Home Tour 2010

Vol. XXI No. 3 - Winter 2010

By: Kathy Gemperle

The success of the Fall Edgewater home tour in the Edgewater North Neighborhood is due in large part to the efforts of Nancy Schroeder to enlist her neighbors in the event. Nancy found four will families to participate and four more were added to make the tour one of the most successful. In all 232 tour goers walked the three block tour on a pleasant Sunday afternoon. The homes on the tour ranged in age from 1895 to 1910 and as typical in many Chicago neighborhoods the older homes were larger wooden buildings that have survived more than a century.

Of particular interest were the two homes built for the sons of George Lill who owned the Lill Coal company which provided coal to heat many north side buildings. One of the Lill coal yards was at Berwyn and Broadway. These homes built in 1895 on Granville were right next door to each other until a brick apartment building was built between them years later. Another interesting fact was the similarity of these homes to the large home on Lakewood that was also in the tour. Further detection is needed as we were unable to find the architect for all three buildings.

Special thanks goes to the Granville Avenue United Methodist Church and Rev. William Green for hosting the tour on Sunday afternoon, giving tours of the beautiful church and hosting the pretour dinner the night before. This is a busy, active church and we are fortunate that there was time available to add more activities to their schedule.

We’d like to thank the homeowners for their generous donation of time and their homes for this tour. Thanks to Nancy Schroeder and Larry Ebert, Connie and James Whitesell, Pat Sharkey and Jack Markowski, Brian Treglown and Carl Smith, Amy and Jason Schigelone, Kelli and StephanHutton, Tom Pace and Natalie Spears, Ann and Tom Tharayil. We also thank all the docents who guided people through the homes and introduced them to the architecture including Leroy Blommaert, Sandee Remis, Will Rye, David Gemperle, Thom Greene, Marty Stewart, Lori Lynch, Sylvia Lynch, Ed Gross, Nancy Freedman, Peter and Sandra York, Morry Matson, Marieluise Kailing, Catherine Kailing, Dorothy Doherty, Paige Helpin, Judy Nocek and Tiffany and Jonas Middleton.

This is the major fundraising event for the Edgewater Historical Society each year. Besides the docents and homeowners other volunteers helped make it successful. Betty Mayian and Marty Steward worked on outreach to the advertisers. Leroy Blommaert directed the installation of signs throughout the neighborhood with a team of helpers and many gracious homeowners. J.T. Vander researched the homes and Larry Rosen who produced the beautiful tour guide book.

Thanks to all who made this such a successful event.