architecture. That influence is visible at 1000 Old Green Bay in the steel framing and large glass windows.As an architect working on his own, Belrose designed a number of notable modernist buildings across Chicago and in the suburbs before his death in 2012.While we don’t know for sure, this may be the only house Belrose designed in Winnetka. It currently has no historic status but has been identified as potentially eligible for the National Register of Historic Places.
948 Hubbard St.
This beautiful Italianate house was built for James West, a Scottish-born grocery broker who immigrated to Montreal in before moving to Winnetka in 1869.In addition to his career in the grocery business, West was a self-taught academic of sorts, filling his library at 948 Hubbard with books on all subjects and in many languages. He and his wife, Agnes, taught their 4 children to speak 5 languages from a young age.In 1921, when James West passed away, his son, Roy, took over ownership of 948 Hubbard.Roy West became a successful landscape architect after studying under the famed landscape architect Jens Jensen. He applied his talents to the gardens here at 948 Hubbard, creating a wildflower garden that was beloved by neighbors. Roy West lived in the house until the early 1940s.In 1955, it was sold to Mr. and Mrs. Ezra Pugh, who did more to preserve this house than they likely ever intended. In 1974, a spark from the fireplace in the den caused a disastrous fire that led many to believe the house would be torn down. The Pughs, however, felt the house was “too precious” to be demolished, and instead put all their effort into restoring the interior.The subsequent owners completed the Pugh’s vision for the restoration, which has been well preserved ever since.
874 Green Bay
This attractive, mixed-use Tudor Revival building is likely one of the oldest in this section of the Hubbard Woods business district. We don’t know the exact date of construction, but we do know it was built sometime in the early 1900s.The first known business to occupy the retail space was Darville & Aston Grocers, who rented the space in 1912. In 1921, an addition was built onto the back of the building, resulting in the large multi-use building that exists today.In the late 1920s and 1930s, the enlarged building took on a new purpose – housing several construction-related businesses. As a result, the building was often referred to as the “Builder’s Building of Winnetka." It has been home to a wider variety of business types in more recent decades.Thanks to the many businesses that have utilized and preserved this building, it still stands and has been identified by the state as potentially eligible for the National Register of Historic Places.
859 Burr
This large Colonial style house was built around 1893. Unfortunately, we don’t know who the original architect or homeowners were, but we do know that by 1920, General Jacob Dickinson and his family were living in the house.Dickinson was born in Nashville in 1891. His family moved to Chicago in 1899 so that his father could work as the lead attorney for the Illinois Central Railroad. From 1909 to 1916, his father served as President William Taft’s secretary of war. And another fun fact: the Dickinson family purchased the famous Belle Meade Plantation in Nashville in 1906. Jacob Dickinson’s brother, John, lived in the Belle Meade mansion with his family until his wife died suddenly in 1909 and the family sold the plantation.After moving to Winnetka in the early 20th century, Jacob Dickinson was very active in the community, serving as New Trier Township’s justice of the peace, president of the New Trier Citizen’s League, and as a Village trustee.Since the Dickinson’s lived in the house in the 1920s, very little has changed except for the top floor windows on the north side of the house – there are now two windows, but originally, there were four in a row.Otherwise, this stucco Colonial house is shockingly well-preserved and has been identified by the state as potentially eligible for the National Register of Historic Places.
1141 Chatfield
The beautiful Arts & Crafts home was first built in 1914 for Paul and May Hunter. Originally from Kansas, Paul worked as a wool salesman in Chicago. The Hunters lived in this house until 1923, when they sold it to Hans and Bertha Magnus.Hans and Bertha Magnus both immigrated to Chicago from Germany in the mid-1890s. After they got married in 1901, Hans started working as a glassmaker before finding success as a bristle brush manufacturer. After becoming naturalized citizens, they moved to Winnetka and purchased the home at 1141 Chatfield, where they lived for several decades.Unfortunately, the original building permit application doesn’t list the architect’s name, so that remains a mystery. We do know that the architect was likely skilled and well-versed in the intricacies of the Arts & Crafts style, which was particularly popular in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.This house has several features that make it a good representation of the style, which highlights handcrafted elements and natural materials. Like many typical Arts & Crafts structures, this house has a stucco exterior with wood trim. It originally had decorative wood elements on the columns of the arched entryway that were typical of the style but they have since been removed. The wide eaves braced by wood brackets along the roofline are also representative of the style.Thanks to the care of various owners over its 100+ year history, this house has been well preserved and hopefully will remain so for years to come.
875 Gordon Terrace
This charming Victorian-era house was built c. 1878 by developer E. Ashley Mears, who has quite an interesting history on the North Shore and beyond.Mears was born in Vermont in 1840. He moved to Chicago at a young age, where he first became a stove manufacturer before attending law school and later, diving into banking and real estate. In 1869, Mears married Margaret Everts and had 6 children.Mears made a fortune in banking and real estate. He saw an opportunity to enhance his wealth in Winnetka, which was on the cusp of a real estate boom. In the early-to-mid 1870s, Mears built 14 imposing Victorian mansions in the village.While impressive in stature with unique architectural features on the outside, none of the mansions were complete by the time they were sold. Most of the mansions were sold as a shell of a house, and a poorly constructed one at that. According to Village engineer Frank Windes, the mansions were “cheaply constructed and could hardly stand by themselves when a stiff wind struck them.” Mears had a hard time selling some of the houses and many of the homeowners that purchased a Mears mansion could not afford to complete the construction. Several had to sell or vacate the house due to a lack of insulation during Winnetka’s bitter cold winters.Records show that Mears, under scrutiny for his “loose” business practices and “shaky” banking methods, left Chicago and opened several banks in North Dakota. There, he was investigated for fraud and after losing much of his fortune in the Panic of 1893, moved his family to Minneapolis. Mears died in Minnesota a poor man on May 4, 1912.Many of Mears’ Winnetka mansions, knowns as the “sham mansions,” fared little better than their developer. Some stood vacant while others were torn down, or worse – engulfed in fire (at least 3 suffered this fate). Thankfully, 875 Gordon Terrace escaped such a fate. Unlike most of Mears’ mansion, records show that the house was likely purchased by Mr. and Mrs. Ralph Miller the year it was built. The Millers had sold the house by 1900, and it changed hands several times until 1922, when it was purchased by Lettie Johnston.From 1922 to 1934, Johnston, a progressive educator, ran a “farm school” at her home at 875 Gordon Terrace. Her school emphasized a hands-on approach to learning, teaching children how to raise animals and grow crops through practice.While homeowners like the Millers and Lettie Johnston ensured that the Mears mansion at 875 Gordon Terrace survived into the 20th century, they may not have realized that Mears had cut corners in its construction. As a result, by the time Johnston sold the house in the 1940s, it was reportedly in such bad shape that it appeared to be on the brink of collapse. The homeowner, Fred Wale, recognized the historic significance of the house, and repaired the structure to save it from ruin.In 2005, the house underwent an extensive renovation, adding on the entire western side of the house as well as the wrap around porch. While much of this structure has changed, the original portion of the house still maintains elements of the Victorian structure that was built in 1878.
900 Green Bay
The small, unassuming building at 900 Green Bay is nestled between two multi-level, mixed use brick buildings and as such, may easily be overlooked. Yet, it stands as an important remnant of Hubbard Woods’ early history and commercial development.While the exact build date is unknown, 900 Green Bay was likely built sometime in the late 19th or early 20th centuries with the address 904 Linden (now Green Bay). By 1914, maps show that four nearly identical tiny structures stood side-by-side at 904, 906, 908, and 910 Linden. By 1917, 904 Linden’s three sister buildings had been demolished and replaced by a large single building at 902 Linden, which was home to the Hubbard Woods Electric and Hardware store.In the 1920s, the u-shaped, mixed use Tudor Revival building just south of this building was constructed and given the address 894-900 Linden (now 894-896 Green Bay). Subsequently, 904 Linden was renamed 900 ½ Linden. In the 1930s, an addition was constructed on the back of the tiny building, likely to be used as an office or storage or, possibly, as a small living space.While maps show that 900 ½ was home to businesses throughout the first half of the 20th century, interestingly, there are no listings in the directories for any businesses until the 1950s when it was home to a jewelry retail and repair shop. It remained a jewelry shop until the 1970s when it was rented to Lawrence Romanoff Antiques. After Lawrence Romanoff Antiques closed in 1977, 900 ½ Linden was rented to various businesses, including Initial It, Leaky Water Services, and Best Wishes Inc.Since 1995, Michael’s Shoe Repair has run a successful business at 900 Green Bay (formerly 900 ½ Linden). With a prime location in Hubbard Woods’ bustling commercial district, the building’s former and current owners have no doubt faced pressure to alter or demolish the tiny shop. Thanks to their steadfast commitment to preserving the structure as is, it is now one of the only early buildings in downtown Hubbard Woods that has stood for well over a century.
940 Green Bay
While the Tudor-style building on the northwest corner of Gage and Green Bay looks modern, portions of it surprisingly date back to the late 1800s. Built by Swedish immigrant Carl Forberg, it was originally constructed on Gage Street between Green Bay (then called Linden Avenue) and the train tracks where the southern side of Hubbard Woods park is located now.With retail on the bottom and apartments on the top floors, the Forberg building was the center of Hubbard Wood’s downtown in the early 1900s. By 1920, the building housed several businesses in its retail spaces, including Forberg’s Grocery at 1059 Gage, the Hubbard Woods Post Office at 1061 Gage, H. E. Odhner’s Tailor Shop at 1063 Gage, and William Aitken’s real estate office at 1065 Gage.When Carl Forberg died in 1921, the building was left without an owner. Later that year, the it was condemned to clear the land for a park. Rather than demolish the building, the Park District solicited bids to move it from the property.William Aitken, a tenant in the building with a successful real estate development business, clearly understood its historic value and purchased it from the Park District for $5,000. Aitken then paid $6,000 to move the 55-by-95 foot building across Green Bay Road to the northwest corner of Gage and Green Bay.Aitken was proud of keeping the post office in continuous operation throughout the process of moving and construction. According a 1923 article in the Winnetka Talk, “Aitken decided that if Uncle Sam wanted to continue to do business ‘at the old stand,’ well, he could arrange it.” The article goes on to explain that “While the post office was ‘on wheels,’ he provided heat by electricity, although it was necessary to cut the wiring almost daily while the journey was underway.”Once in its new location, Aitken extensively remodeled the building in a Tudor style so it would blend seamlessly with the construction that surrounded it and quickly filled it with new tenants. Notably, there has been a barbershop at 1083 Gage Street continuously since the Aitken building was completed in 1922. While it currently does not have any historic status, the building has been a major landmark in Hubbard Woods for well over 100 years.
1010 Green Bay
The history of the site of the building at 1010 Green Bay, which is located in both Winnetka and Glencoe, dates back to Glencoe’s first settlers, the Taylor family. Anson and Lisa Taylor arrived in the area in 1835, building the first settler home in Glencoe near present-day Sheridan Road. Their son, John Taylor, was born in the family’s log cabin in 1855. Around 1881, John built a house at present-day 1010 Green Bay when he married Maria Stupey from Highland Park. The Taylor’s house remained on this site until the late 19th or early 20th century when it was moved to an unknown location.By the late 1930s, Winnetka’s Hearthstone House Restaurant, which was first opened in 1923, had outgrown it’s 110-seat location at 920 Linden (now Green Bay) in Hubbard Woods. To expand, the restaurant’s owner, Donald G. Robertson, purchased the old Taylor homestead in 1940 and hired architect Ralph Stoetzel to design the current building as a 240-seat restaurant across three dining rooms with a private party room on the second floor.While the Hearthstone House Restaurant was open for several decades, it lasted less than ten years in the expanded restaurant building. In 1949, the Hearthstone House officially closed at 1010 Green Bay.That year, the owners sold the property to Charles A. Stevens & Co., one of the country’s largest women’s clothing and accessories stores. Founded in 1886 as catalog business, Charles A. Stevens opened its flagship store (designed by Daniel Burnham) in Chicago on State Street in 1912. The women’s fashion store was immensely successful, eventually opening 29 locations in Chicago and its suburbs. Like it’s Chicago flagship, the Winnetka/Glencoe location proved successful for many decades. In 1988, however, the chain’s success ran its course and the company filed for bankruptcy and closed all its remaining locations.After Charles A. Stevens & Co. closed, the building at 1010 Green Bay changed hands again when it was purchased by Bank of America. The Bank of America has been open at 1010 Green Bay for over 20 years and remains in business there today.While the building has been renovated to suit the needs of the various businesses that have occupied it, several of its noteworthy features remain, including its signature white columns and decorative entryway.
