While most towns would happily claim bragging rights to a regional attraction such as the Lizzadro Museum of Lapidary Arts, Elmhurst can boast three of them–two within a block of each other. That makes Elmhurst, particularly its Wilder Park, an attractive destination for families seeking to soak up a little culture and a lot of fun.
In fact, it’s possible to spend a day in Elmhurst without ever leaving Wilder Park, a sprawling two-block complex just two blocks from the South York Road downtown shopping district. Once the country estate of Chicago millionaire Thomas Wilder, the public park now holds the Lizzadro Museum, the Elmhurst Art Museum, the Elmhurst Public Library, the Elmhurst Park District’s art nouveau-style headquarters, a century-old greenhouse garden, a gadget-filled tot lot and plenty of space to fly a kite or toss a frisbee.
There’s no lack of beautiful things on the Lizzadro Museum’s main floor. Whimsical dioramas of agate and onyx vie for attention with antique jade vases, petrified wood slices and a huge 17th Century cinnabar screen.
A golden castle
But the museum’s most moving exhibit sits downstairs on the children’s floor, near the touchable fossils and the fluorescent train. An intricately detailed castle of solid gold perches atop a malachite mountain overlooking a blue agate bay. At the touch of a button, the scene revolves inside its case while a narrator describes each component. A small plaque notes that the castle was commissioned in memory of James Lizzadro, grandson of the museum’s founder, who drowned at age 15 while trapped underwater by a swimming pool filter.
Despite its tragic origins, the castle is the biggest single attraction at the lapidary museum, said Dorothy Asher, assistant director. “It appeals to people of all ages because it’s a fantasy world that everyone wants to go to,” she said.
Gold connoisseurs sometimes come to see it because it’s one of the biggest works created by William Tolliday, a goldsmith to Queen Elizabeth II who did for miniature castles what Carl Faberge did for Easter eggs. “There are Tolliday castles in museums and galleries all over the world, but most of them aren’t as big or as detailed as this one. We’re very fortunate to have it in Elmhurst,” Asher said.
After exploring the lapidary museum, with its antique jade carvings and whimsical dioramas, families can enjoy a picnic in the park using one of the Elmhurst Art Museum’s custom-decorated outdoor tables. Local artists including professionals and high school students painted the tables two years ago as part of a fundraiser for the museum. While they eat, picnickers can admire the 1868 mansion that houses the library or view the three large interactive sculptures outside the art museum.
`Ophelia’ in oil
Inside the museum are dozens of mostly modern paintings and sculptures, including several depictions of architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe. The main structure of the museum is a house Mies van der Rohe designed in the 1950s. Some of the museum’s permanent collection are works by local artists, while other pieces are gifts from art patrons. The latest addition is “Ophelia,” an oil painting by noted Swiss abstract expressionist Hugo Weber. “When viewing Weber’s `Ophelia,’ you will see dynamic clusters of lines and dense torrents of color as well as a depiction of transformation of movement and energy,” said curator Melissa Ganje.
The museum was given “Ophelia” after displaying the painting in 1999 as part of an exhibition of Weber’s work. Elmhurst was the only U.S. location where Swiss officials chose to exhibit the works.
The museum will have exhibitions of prints by the faculty at the School of the Art Institute, continuing to May 5; sculptures by Barbara Cooper and Toby Zallman, to May 12; and paintings by Chicago artist Richard Lange, to April 28. Children might enjoy seeing the Elmhurst Community Unit Consolidated School District 205 exhibition from March 28 to April 14, featuring works by pupils in kindergarten through 8th grade.
Instead of picnicking in the park, visitors can stroll down York Road for a bite at one of its many restaurants, most of which offer sidewalk cafe seating from May through October. They range from Fresco’s, a casual, family-friendly sandwich shop, to the elegant Italian bistro Francesca’s Amici. There’s even a Baker’s Square pie shop on the north end of the street across from City Hall where Mayor Thomas Marcucci can sometimes be seen indulging in a slice of French silk pie.
For movie buffs
On the way back from lunch, visitors can stop in at the city’s third regional attraction, if they look carefully enough. Tucked up above the York Theatre is the internationally famed Theatre Historical Society of America museum and archives, which specializes in preserving the art and architecture of the grand movie palaces that flourished early last century. Look for the small door sandwiched between two storefronts and climb the narrow stairway to the second floor. Visitors will find memorabilia including old tickets, seat tassels, stained-glass windows, ticket booths and a miniature replica of Chicago’s Avalon Theater–now the Regal–as it looked when it opened in the 1920s.
“The serious theater buff will love this place,” said director Richard Sklenar. “It may not be the best place to bring young children though. This is basically all about theater architecture, and we haven’t figured out how to make exhibits that connect architecture to children.”
One of the stars of the museum’s collection is an orchestra conductor’s desk used at the Granada Theater in the days of silent movies. Dials set into the desktop showed the film speed so the conductor could keep his orchestra playing in time to the action on the screen. In spring, the museum will host a collection of miniature theater replicas from across the country.
THE TOUR
Lizzadro Museum of Lapidary Art, 220 Cottage Hill Ave. Hours: 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday, 1-5 p.m. Sunday. Admission: $3 adults, $2 senior citizens, $1 youths ages 13-18, free for children 12 and under. Free on Fridays. Free parking. 630-833-1616.
Elmhurst Art Museum, 150 Cottage Hill Ave. Hours: 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday; 1-4 p.m. Wednesday, Friday and Sunday. Admission: $3 adults, $2 students, free for children under 12. Free on Tuesdays. Free parking. 630-834-0202.
Theatre Historical Society of America, 152 N. York Rd. Hours: 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday-Friday, 10 a.m.-1 p.m. the third Saturday of each month. Admission is free. Free and metered parking in downtown Elmhurst. 630-782-1800.
Time: 3-4 hours.
Total cost: $6.
RESTAURANTS
Under $10: Fresco’s Cafe, 143 N. York Rd., with views of the City Centre fountains. Tortilla Flats, 116 W. Schiller St., offering free chips and salsa, colorful Mexican decor and a large outdoor cafe area. McNally’s Irish Pub, 122 S. York, an Irish pub with furnishings, chefs and recipes imported from Ireland.
Under $20: Bailey’s Restaurant & Bar, 111 W. 3rd St., just around the corner from City Hall; Francesca’s Amici, 174 N. York Rd., Italian cuisine patterned after the original Mia Francesca in Wrigleyville.
Splurge: 100 South, York Road and Park Avenue, steakhouse with extensive wine list and 1940s-style martini bar.
TIPS
Parking: Most Wilder Park parking is reached from Prospect Avenue on the park’s west side. If the lots are full, try the Elmhurst College parking lots on the west side of Prospect.
Museum Fest: On May 19, all museums will be open, and the city will run free trolley service.
ANOTHER DAY
Elmhurst Historical Museum: 120 E. Park Ave. Occupies large, 19th-Century mansion with rotating regional exhibits. Check out the heirloom rose garden behind the mansion.
Churchville School: Church Road just south of Grand Avenue. Elmhurst is restoring the 155-year-old, one-room schoolhouse for use by community groups and schools. Call the Elmhurst Historical Museum, 630-833-1457, for hours and availability.
Safety Town: Spring Road at the Illinois Prairie Path. Small children will love the pint-sized village, complete with traffic signals, a railroad crossing and representations of local businesses. Afterward, walk to the Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream parlor at 539 Spring Rd.
Elmhurst College: 190 Prospect Ave. The campus is dotted with sculptures and classic architecture, especially Hammerschmidt Chapel.
