2007-06 RHS Newsletter – SUMMER 2007

In the prosperous 1920s, the Better Homes in America movement emerged to improve the quality of domestic life by promoting ideal family homes. Supported by figures like Herbert Hoover and driven locally by women's clubs, the national campaign sought to educate citizens on architecture, construction, and home economics. In Chicago, this led to the creation of demonstration houses, including a significant project on the corner of 107th and Wood Streets spearheaded by the Morgan Park Woman's Club, which showcased these idealized living standards to the community.

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Better Homes in America, Inc. began as a not-for-profit educational campaign launched by "The Delineator," a popular women's magazine published by the Butterick Pattern Company. Secretary of Commerce Herbert Hoover served as the organization's president for twelve years, overseeing annual competitions and educational programming designed to make high standards of home building, furnishing, and home life accessible to all American citizens.

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The Better Homes movement aimed to educate consumers on good architecture, contrasting heavily with the mass-produced, identical brick bungalows emerging in Chicago during the 1910s and 1920s. When real estate developer William Klein planned a series of 16 identical "pea-in-a-pod" bungalows on West 107th Street, dismayed local residents and the Morgan Park Woman's Club intervened. By financing the construction on larger lots and enlisting architect Ralph Oliver, they successfully redesigned the homes with varying rooflines and dormers, demonstrating how architectural diversity could vastly improve the community's aesthetic.

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As part of the national Better Homes in America campaign, a model "Colonial Bungalow" at 107th and Wood Streets was extensively decorated to serve as a primary educational tool. The Morgan Park Woman's Club equipped the home with reproduction Colonial furniture, modern electrical appliances, and an innovative gas range, highlighting both aesthetic beauty and modern convenience. Thousands of visitors toured the house during the April 1927 demonstration week, and the furnishings were subsequently sold to help fund a new clubhouse for the Woman's Club.

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Eunice McClure, president of the Morgan Park Woman's Club, along with her husband and neighboring residents, rebelled against the construction of identical bungalows by purchasing the properties and altering the architectural plans without profit. Various local women took charge of specific committees like interior decoration, landscaping, and programs for the demonstration house. Recent genealogical and historical research by the Ridge Historical Society has uncovered the names and living descendants of many of these community members, highlighting a multi-generational legacy of civic involvement in the neighborhood.

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To commemorate the historical significance of the local housing movement, the Ridge Historical Society (RHS) is launching an exhibit titled "Better Homes in America" on September 30, 2007. The exhibit will feature miniature dioramas and displays detailing both the national program and the specific contributions of the Beverly-Morgan Park community. An opening event with refreshments will kick off the multi-month run of the exhibit, which is free to the public.

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On October 6, 2007, the Ridge Historical Society, in collaboration with Chicago folklorist and ghost hunter Richard Crowe, will offer a "Devil in the White City" bus tour. The excursion will take attendees past significant landmarks related to the 1893 Columbian Exposition and the infamous "Murder Castle" built by serial killer Dr. Harry Howard Holmes in Englewood. The tour includes lunch at the historic Schaller's Pump, a Prohibition-era establishment, and offers a deep dive into Chicago's macabre and architectural history as guided by an expert in local supernatural lore.

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Ridge Historical Society historian Jennifer Kenny handles numerous requests for house histories, but the workload requires additional support. Eileen Klees is forming a team and seeking three volunteers willing to dedicate one morning or afternoon a month to visit the University of Illinois Chicago's (UIC) library to look up building permits. This volunteer effort is described as an easy and interesting way to contribute to the society's architectural research capabilities, with easy access to the campus via public transit or driving.

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Triggered by memories shared at an RHS exhibit and in Marsha Bolden's upcoming book "Growing Up Brown in Morgan Park," local high school alumna and artist Sue Engle Budash created a nostalgic montage titled "Symbols of the Sixties." The drawing features iconic former businesses of the Beverly/Morgan Park area, such as Snackville Junction, The Lind Shop, and Ridge Park Field House. Digital copies of the artwork were approved for fundraising, and the first 100 signed, limited-edition prints are being sold by RHS to raise money and gather family stories and artifacts from community reunions.

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This article features an excerpt from "A Community Study of Area 72, Beverly Hills," a college sociology assignment written in 1937-38 by long-time resident Ann Mari Jonsson. The paper describes Beverly Hills as a highly desirable, restricted residential district dominated by single-family homes ranging in price from $6,000 to $150,000. It highlights the rapid development of North Beverly Hills with English Cottage and French Renaissance homes, while contrasting it with the rural, barren prairie west of Western Avenue, noting strict local prohibition laws that forced residents to cross boundaries to purchase alcohol.

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The Ridge Historical Society publically expresses its gratitude to several community members and groups for their ongoing support. Acknowledgments include Peg Kapustiak for financing the technology initiative, Signe Morgan for maintaining membership records, Sue Cummings for arranging a donation of office furniture from the Gelber Co., and local college students and board members for their volunteer efforts. Professional services were also generously donated, including legal advice from Michelle Burke and architectural review by Michael Messerle.

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This brief section serves as a save-the-date for Ridge Historical Society members, listing important events scheduled for the latter half of 2007. Key dates include Board of Directors meetings on September 12, October 10, and November 14 at 7:30 p.m. Additionally, it highlights public events such as the opening of the "Better Homes in America Exhibit" on Sunday, September 30, and the "Devil in the White City Tour" on Saturday, October 6.

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