William Rosenwald (August 19, 1903 – October 31, 1996) was an American businessman and philanthropist. His American Securities Corporation invested in other business including AMETEK and Western Union International. He helped establish the nationwide United Jewish Appeal in 1939 and made other charitable grants through the William Rosenwald Family Fund. His father was Julius Rosenwald , the former chairman of Sears, Roebuck and Company and a leading philanthropist whose Rosenwald Fund built 5,000 schools for black children in the South a few decades after the Civil War.
106-573: William Rosenwald was born in Wilmette, Illinois , in 1903; the second son of Julius Rosenwald and the former Augusta Nusbaum. He attended the MIT Sloan School of Management , where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in 1924. Rosenwald also attended Harvard University for a year as well as the London School of Economics . He was employed by Sears, Roebuck starting in 1928, and was a director of
212-817: A 1935 interview, Rosenwald stated that "There is the thought in my mind -- and that I would like to get across to the Jews of America -- that to the extent that the Jews as a whole help their suffering brethren, we will fortify the Jews of all countries against anti-Semitic onslaughts." He organized the National Refugee Service (later a part of the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society ) in 1939, to help resettle refugees. In 1938, Rosenwald married Mary Kurtz, his second wife, with whom he had three daughters. Kurtz died in 1985. In January 1939, Rosenwald's National Coordinating Committee Fund joined with Rabbi Jonah Wise of
318-739: A behind-the-scenes interview. The story's author, William Goldman , was born in Chicago and grew up in Highland Park a little more than ten miles north of Evanston. Evanston's growth occurred largely because of its accessibility from Chicago by rail. The Northwestern founders did not finalize their commitment to siting the university there until they were assured the Chicago & Milwaukee Railway line would run there. C&M trains began stopping in Evanston in 1855. Evanston later experienced rapid growth as one of
424-408: A city to be named Evanston after John Evans , one of their leaders. In 1857, the request was granted. The township of Evanston was split off from Ridgeville Township; at approximately the same time, that portion of Ridgeville south of Devon Avenue was organized as Lake View Township . Evanston was formally incorporated as a town on December 29, 1863, but declined in 1869 to become a city despite
530-413: A compromise with the village. The village had previously been unwilling to rezone the property to permit him to house his commercial offices there. As a result, Marshall had been unable to get a building permit for the home. Marshall made an offer to members of the headquarterless organization, he would let them house their headquarters in the basement of the studio if they could convince the village to issue
636-464: A female householder with no husband present, and 45.61% were non-families. 34.79% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.46% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.22 and the average family size was 2.40. The city's age distribution consisted of 19.9% under the age of 18, 16.0% from 18 to 24, 25% from 25 to 44, 23.1% from 45 to 64, and 16.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age
742-532: A high degree of land speculation and settlement. The Chicago and Milwaukee Railroad tracks were built in 1855, facilitating the settlement of what would become the North Shore. Several large owners of land within the former reservation saw the opportunity to develop a community, and offered to build a station at their own expense if the railway would agree to stop in Wilmette The offer was accepted, and in 1869,
848-514: A lakefront amphitheater at Gilson Park. The venue, now known as the Wallace Bowl (in honor of Gordon Wallace, Park District superintendent from 1936 until 1968), opened the following year. In 1931 Green Bay Road was opened, supplementing Sheridan Road's role as a North-South arterial route through the North Shore. A Coast Guard station was established in Wilmette Harbor in 1931. In 1933
954-607: A large new church was instantly underway (completed in October 1939). It is believed that had Hitler/the Nazi's obtained the money, it would have gone towards Nazi military. After the Attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941, village life revolved around the war effort: bond drives, air raid drills, scrap drives, and victory gardens were the order of the day. The Wilmette Council of Civil Defense, under
1060-572: A letter commending Monsignor Neumann and St. Joseph's for their courage in undertaking the large task during the Great Depression. The Great Depression greatly impacted No Man's Land, forcing the closure of Vista del Lago. A fire that broke out in the Miralago on the night of March 8, 1932, severely damaged the building along with many nearby properties (such as the structures abandoned by the defunct Breaker's Beach Club and Vista del Lago), thus tolling
1166-517: A long legal battle, Wilmette annexed No Man's Land. Evanston, Illinois Evanston ( / ˈ ɛ v ən s t ən / EV -ən-stən ) is a city in Cook County, Illinois , United States, situated on the North Shore along Lake Michigan . A suburb of Chicago , Evanston is 12 miles (19 km) north of Downtown Chicago , bordered by Chicago to the south, Skokie to the west, Wilmette to
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#17328766115371272-584: A permit approving construction of its first apartment building, the Linden Crest Apartments at the intersection Fifth Street and Linden. This launched a controversy, and a "No Flats" campaign was held during the following year's election. Consequentially, very few apartment buildings would be constructed in the village for the next four decades. The oldest surviving Bahá'í House of Worship began construction in 1920 (it would not be completed until 1953). See "Attractions" below. Across Sheridan Road from
1378-434: A permit. Soon afterwards, the village was convinced to issue a permit allowing for the construction of a "clubhouse-studio". Marshall constructed his forty-room pink- stucco Spanish Colonial Revival mansion from 1922 until 1924 and decorated it with rare art and furniture. It was said to have cost somewhere between $ 500,000 and $ 1,000,000 to construct. The house was built into a bluff so that only one of its three stories
1484-448: A popular filming location. Evanston as of December 2008 is listed as a filming location for 65 different films, notably those of John Hughes . Much of the 1984 film Sixteen Candles was filmed in and around Evanston, the 1988 film She's Having a Baby , as was the 1989 film Uncle Buck , the 1993 film Dennis the Menace , and the 1997 film Home Alone 3 . A number of scenes from
1590-433: A population of only 1,500 twenty years earlier. The Wilmette Health Center (a free clinic ) was founded that same year. Between 1900 and 1920 the village saw its population more than triple to 7,814. In 1922 the village adopted the "Plan of Wilmette", which outlined a vision for its future that included open spaces along Green Bay Road and the elevation of the railroad tracks to provide unobstructed flow of traffic between
1696-597: A result of this change of ownership, the Sheridan Shores Club was evicted from their headquarters in the lower floor of the Marshall Mansion. In 1937 the Sheridan Shore Yacht Club constructed a new clubhouse at Wilmette Harbor. The Goldblatt family offered to gift the former Marshall mansion to the village for use as a community center. However, the village declined their offer. The opulent mansion
1802-534: A separate entity from Wilmette. Gross Point remained a small community, with its population never exceeding 500. Taverns were a major business in Gross Point. At least fifteen operated along Ridge Road, the village's eastern boundary, directly across the street from St. Joseph's. These were controversial: many in surrounding communities, especially Evanston (home to the Women's Christian Temperance Union ) bitterly opposed
1908-515: A total area of 7.80 square miles (20.20 km ), of which 7.78 square miles (20.15 km ) (or 99.72%) is land and 0.02 square miles (0.05 km ) (or 0.28%) is water. In October 2006, the city voted to sign the United States Conference of Mayors Climate Protection Agreement, and a number of citizen task forces convened to develop a plan to reduce the city's carbon footprint . The Evanston Climate Action Plan ("ECAP"), accepted by
2014-468: A vote of 168 to 165; three others also failed. Following the result of these votes, the village improved its own services. Among the efforts at improving the village's services was the construction of a central fire station in 1899. Paving of the village streets with specially made bricks began in earnest at this time, as well. New Trier High School, built in Winnetka but also drawing students from Wilmette,
2120-588: Is located 14 miles (23 km) north of Chicago 's downtown district . Wilmette had a population of 28,170 at the 2020 census . The first and only Baháʼí House of Worship in North America is located in Wilmette. Wilmette is also home to Central Elementary School and Romona Elementary School, both recent recipients of the National Blue Ribbon award bestowed by the U.S. Department of Education. Wilmette
2226-590: Is the issue of Northwestern University's status as a tax-exempt institution. In the founding charter of Northwestern University, signed in 1851, the state granted the school an exemption from paying property taxes, and unlike other well-off private universities with statutory exemptions, it provides its own police services, but not firefighter/paramedic services. It pays water, sewer, communications, real property transfer taxes, and building permit fees, but not property taxes. Northwestern does not make Payments in Lieu of Taxes for
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#17328766115372332-514: Is today known simply as west Wilmette was once a very distinct community. German-speaking Roman Catholic farmers from the Mosel Valley near Luxembourg in what is now Germany, many of them from in and around the city of Trier (for which the New Trier Township would later be named), had begun settling the area in the late 1830s. They developed a cohesive farming community and were active in
2438-822: Is within the boundaries of Evanston Township High School District 202. The school district has a single high school, Evanston Township High School , with an enrollment of just over 4,000, covering grades 9 through 12. Evanston-Skokie Community Consolidated School District 65 , covering all of Evanston and a small part of Skokie, provides primary education from pre- kindergarten through grade 8. The district has ten elementary schools (kindergarten through fifth grade), three middle schools (grades 6 through 8), two magnet schools (K through 8), two special schools or centers, and an early childhood school. Private schools located in Evanston, Illinois include: In 2006, National-Louis University closed its former main site, which had 6.5 acres (2.6 ha) of land, with about 33% in Evanston;
2544-783: The American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee , Rabbi Abba Hillel Silver of the United Palestine Appeal , to form the United Jewish Appeal for Refugees and Overseas Needs. The founders emphasized that the funds needed to support Jews in Europe and Palestine would be triple to quadruple the amount raised in the previous year. While the organizations would raise funds together, the Joint Distribution Committee would assist Jews in Europe,
2650-659: The Dnieprovsky District of the City of Kyiv , Ukraine in 1988, and sister cities with Belize City, Belize in 1992. Evanston has a council-manager system of government and is divided into nine wards, each of which is represented by an Alderman, or member of the Evanston City Council. Evanston was heavily Republican in voter identification from the time of the Civil War up to the 1960s. Richard Nixon carried it in
2756-582: The Edens Expressway ( I-94 ), and McCormick Boulevard, although the first two of those do not extend to Evanston itself and require driving through Rogers Park (via Sheridan Road or Ridge Avenue) and Skokie, respectively. The main routes from the north are the Edens, Green Bay Road, and Sheridan Road. Active modes of transportation include miles of sidewalks and bicycle lanes. Two hospitals are located within Evanston's city limits: A perennial debate in Evanston
2862-546: The Linden station in Wilmette . Metra 's Union Pacific North Line also serves Evanston, with stations at Main Street , Davis Street and Central Street , the first two being adjacent to Purple Line stations. The CTA's Yellow Line also runs through the city, though it does not stop there. Evanston is served by six CTA bus routes as well as four Pace bus routes. Automobile routes from Chicago to Evanston include Lake Shore Drive ,
2968-585: The Woman's Christian Temperance Union . Evanston is the birthplace of Tinkertoys , and is one of the locations claiming to have originated the ice cream sundae . Evanston was the home of the Clayton Mark and Company, which for many years supplied the most jobs. Evanston was a dry community from 1858 until 1972, when the City Council voted to allow restaurants and hotels to serve liquor on their premises. In 1984,
3074-451: The poverty line , including 7.5% of those under age 18 and 6.6% of those age 65 or over. 12.3% of Evanston's 9,259 businesses were Black-owned in 2012, and 24% of the city's 2,041 employer firms were women-owned in 2017. As of 2015, according to the State of Illinois Dept Commerce and Economic Opportunity and Individual Employers , the top employers in the city are: Once the home of one of
3180-433: The 1830s and 1840s, although the territory had no defined boundaries. The area remained only sparsely settled, supporting some farming and lumber activity on some of the higher ground, as well as a number of taverns or "hotels" along the ridge roads. Grosse Pointe itself steadily eroded into the lake during this period. In 1850, a township called Ridgeville was organized, extending from Graceland Cemetery in Chicago to
3286-478: The 1968 presidential election. The city began trending Democratic in the 1960s, though it never elected a Democratic mayor until 1993. In the 2012 presidential election, Democratic incumbent Barack Obama won 85% of Evanston's vote, compared to 13% for Republican challenger Mitt Romney . In the 2016 Democratic primary, Hillary Clinton received 54% of the votes of Evanston Democrats to Bernie Sanders ' 45%. During that year's general election, Clinton won 87% of
William Rosenwald - Misplaced Pages Continue
3392-574: The 1986 Garry Marshall film Nothing in Common were filmed on the Northwestern University campus and Evanston's lakeshore. Although not filmed there, the 2004 film Mean Girls is set in the Chicago suburbs, and makes several references to the area. The movie's screenwriter and co-star, Tina Fey , had worked at the Evanston YMCA when starting her comedy career. In the 2003 film Cheaper by
3498-581: The Bahá'í property, Wilmette Harbor experienced a plethora of changes in the twenties. The Sheridan Shore Yacht Club opened in Wilmette Harbor during the 1920s. The club was housed in a space on the lower floor of the Marshall mansion (architect Benjamin Marshall 's opulent residence and studio), which sat along Sheridan Road on the south side of the harbor. Marshall had allowed the club to be located in his mansion as
3604-442: The Chicago and Milwaukee Railway (later the Chicago and North Western) began service to the station. The first station burned, but the second one had been finished by 1874 and is still in existence today. This was a predecessor of today's Wilmette station . In 1871 Central School, the community's first public school, was established in a one-room schoolhouse . The community was officially incorporated on September 19, 1872, as
3710-582: The City Council in November 2008, suggested over 200 strategies to make Evanston more sustainable, principally by reducing carbon emissions associated with transportation, buildings, energy sources, waste, and food production. In June 2011, the United States Conference of Mayors awarded Evanston first place in the small city category of the Mayors' Climate Protection Awards, based largely on the city's use of
3816-596: The Council voted to allow retail liquor outlets within the city limits. In March 2021, Evanston became the first city in the United States to pay reparations to African American residents (or their descendants) who were victims of unfair housing practices. The city council of the city voted 8 to 1 to approve the reparations which consisted of a $ 25,000 payment to African American households that can be used as down payments on their homes, house payments or for home repairs. This
3922-522: The Dozen , the family moves to Evanston. Additionally, 1993 film Rookie of the Year , starring Gary Busey and Thomas Ian Nicholas , was partially shot at Haven Middle School . The 2015 ABC Family reality series Becoming Us was filmed in Evanston. In The Princess Bride , according to IMDb , the screenplay says that the boy and his grandfather live in Evanston. This was also stated by Mandy Patinkin in
4028-611: The ECAP, which the city asserts has reduced emissions by 24,000 metric tons per year. On September 15, 2011, Wal-Mart presented Mayor Tisdahl with a $ 15,000 award in recognition of the honor, which the mayor donated to Citizens' Greener Evanston. As of the 2020 census there were 78,110 people, 27,918 households, and 15,184 families residing in the city. The population density was 10,012.82 inhabitants per square mile (3,865.97/km ). There were 34,462 housing units at an average density of 4,417.64 per square mile (1,705.66/km ). The racial makeup of
4134-501: The Illinois legislature passing a bill for that purpose. Evanston expanded after the Civil War with the annexation of the village of North Evanston. Finally, in early 1892, following the annexation of the village of South Evanston, voters elected to organize as a city. The 1892 boundaries are largely those that exist today. In the late summer of 1912, the beaches in Evanston were infested with thousands of rats . The rats had burrowed into
4240-637: The Nanzig family. Its building would later become the home of the American Legion Post 46. By the early 1890s the Chicago & Milwaukee Railroad had double-tracked its line in Wilmette. In 1890 Wilmette constructed its first village hall. In 1892 the village began purchasing treated water from Evanston and had begun to set up telephone service. In 1895 the village established the Wilmette Public Works Department to provide maintenance to
4346-600: The Northwestern Elevated tracks. After leaving the Linden station, the trains ran west on Greenleaf Avenue , before running north alongside the tracks of the Chicago & Milwaukee railroad. The segment which ran parallel to the Chicago & Milwaukee railroad is today occupied by the 9-mile Green Bay Trail . Wilmette was home to a variety of social and literary clubs. Among these was the Wilmette Woman's Club, which
William Rosenwald - Misplaced Pages Continue
4452-526: The Ouilmette family's reservation. Ouilmette lost the suit and paid a large bill in court costs. It was after this that the Ouilmette family decided to leave. In 1838, the Ouilmette family moved to Council Bluffs , Iowa , where many Potawatomi had previously relocated. Archange Chevallier Ouilmette died there on November 25, 1840, and Antoine Ouilmette died there on December 1, 1841. After Archange's and Antoine's deaths, seven of their children petitioned
4558-715: The United Palestine Appeal would aid the Jewish community in Palestine, including refugees from Europe arriving there and the National Coordinating Committee Fund would assist refugees arriving in the United States. From 1942 to 1946, Rosenwald was one of the UJA's three national chairmen, leading the first campaign to raise more than $ 100 million, and led campaigns again from 1955 to 1957. In 1974, Rosenwald oversaw
4664-503: The United States. Prior to then, because Masses were only celebrated in German, English-speaking Catholics petitioned the Archdiocese of Chicago to open a second parish in the area, which would become St. Francis Xavier Church in 1904. Upon the death of Fr. Netstraeter in 1924, it was discovered that he bequeathed a large monetary sum of his estate for the construction of a new church. The money
4770-553: The Village of Wilmette, at Andrew Sherman's house on Greenleaf Avenue. John Westerfield, whose large farm on the lakeshore occupied the area where the original Ouilmette cabin had been, was elected as the new village's first president. In 1875 Wilmette's Protestant denominations partnered to construct the Union Evangelical Church at the northeast corner of Wilmette and Lake Avenues, an arrangement that would ultimately fail, as
4876-507: The area for generations. In the 1850s and 1860s, more prosperous entrepreneurs from New York State and the Eastern seaboard bought out many of these settlers. Among them were Alexander McDaniel (who had arrived in the 1830s, then returned from the California gold rush with money to invest), John G. Westerfield, Henry Dingee, and John Gage. During this period, Illinois more generally was experiencing
4982-471: The area, and had at least some semi-permanent settlements along the trails. French explorers referred to the general area as "Grosse Pointe" after a point of land jutting into Lake Michigan about 13 miles (21 km) north of the mouth of the Chicago River . After the first non-Native Americans settled in the area in 1836, the names "Grosse Point Territory" and "Gross Point voting district" were used through
5088-505: The chairmanship of David C. Leach, organized a wide range of activities, including classes designed to train citizens in first aid, fire-fighting, demolition, marksmanship, and bomb disposal. Air raid wardens for every block enforced blackouts and manned battle stations during drills. On Sunday, May 23, 1943, a mock air raid on the village dropped hundreds of paper-bag "bombs" of brightly colored streamers, to test local readiness. Eighty-three service members from Wilmette lost their lives during
5194-438: The church opened a school. Many of the children in Gross Point attended school at St. Joseph, where they were taught by nuns from Milwaukee's School Sisters of St. Francis until 1981; the Archdiocese of Chicago closed the school in 1986, but parish families reopened it a decade later. The German language was frequently used in the classrooms up until World War I , when the school abandoned this practice due to anti-German feeling in
5300-414: The city was 59.06% White , 16.06% African American , 9.92% Asian , 0.67% Native American , 0.06% Pacific Islander , 4.46% from other races , and 9.78% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race were 11.24% of the population. There were 27,918 households, out of which 26.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.44% were married couples living together, 8.71% had
5406-400: The community was incorporated as the Village of Gross Point, using the traditional voyageur name for the area immediately north of Chicago. Some prominent Gross Point family names include Hoffmann, Braun, Bauer, Schneider, Schaefer, Schaefgen, Reinwald, Bleser, Schwall, Engel, Steffens, Lauermann, Thalmann, Loutsch, Rengel, Nanzig, and Borre. For the next half-century, Gross Point would remain
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#17328766115375512-425: The construction of the canal would ultimately create approximately twenty-two acres of landfill from excavated materials next to the mouth of the canal. Illinois law stipulated that an organized Park District had the authority to, without any cost, take possession of any man-made land for use as parkland. Citizens, thereafter, petitioned for a vote to be held on the prospect of establishing Park District. An election
5618-527: The depression, the Works Progress Administration program undertook a project in Wilmette to resurface brick streets. Bricks were removed and relaid upside-down, exposing a smooth non-weathered side. Another WPA project that was undertaken was the refurbishment of Wilmette pier, which is located just north of the mouth of Wilmette Harbor and had originally been built in 1906. An additional WPA project broke ground in 1936, beginning construction on
5724-409: The east and west parts of the village. While few of these specific plans ever materialized, the 1922 plan represents the beginning of zoning as a mode of shaping the village's development. In 1919 the neighboring Village of Gross Point was dissolved due to bankruptcy. It was subsequently annexed by Wilmette, with one part being annexed in 1924 and the rest in 1926. In early 1924 the village issued
5830-526: The federal government for permission to sell the land, as the treaty had stipulated that no part of land could be sold without permission from the President of the United States. All of the children, except for one, were living in Council Bluffs with no intention of moving back. They reasoned that they were living too far away to protect the land from illegal timber poaching. President James K. Polk approved
5936-410: The final death knell for an exuberant era of No Man's Land's history. Wilmette's first brush with Nazi Germany came by way of a financial lawsuit against St. Joseph Catholic Church (Wilmette, Illinois) . In the wake of Chicago Cardinal George Mundelein 's criticisms of Adolf Hitler in 1937, (see Paper hanger (Mundelein's speech) ), ridiculing Hitler for his mistreatment of Catholics, St. Joseph's
6042-460: The firm from 1934 to 1938. It was also in 1928 that Rosenwald married his first wife, Renee Scharf, daughter of Austrian painter Viktor Scharf II. He organized a family effort in the mid-1930s to provide assistance to relatives in Europe affected by the rise of Nazi Germany . By 1948 over 300 individuals had been brought to the United States and provided with work and places to live. An additional 300 family members in Europe were also provided for. In
6148-597: The first Marshall Field's and Sears stores in suburbia, Evanston has several shopping areas: The Evanston Public Library was established in 1873, and has a satellite branch at the Robert Crown Community Center. Heather Norborg is the Interim Library Director. The North and South Branches of the Evanston Library were closed in 2021. The City of Evanston became sister cities with
6254-561: The first streetcar suburbs . The North Shore Line , the interurban railroad that gave the area its nickname , ran through Evanston and continued to Waukegan and Milwaukee . The city is still connected to Chicago by rail transit. The CTA 's Purple Line , part of the Chicago 'L' system, runs through Evanston. From its terminal at Howard in Chicago, the line heads north to the South Boulevard , Main , Dempster , Davis , Foster , Noyes , and Central stations, before terminating at
6360-684: The first appearance of street lights were lined and turned on. Today, the city is home to Northwestern University, Music Institute of Chicago , and other educational institutions, as well as headquarters of Alpha Phi International women's fraternity , Rotary International , the National Merit Scholarship Corporation , the National Lekotek Center, the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity, the Sigma Chi fraternity and
6466-472: The foot of Lake Avenue, the site of today's Gillson Beach, with facilities including a bathhouse, swings, benches, and umbrellas. In 1912 the Northwestern Elevated Railroad (today's Chicago Transit Authority Purple Line ) extended its service into Wilmette. This occurred without permission from the village, as the tracks were extended from the route's existing terminal in Evanston into
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#17328766115376572-414: The former site of Logan School. Sheridan Road opened on October 8, 1900. This opened up the North Shore to automobiles, providing a north-south arterial roadway along the lakeshore. In 1900, by a margin of 62 to 52, village residents approved a referendum to establish a free public library, thus establishing the Wilmette Public Library . In 1905, with the assistance of funds from Andrew Carnegie ,
6678-431: The governance of New Trier Township (established in 1850), which built roads, schools and drainage ditches. Due to the rural area, it was a difficult place for the Chicago diocese to staff with priests. Eventually, Fr. William Netstraeter was appointed in 1872, and he would serve the faith community for five decades, as well as become a Wilmette trustee for two terms (i.e. mayor) and help found New Trier High School. In 1874,
6784-404: The groups came to construct their own churches. The largest denomination, the Methodists, were left with ownership of this first church building In the 1880s the Royal Arcanum Hall, a barn-like building on the northeast corner of Wilmette and Central Avenues, served as a gathering place for local residents, while the train depot served as a polling space during elections. Much of the area that
6890-411: The influence of Chicago, externally, and Northwestern, internally. The city and the university share a historically complex long-standing relationship. Prior to the 1830s, the area now occupied by Evanston was mainly uninhabited, consisting largely of wetlands and swampy forest. However, Potawatomi Native Americans used trails along higher lying ridges that ran in a general north–south direction through
6996-483: The landfill into usable parkland. The North Shore Channel project, completed in 1909, also resulted in the creation of Wilmette Harbor. Wilmette's first informal beach was established at the foot of Elmwood Avenue in 1910. Wooden steps were constructed down the bluff to allow access to the beach from the street. In 1914 the Wilmette Beach Improvement Association was founded to clean up the village's unsupervised shoreline. The group established an official swimming beach at
7102-503: The last being born in 1808. On July 29, 1829, as a condition of the Second Treaty of Prairie du Chien , the U.S. government awarded 1,280 acres (5.2 km ) of land in present-day Wilmette and Evanston to Archange Chevallier Ouilmette. The Ouilmettes moved into a cabin that they built on this reserved land. In the late 1830s Antoine Ouilmette was involved in litigation against Joseph Fountain of Evanston and others, whom he accused of trespassing and illegally harvesting timber from
7208-487: The majority of the land was in Wilmette. Founded in 1855, Evanston is home to Northwestern University . Located along Lake Michigan, Northwestern's campus spans 240 acres with an estimated 250 buildings. Since 1908, Kellogg School of Management as well as Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary (1853) have institutions, of which both share the campus with Northwestern. Evanston's variety of housing and commercial districts, combined with easy access to Chicago, make it
7314-410: The merger of the joint campaign between United Jewish Appeal of Greater New York and the Federation of Jewish Philanthropies and was named as the first president of the combined campaign. This joint fundraising campaign by the two philanthropic organizations was the first step in the complete merger of the organizations in 1986. Rosenwald served on the board of the Tuskegee Institute for 40 years and
7420-420: The north shore up to Lake Forest, the committee was ready to purchase farmland to the west of the city when Orrington Lunt insisted on one final visit to the present location. They chose a bluffed and wooded site along the lake as Northwestern's home, purchasing several hundred acres of land from John Foster, a Chicago farm owner. In 1854, the founders of Northwestern submitted to the county judge their plans for
7526-406: The north, and Lake Michigan to the east. Evanston had a population of 78,110 as of 2020 . Founded by Methodist business leaders in 1857, the city was incorporated in 1863. Evanston is home to Northwestern University , founded in 1851 before the city's incorporation, one of the world's leading research universities . Today known for its ethnically diverse population, Evanston is heavily shaped by
7632-564: The north, experienced a period of tremendous exuberance. The Spanish Court , one of the nation's earliest automobile-centered shopping developments, was constructed in No Man's Land. Building began on such private clubs as the Miralago Ballroom, an early Art Deco building designed by George Fred Keck, which opened in 1929. Teatro del Lago, an opulent movie house, opened in 1927. In 1931 Universal Oil Products co-founder Carbon Petroleum Dubbs
7738-477: The quantity of dead fish that was cast to shore by the waves. The weather also played a role since the close proximity to the beaches allowed the rats to swim out in the water during the hot summer. During the 1960s, Northwestern University changed the city's shoreline by adding a 74-acre (30 ha) lakefill . In 1939, Evanston hosted the first NCAA basketball championship final at Northwestern University's Patten Gymnasium . In August 1954, Evanston hosted
7844-451: The real estate it removes from property tax rolls. Its backers, like former Evanston mayor and Northwestern alumna Lorraine H. Morton, contend that the benefits of having an elite research institution justify Northwestern's tax status. These supporters highlight the fact that Northwestern University is the largest employer in Evanston, and that its students and faculty constitute a large consumer base for Evanston businesses. This controversy
7950-471: The residence cost him $ 200,000. On January 27, 1934, the village celebrated the opening of its own water plant that was completed largely due to Dubbs' commitment to the project. The village had previously been purchasing its water from Evanston. Not only did Wilmette start pumping its own water, but by the year 1938 Wilmette was selling water to Glenview . By the end of Dubbs' tenure as Village President in 1935, Wilmette had become fiscally solvent. During
8056-494: The sale of the land, and in 1845 the entire reservation was collectively sold by the Ouilmette children, save for one sliver that Joseph Ouilmette sold individually at a later date. A number of early settlers worked small farms in the area, many of them near the lakeshore. Mary Dennis, Max Dusham, Charles Beaubien, Simon Doyle, Wendal Alles, Joel Stebbins, and Arunah Hill were among the most prominent members of this thinly settled community, and some of their descendants remained in
8162-578: The saloon trade, and made several attempts—ultimately successful—to shut it down. Upon the passing of the Eighteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution , there was attempted attack of the St. Josephs rectory where Fr. Netstraeter lived, as he was an advocate for prohibition. St. Joseph Roman Catholic Church was established in 1845 at the corner of Lake Avenue and Ridge Road. In 1873,
8268-568: The second assembly of the World Council of Churches , still the only WCC assembly to have been held in the United States. President Dwight Eisenhower welcomed the delegates, and Dag Hammarskjöld , secretary-general of the United Nations , delivered an important address entitled "An instrument of faith". Evanston first received power in April 1893. Many people lined the streets on Emerson St. where
8374-424: The sides of the lake banks, dug holes in the sand, and hid under piers. Most of the rats were extremely large and savage, attacking people who disturbed them. Local bathers struggled to navigate the shores, constantly stepping into the hidden rat holes. John Morgan, the manager of an extermination company tasked with removing the vermin, stated that it was not uncommon for rats to live around the lake's shore because of
8480-542: The southern edge of the Ouilmette Reservation , along what is now Central Street , and from Lake Michigan to Western Avenue in Chicago. The 1850 census shows a few hundred settlers in this township, and a post office with the name of Ridgeville was established at one of the taverns. However, no municipality yet existed. In 1851, a group of Methodist business leaders founded Northwestern University and Garrett Biblical Institute . Unable to find available land on
8586-527: The village restricted the use of unofficial beaches, such as the one at the foot of Elmwood Avenue. Despite this people still continued to visit the Elmwood beach until the village constructed a fence to block street access to it in the 1960s. Among the residents that were affected by the depression was architect Benjamin Marshall, who was forced to sell his house to Nathan Goldblatt (of the Goldblatt's chain). As
8692-586: The village was able to erect a new building for its library at the corner of Park and Wilmette Avenues. The North Shore Channel, which terminates in Wilmette, was a crucial part of the huge engineering and sanitary project to reverse the course of the Chicago River in order to carry Chicago's sewage away from Lake Michigan. In 1907, upon beginning construction of the North Shore Channel , Sanitary District of Chicago president Robert R. McCormick noted that
8798-477: The village's 'Kenilworth Gardens' subdivision was developed during this time. Much of the Indian Hills Estates was also developed at this time, with the assistance of federal loans. In November 1934, Monsignor John Neumann oversaw the building of a new school for St. Joseph Catholic Church (Wilmette, Illinois) . It was the only building constructed in the entire Midwest that year. President Roosevelt sent
8904-417: The village's border under the cover of darkness before the morning of April 1, 1912. Later that year, a second track was added in Wilmette and the station's platform was elongated. In 1913 the tracks were extended deeper into the village and the makeshift station that had been constructed under the cover of darkness was replaced with two new stations in Wilmette at Isabella and Linden , the latter of which
9010-439: The village's infrastructure. In 1897 the railway built a new and larger Frost & Granger -designed station house for its Chicago & Milwaukee station, on the east side of the tracks. The 1874 station building was relocated and used for freight, and later for general storage. The Chicago, North Shore and Milwaukee (North Shore Line) began service in Wilmette in 1899. Its route (from south to north) entered Wilmette along
9116-413: The vote in Evanston, while Republican Donald Trump received just 7%. Evanston's turnout for presidential elections has grown steadily since 2004, with 80% of registered voters voting in the 2016 general election. In the 2020 presidential election, Democrat Joe Biden received 90% of the vote, while Republican Donald Trump received only 7%. Most of Evanston (and a small part of the village of Skokie)
9222-470: The war. The Wilmette Coast Guard Station was given an increased workload during World War II, placing a heavy burden on the station's staff of 40 men. The voluntary civilian Wilmette Coast Guard Auxiliary was formed to assist the station's guardsmen during the war. Many of the Auxiliary's 64 members came from the Sheridan Shore Yacht Club and used their personal vessels to assist in operations. In 1942, after
9328-410: Was 36.2 years. For every 100 females, there were 91.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.3 males. The median income for a household in the city was $ 82,335, and the median income for a family was $ 130,494. Males had a median income of $ 56,582 versus $ 42,589 for females. The per capita income for the city was $ 53,685. About 4.6% of families and 11.7% of the population were below
9434-474: Was a forested area with high bluffs along its lakeshore. Before European settlement, members of the Potawatomi tribe lived in the area that would later become Wilmette. Native Americans were forced out of the area by treaties in the 1820s and 1830s. The village is named in honor of Archange and Antoine Ouilmette . Archange Chevallier Ouilmette was born in approximately 1781 at Sugar Creek, Michigan . She
9540-684: Was a longtime board member of the New York Philharmonic . He served on the executive committee of the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee for five decades and was an active leader of the American Jewish Committee and the Council of Jewish Federations, among many other organizations. Rosenwald died at age 93 on October 31, 1996, at his apartment on the Upper East Side of Manhattan . Rosenwald
9646-466: Was blatantly political and clearly orchestrated by the Nazi Party in retaliation for Cardinal Mundelein's "one armed paper hanger" remark. A Chicago circuit court validated Fr. Netstraeter's will, and the money was quickly rewarded to the Archdiocese, ergo St. Joseph's. Folklore believes that Cardinal Mundelein told his chief architect, Joseph W. McCarthy , to "Put the money into brick!" and construction of
9752-511: Was designed by Arthur U. Gerber and served as the line's terminus. More than 400 men from Wilmette and Gross Point Village served during World War I. 150 of them served overseas, thirteen (12 from Wilmette, and one from Gross Point) lost their lives in the war. Many women back home volunteered in the Wilmette branch of the American Red Cross Auxiliary. By 1918 the village of Wilmette had increased its population to 5,000 from
9858-404: Was elected Village President. At the time that he took office, the village was approaching bankruptcy. To stabilize its finances, Dubbs cut the village's budget and refused his salary. In 1932, despite the onslaught of a national depression, Dubbs was able to finish construction on Lochmoor, his Phillip Brooks Maher-designed lakefront mansion located along Wilmette's Michigan Avenue. Construction of
9964-605: Was founded in 1891 as a reading club but quickly expanded to embrace a wide variety of philanthropic activities. Another was the Sunday Evening Supper Club, which would host such prominent speakers as William Jennings Bryan and Jane Addams . Referendums were held in 1894 and 1897 over whether Wilmette should seek to be annexed by neighboring Evanston . Proponents wanted to take advantage of Evanston's then superior fire, police, and water services, as well as Evanston Township High School. One annexation referendum lost by
10070-503: Was held January 1908, with 174 votes in favor of creating a park district and 37 votes against it. The Wilmette Park District Board of Commissioners was appointed, serving the entirety of the village, as well as a segment of northeast Evanston (responsibility for which was later assumed by the Evanston Park District). The Wilmette Park District's Board of Commissioners held their first meeting on February 17, 1908. State legislation
10176-412: Was one of the North Shore's most extravagant residences. Development of Wilmette's 'Indian Hill Estates' subdivision began in 1926. The subdivision featured long winding roads named after Native American tribes, and its homes were built on well-manicured lots featuring deep setbacks. The early homes developed were given European styles and names. In the 1920s, No Man's Land , an unincorporated area to
10282-406: Was opened in 1901. A series of new schools were built in the nineties to serve Wilmette's growing community. In 1892 an eight-classroom brick school building was built to house Central School, replacing the previous one-room structure. Logan school was opened in 1893 on Kline Street as a one-room school house. Its building would subsequently be expanded. Today, McKenzie Elementary School stands at
10388-491: Was passed May 25, 1911, granting the Park District ownership of the landfill. Ultimately, the Park District gained ownership of a riparian property stretching between Lake Avenue and Forest Avenue. Today, this land forms much of Gillson Park. The excavated material that formed the landfill turned out to largely consist of a relatively impervious blue clay. Mulchings and plantings began part of a years-long process of transforming
10494-495: Was revived in 2003 when the university purchased an eight-story office building downtown, removing it from the tax rolls. An advisory referendum put on the April elections ballot, dubbed by supporters as a "Fair Share Initiative", received a majority, but was not passed into ordinance by the City Council. During the tenure of Elizabeth Tisdahl as mayor, relationships between the university and Evanston improved. Upon arriving at Northwestern in 2009 president Morton O. Schapiro forged
10600-630: Was survived by his three daughters, Nina Rosenwald being one of them, and five grandchildren. In 1960, Rosenwald received the Solomon Bublick Award of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem in recognition of his "significant contribution to the progress and development of Israel”. Wilmette, Illinois Wilmette is a village in Cook County, Illinois , United States. Bordering Lake Michigan , Kenilworth , Winnetka , Skokie , Northfield , Glenview , and Evanston, Illinois , it
10706-469: Was temporarily borrowed by Cardinal George Mundelein , but returned in 1938 and was used to construct the new, current, St. Joseph's church, which opened in 1939. St. Francis Xavier Church would be merged with St. Joseph Parish in 2019 with much controversy. In 1897 Gross Point opened up a small public school west of Ridge Road on Wilmette Avenue. The Gross Point Public School was housed in a two-room, two-story brick building built on that had been donated by
10812-440: Was the daughter of Pierese Chevallier, a French fur trader , and his Potawatomi wife, Chopa. She was among the earliest recorded residents of Chicago, having settled there prior to its official incorporation. In either 1796 or 1797 she married Antoine Ouilmette, a French-Canadian fur trader. Together they would ultimately have eight children (sons Louis, Joseph, Michael and Francis; daughters Elizabeth, Archange, Josett and Sophia),
10918-420: Was the initial payment, with plans to distribute $ 10 million in reparations payments to Black residents over the next decade. In August 2021, Evanston became one of the first cities to approve a pilot project providing a guaranteed income to select residents, drawing upon a combination of public funds and a partnership with Northwestern University. According to the 2021 census gazetteer files, Evanston has
11024-402: Was ultimately demolished in 1949 and 1950. The Depression halted most home construction for the first half of the 1930s. However, by the middle of the decade construction slowly resumed. The homes being constructed, however, were far more modest than those that had been constructed in the previous decade. Among the homes built in this period were several designed by George Fred Keck . Much of
11130-518: Was unexpectedly sued by a family in Germany, claiming to be relatives of the deceased Fr. William Netstraeter, a key figure in the expansion of Wilmette who died in 1924, thirteen years prior. Fr. Netstaeter had bequeathed a sum of $ 300,000 from his real-estate business for St. Joseph's, which was being held in the bank account of the Archdiocese of Chicago , under Cardinal Mundelein's supervision. The lawsuit
11236-518: Was visible at street level. The residence featured an enclosed tropical greenhouse with a swimming pool and a Chinese temple room featuring a 500-year-old mandarin bed (the Chinese temple room was said to have cost $ 87,000). also had an Egyptian solarium that featured a table which rose through the floor, rising up from a butler's pantry beneath it. The house's furnishings included a tapestry which Louis XIV once presented to Madame de Pompadour . It
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