As Chicago neighborhoods go, Old Edgebrook is somewhat of an anomaly. A sleepy little community hidden away on the city`s Northwest Side since the 1890s, the area is often described as a small town in the big city.
Planned originally as a neighborhood for executives of the Milwaukee Road Railway Co., the community is rich in architecture, history and rustic charm: Without any commercial development, just 48 homes-most with historical significance-line the winding, heavily forested streets.
Residents frequently feed passing deer in their backyards. Raccoons, possums and other wildlife abound.
The community is surrounded by the Edgebrook Golf Course, Cook County Forest Preserve and the Chicago River. Access to it is limited to two roads built by the Works Progress Administration (Louise and Prescott Avenues) off Central Avenue.
”Old Edgebrook offers a rural atmosphere,” said Jerome R. Butler Jr., a community resident for 20 years and an architectural consultant. ”You don`t have curbs and gutters. You have lots of trees. When you live here, you really don`t feel the need for a country home or a place to escape. Because when you drive into the area, you get the feeling you have somewhat escaped from the city.”
”It`s a unique area,” said Ald. Roman C. Pucinski (41st), also an Old Edgebrook resident. ”You have this enclave of casual family living right in the city.”
Thanks to a recent effort to bring a city landmark designation to the community, Old Edgebrook has moved into an architectural and historical spotlight.
The landmark designation, waiting for approval from the City Council (no timetable has been set for the approval), would ensure the historic preservation of the neighborhood. Any future construction or redevelopment in the district would have to be reviewed by the Commission on Chicago Historical and Architectural Landmarks to guarantee it blends in with the current character.
With the title, the Old Edgebrook neighborhood would join other historically designated Chicago areas such as the Old Town Triangle District and the South Pullman District.
”The community is getting the attention it deserves because a lot of people just don`t know we`re here,” said Juanita Gehm, an Old Edgebrook resident for 18 years and a member of the Old Edgebrook Historical Society.
”Even a lot of the people who live in the Edgebrook area don`t know about this place because we`re so secluded.”
Pucinski said that sightseeing in Old Edgebrook-once a hunting grounds for the Potawatomi Indians-is at an all-time high. ”We have a lot of people driving, jogging and biking through here looking at the homes,” he said.
”People consider the neighborhood a showplace and that attention is well-earned. There are lovely homes here and they`re well maintained.”
According to the Commission on Chicago Historical and Architectural Landmarks, the collection of four dozen homes are ”classic illustrations of the various types and styles of domestic housing built extensively throughout American suburbs for middle- and upper-middle class Americans from the 1890s through the 1940s.”
”It was a very interesting period for any home buff or architectural historian because of the diversity,” said Meredith Taussig of the Commission of Chicago Landmarks. ”In Old Edgebrook, you`ll find examples of almost all of the various styles of housing being built at the time.”
Ornately detailed and fronted by wide green lawns, the large homes boast architectural styles ranging from Tudor to Craftsman to Queen Anne to Prairie- style bungalows. The neighborhood also boasts various Colonial revival styles, including Spanish, French, English and Dutch.
”The home are a good variety, a good mix of the different styles of architecture,” said Butler, who was the former head of the Department of Public Works and the former Commissioner of Aviation during a 27-year term with the city.
”Almost every structure has a personality of its own,” added Pucinski, whose home is one of a handful of dwellings constructed in the community since the 1940s.
Although heavily secluded, Old Edgebrook is well within reach of city living. The four-block neighborhood is a stone`s throw from busy Central Avenue and the nearby business districts. It is also a few minutes from the Edens Expressway and CTA subway transportation. ”It`s a little like living in a small town except you have all of the conveniences of the big city,” said Mary Lou Quinn, an Old Edgebrook resident and owner of the local BQS Realty.
”It`s a little of the best of both worlds,” added Gehm.
Even the residents of Old Edgebrook have somewhat of a small-town attitude. ”Because there are only some 50 homes, most of the people here know each other and there`s a nice community feeling about the area,” said Butler. ”Most of the people out here are longtime residents.”
”Everybody knows everybody,” added Quinn. ”We are all mostly good friends. When we were younger, we would look after each other`s kids.”
Such amenities and ambiance have made the Old Edgebrook area a coveted place to live. ”The houses go fast,” said Quinn.
She told of one homeowner who recently advertised her Old Edgebrook house in the newspaper classifieds. The paper came out early Saturday afternoon. By 6 p.m., three prospective buyers were battling it out in her living room.
”There were people waving money under her nose,” said Quinn. ”It was a very emotional scene.”
Edgebrook homes are so desired that many are sold by the owners through word-of-mouth. ”There were people who thought they did real well on their own,” said Quinn. ”But I had about six buyers lined up that would have given them twice (what they sold it for).”
Yet home sales are rare, said the real estate agent.
”The turnover isn`t rapid,” said Quinn, who moved into her Victorian home some 31 years ago. ”And lately, as we have been talked about as a landmark designation, there`s been a few houses that have been sold at prices that were even shocking us.”
For example, Quinn pointed to one Old Edgebrook home that went for $440,000. ”We`re talking about a not-too-elegant house that needed repairs,” she said.
Prior to the landmark designation campaign, Quinn said most home prices topped out at $250,000. ”I doubt that you could now pick up anything for under $250,000 back here,” she said. The range in the neighboring Edgebrook area begins at around $125,000 and goes as high as $400,000.
But such escalated prices don`t come without their problems. Quinn said many longtime residents, especially those who plan to continue living in Old Edgebrook, are concerned about rising property taxes. ” (The rising taxes)
affect all of us who aren`t moving,” she said. ”We`re getting a little older and we`re wondering if we`ll be able to stay here.”
The graying of Old Edgebrook is another local concern, said Quinn. ”When we moved in, all of the (neighborhood) kids were young and it was wonderful,” said Quinn, who raised 10 children in the community. ”At one time, there were children all over the place. And now, they`ve grown up. So the residents are mostly empty nesters.”
”I`d say we could use an influx of younger people. Except the way we`re pricing the houses, I don`t know how young people can get in here. It`s going to be difficult.”
But Quinn and other Old Edgebrook residents aren`t too worried about area homes sitting vacant. ”This has been and will be a very stable neighborhood,” said Quinn. ”There will always be people lined up to move in here.”
Old Edgebrook has its share of ”lighter” problems as well. For the Gehms, it`s the occasional raccoon that makes it way into their attic.
For Pucinski, it`s the stray golf balls that mysteriously show up on his front lawn. ”I suspect the crows pick them up at the golf course and when they discover they have no edible quality, they drop them on my lawn,” he said. ”Those golf balls have intrigued me for years. It`s part of the country-like quality that`s out here.”
