The Ridge Historical Society
Save the Pike House will be on TV
By Carol Flynn
The television program “The American Dream Chicago” will air a segment on the "Save the Pike House" campaign on WGN Channel 9 on Saturday, February 19, at 10:30 a.m.
Beverly resident Meg Mulrenin, who has the realty company Town Realty Chicago, is the host for this segment. This show is a national program designed to highlight local real estate, culture, and lifestyle in neighborhoods across the country. Meg, selected as one of six hosts for the Chicago cast, is an industry professional representing our unique area of Chicago. She got involved in the show “for viewers to see what a special place the Beverly Hills/Morgan Park community is – the stunning homes, the fabulous business owners, the PEOPLE who make this the best place to live.”
Meg reached out to RHS through our Facebook page, and on an overcast day in January, Meg and cameraman Mat Astacio joined RHS Historian Linda Lamberty and RHS Board member Tim Noonan for a look at the Eugene S. Pike House exterior and a discussion on its current situation.
The Eugene S. Pike House, at the corner of 91st Street and Longwood Drive, was designed by architect Harry Hale Waterman and built for Pike, a real estate developer known for his post-Chicago Fire skyscrapers, in the 1890s. It is a contributing structure to the establishment of the Ridge Historic District listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The house has been part of the Dan Ryan Woods, owned by the Forest Preserves of Cook County, for the past 100 years. It has seriously deteriorated and its future is uncertain.
Hopefully, this national coverage will help bring attention – and positive solutions – to saving this Beverly landmark.
Pictured from left: Linda Lamberty, Meg Mulrenin, Mat Astacio, and Tim Noonan in front of the Pike House. Photo by C. Flynn.