The Ridge Historical Society
History and Art This Weekend
By Carol Flynn
I’ve been remiss with sharing stories on this Ridge Historical Society (RHS) Facebook page lately because I’ve been very busy doing research on topics that will lead to interesting new stories.
Tomorrow, May 19th, is the Beverly Area Planning Association (BAPA) Home Tour, where five homes and one facility will be open for touring. I don't know all the houses (it's a surprise!) but I know the historic Hopkinson-Platt House at 108th and Drew Street will be open, and that is not to be missed!
This is one of the best home tours in the city. The tours were actually started many years ago by the local chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution (D.A.R.), and then RHS ran them for a while, and now BAPA does a superb job with them.
The tour will start at Smith Village Senior Living facility at 113th Place and Western Avenue. This is where people will pick up their packets and have a chance to tour the first-floor common areas. One sight to see is the mural by the late Jack Simmerling called “Life on the Ridge” that covers a wall in one of the dining rooms.
I will be there from 12 to 3 p.m. to discuss the mural and help people identify locations, so please stop by! As one viewer said, “This was like taking a walk through the neighborhood of my youth.” There are current buildings and some that are now gone depicted in the mural.
The other place to visit is the historic Eugene S. Pike House at 91st and Longwood Drive, which the community has adopted for preservation. The Beverly Area Arts Alliance will be holding an outdoor event there, “Arts in the Yard@the Pike House”, with music and art activities, including Robin Power demonstrating ceramics.
One of the highlights will be a new painting of the Pike House by Beverly artist Judie Anderson. Judie has captured the Pike House in its whimsical, “fairy-tale” persona. The American Institute of Architects once commented about the house that you expect to see Hansel and Gretl come skipping down the path, and Judie’s watercolor brings that to mind. Judie is calling the painting “The Watchman’s Residence,” because that is what it was known and used as by the Forest Preserves of Cook County, which owns the house. Prints will be available for a donation, and Judie will be there to sign them.
Topics coming up next on the RHS Facebook page are many: the return of the 17-year cicadas known as Brood XIII; the next installment in the “Lost and Found” series; more posts on James H. Gately; the 100th anniversaries of Smith Village and St. Barnabas Parish; and stories about the many families who called the Pike House “home” are just a few. Stay tuned.