The Ridge Historical Society
Jean Hetherington – Part 3
By Carol Flynn
This continues the series of posts related to the Ridge Historical Society’s exhibit on the Hetherington family of architects.
Jean Hetherington was the youngest of the Hetherington children. She worked as a draftswoman and became known for her skills in making architectural models.
In 1922, the Englewood Times newspaper reported that Jean, “one of the Ridge’s enterprising young women,” made miniature homes for Chicago real estate dealers. Her picture and one of her “perfect” models had been covered in the Herald-Examiner, one of Chicago’s daily newspapers. The article reported she used cockle burrs from the fields near her home, which was with her parents at 9236 Winchester, to create the hedges for her models.
By 1922, the Hetheringtons had moved to 9122 Longwood Drive. Jean remained with her parents. On the 1930 U.S. Census, Jean’s occupation was listed as architectural drafting in an architect office. This was the business of her father, John Todd Hetherington, and her brother, Murray Hetherington. Likely, Jean’s models were an asset in promoting their designs.
Murray Hetherington designed one of the “Homes of Tomorrow” for the exhibition at the 1933 Century of Progress at the World’s Fair in Chicago. This exhibit, considered one of the most noteworthy of the Fair, featured twelve full-size houses that showcased innovations in architecture and building materials.
Murray’s contribution was the Cypress Log Cabin, which actually was made of traditional materials rather than experimental materials like those used in the other houses. The house was eventually moved to Beverly Shores, Indiana, where it is part of the Indiana Dunes National Park. More on this house will be covered in a future post.
Jean created a model of the Cypress Log Cabin, which was displayed at the Fair. She had other models on display, also.
John Todd Hetherington died in 1936, leaving Jean and her mother Jane living in the home on Longwood. Son Alec had also lived with the parents on and off, but he died in 1939 in Wyoming. There will be more on Alec in the next post.
Then in 1948, at the age of 53, Jean married William Geanopolos.
Geanopolos was born in Greece in 1888 and immigrated to the U.S. in 1905. He married Clara Cooper in 1914. He became a naturalized U.S. citizen in 1925.
The Geanopoloses took up residence in Rockford, where he worked in various capacities in the restaurant and food business. In different records, he is listed as the merchant in the confectionary industry, a clerk in a fruit store, a grocer, and a soda dispenser in an ice cream parlor.
Clara died in 1936. In 1942, on his World War II draft registration, Geanopolos is listed as working in a restaurant at 70th and South State Street.
William and Jean Geanopolos lived with her mother, Jane Hetherington, at 9540 S. Prospect Avenue. In 1950, his occupation is listed as chef in a restaurant, and Jean is listed as a draftsman for an architect.
Jane Hetherington died in December 1950, and Jean Hetherington Geanopolos died in August 1956, at the age of 61. Jean spent her life, from the age of 5 or 6 on, in Beverly.
Next post: Alec Todd Hetherington