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There is an extraordinary collection of residential structures along the shore of Lake Michigan between Evanston and Lake Bluff. To the west of Sheridan Road, one discovers each town and village in detail with commercial districts, rich and varied building stock, churches, temples, country clubs and natural landscapes. These North Shore suburbs, including Wilmette, grew as a result of the explosive growth of Chicago and the consequent development of transportation routes from early trails to railroads and then modern highways. The architecture of Wilmette is a diverse and highly textured expression of the development of the community. Below are the descriptions of the four major structure types that contribute in constituting the physical character of Wilmette. Commercial Districts Religious Structures Historic Neighborhoods Social Organization Buildings |
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Several historic commercial districts can be identified
in Wilmette, although few architectural examples of pre-1900 mercantile
remain. A smaller commercial district that developed at 4th Street and Linden Avenue centered around the 1913 "L" Station. A glazed terra cotta retail structure, designed by Rissman and Hirschfeld in 1922, stands at the southwest corner of the intersection. The Gasoline station at 516 4th Street is an original Pure Oil Gasoline Station (1935). Three historic apartment complexes anchor the west end of the commercial district. The oldest religious congregation in St. Joseph's
Church, established in 1843. The present building at Ridge Road
and Lake Avenue, built in 1939, is among the finest examples of
Art Deco architecture on the North Shore. The church was designed
by McCarthy, Smith & Eppig, the design team of Cardinal Mundelein
who produced numerous Catholic churches during the Depression era
1930s. The interior is particularly well preserved and features
Art Deco light fixtures, and stained glass windows designed and
fabricated by Giannini & Hilgart of Chicago. The altar floor
and sanctuary wall contain Italian and French marble inlaid with
Portuguese onyx. The Stations of the Cross are pastel-hued mosaics
crafted in the Vatican Studio of Mosaics in Rome. The design and
materials of the Y-shaped school designed by Herman J. Gaul of Chicago
and constructed in 1934, and the adjacent rectory, harmonize with
the church. A unique religious complex, Mallinckrodt College
(1916) is of particular architectural interest. Also designed by
Hermann J. Gaul for the Sister of Christian Charity, it took several
years to complete. Its round-arch window and door openings, ornamental
wall treatments, verticality and central tower are derived from
Italian Romanesque church architecture. Most of Wilmette's other historic churches are 20th-century versions of medieval Gothic architecture, executed either in Neo-Gothic, Late Gothic Revival, or Tudor Revival style. The resurrection of medieval Gothic architecture stems from 19th-century church construction in England, where Gothic had become "national" style by 1860s. The fundamental aspect of all Gothic offspring is the pointed arch, found in windows, doors, arcades and elsewhere. Gothic architecture emphasizes verticality - reaching for the heavens - with steeples, spires, buttresses, finials and other decorative elements. It also employs arcs, curves and circles extensively. Wilmette's premiere Neo-Gothic structure is Trinity
United Methodist Church located at the intersection of Wilmette
and Lake Avenues. Trinity was designed by Granger & Bollenbacher
and constructed in 1928 of Wisconsin Lannonstone. The church features
stained glass windows by Willet Studios of Philadelphia, among the
top American studios during the 1920s. St. Francis Xavier Church (1939) at 9th & Linden
Avenue was designed in the Late Gothic Revival mode by McCarthy,
Smith & Eppig who were working simultaneously on St. Joseph's
in Wilmette. The stained glass windows were made with English and
German imported glass by the famed F. X. Zettler Studios of Munich,
Germany and New York. Just east of the church, St Francis Xavier
School (1924) is a unique modern blend of Gothic architecture by
Chicago architect Barry Byrne. One block, north, the First Presbyterian
Church at 9th & Greenleaf was designed in the Late Gothic Revival
style and constructed in 1937. The most popular version of Gothic styling in Wilmette
is the Tudor Revival style. "Tudor" is a commonly accepted
misnomer since few churches reflect true 16th-century Tudor architecture
in England. However, compared to other Gothic-inspired works, Tudor
Revival churches tend to display lower massing, have reserved ornamentation,
employ brick, stucco and half-timbering, and possess and key identifying
feature: broad or shallow pointed arches for windows and doors.
Tudor Revival structures include St. John's Lutheran (1923); Wilmette
Community Church (1924); Wilmette Lutheran Church (1929); and St.
Augustine's (1943). The oldest existing church building in the Village
is the First Congregational Church (1909) designed in Tudor Revival
Style. By far, the most architecturally significant structure in Wilmette is the Baha'i House of Worship. And international architectural wonder, the Baha'i Temple has been photographed and written about more than any other building on the North Shore. It is internationally significant as the only Baha'i temple in North America, and but one of seven such temples in the entire world. The Baha'i faith teaches "universal peace, equality of sexes and races, compulsory education and common international language" and carved quotations of these teachings surround the temple. Symbols of other world religions such as the Star of David, Crescent of Islam and Christian Cross can be found on the pylons which anchor the temple corners. For French-Canadian architect Louis Bourgeois,
the Baha'i was a lifelong endeavor. He died during the final year
of its construction which he monitored from his home across the
street. Because the House of Worship could only be built with donations
from Baha'i members, construction was held up many times due to
lack of funds. The Wilmette site was purchased in 1908 and a ground
breaking ceremony was held in 1912, but actual construction did
not begin until December 1920. Despite the Stock Market Crash of
1929, the steel skeleton of the dome was completed by John J. Early
Studio of Washington, D.C. The Baha'i House of Worship's dimensional
facts are well documented: The footings rest on bedrock 124 feet
below grade; the dome rises 167 feet above the landscape and reportedly
has over 10,000 lacy perforations. A national Historic Landmark,
the House of Worship underwent a ten-year restoration program and
has a preservation philosophy to ensure that the building "lasts
1000 years or more." As Wilmette grew, social organizations built club
facilities which have become familiar features of the village. At
Lake and Michigan Avenues, close to the former site of Ouilmette
cabin stands the Michigan Shores Club (1929 with later additions)
in a Tudor Revival style. The Masonic temple at 1010 Central Avenue
(1926) is a Neo-Classical structure. The Wilmette Woman's Club at
10th Street and Greanleaf Avenue was built as a modest frame structure
in 1912. it was enlarged and faced in limestone with Art Deco detail
in 1928. A public recreational facility of historic significance,
unique to Wilmette, is the Wallace Bowl. This open air amphitheater
in Gillson Park was designed by Park Superintendent Gordon Wallce
and built as a WPA public works project in 1937. Recently restored,
the Wallace Bowl plays a major part in summertime community activities
at the lakefront. In 2003, the Village of Wilmette adopted an ordinance
allowing for local historic districts. It is important to the preservations
of the character of the Village that those groupings of ordinary
structures that contribute to the sense of a civic whole be preserved.
For example, the Gross Point area in the neighborhood of Schiller
and Birchwood includes the oldest remaining house in Wilmette, the
1843 Nick Schwall home at 1925 Birchwood Avenue. The Cage Neighborhood, so named because it is made
up of the homes on Chestnut, Ashland, Greenwood and Elmwood Avenues,
was the area encompassed by Gage's Addition in 1886. Though many
of the lots have been subdivided over time, wide yards are indicative
of the large lot sizes that originally existed in this area. Another neighborhood that developed early in wilmette's
history is Llewellyn Park, and area in southeast Wilmette around
Maple Avenue and Third Street that was known as "Hill's ville"
in the 1860s. Developer Benjamin Hill built many of Wilmette's earliest
houses in that area. A final example of historic neighborhood that has
received a lot of attention and has recently received recognition
as the first Historic District of Wilmette is Oak Circle. This unusually
curvilinear street features fourteen Craftsman bungalows with Prairie
School influences that were constructed in the 1920s. Historical
Society Member Joyce Fardoux, also a former member of the Preservation
Board, gave walking tours of Oak Circle in 1992 and 1998. The information
from those tours is available at the Historical Museum. |
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