The RHS Facebook page is a rich archive of history-related posts by Carol Flynn, RHS Facebook admin and writer until mid-2025. Carol prolifically wrote a wide variety of meticulously researched local history articles for RHS. She continues to write for the Beverly Review and other media sources with articles particularly focused on local Ridge history.
Hetherington Design Dynasty
The First Beverly Art Center
By Carol Flynn
The Ridge Historical Society (RHS) will be open tomorrow, Sunday, December 11, from 1 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. The address is 10621 S. Seeley Avenue, and admission is free.
The current exhibit, Hetherington Design Dynasty, will only be on display for a few more weeks, through January 7. RHS is open on Sundays and Tuesdays from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m., or by appointment. Note, however, that Christmas and New Year’s Day fall on Sundays this year and RHS will be closed both days. This means there are only two Sundays left to view the exhibit – tomorrow and December 18.
The exhibit has a new feature added for the holidays – the Christmas cards that Mildred Lyon Hetherington designed and sent to family and friends.
The Hetheringtons were a three-generation family of architects – John Todd, his son Murray, and Murray’s son Jack – who lived in Beverly and designed close to one hundred homes and buildings in the area, including the Graver-Driscoll House, RHS Headquarters.
Mildred Lyon was a local artist who met Murray Hetherington when they were both students at the Art Institute of Chicago. They married and had two children, son Jack the architect, and a daughter Mary who died young.
Mildred was known for her portraits and her illustrations of children’s publications. As many artists do, she created her own Christmas cards.
In 1969, Mildred’s card featured the new Beverly Art Center (BAC), which had just opened that September on the 2100 block of West 111th Street, on the campus of the Morgan Park Academy (MPA).
This was a significant event for the Hetherington family because the building was designed by Jack Hetherington, who had attended MPA. Although BAC moved from that building when the new BAC at 111th Street and Western Avenue was built, MPA continues to use the building
The original BAC building features a modern design with a portico that floats atop slender concrete columns, nicely depicted by Mildred in her Christmas card.
However, this past summer, architects and historians, as well as Hetherington family members, were dismayed to observe that MPA was encasing the lower sections of the concrete columns in brick, destroying the original façade.
While it is understood that this was done to preserve the columns from further deterioration, the alterations are incompatible with the original design. Not only is the building affected, but the visual cohesiveness of the Ridge Historic District is impacted by this type of alteration to a historic building. The Ridge Historic District is part of the National Register for Historic Places. The RHS Historic Buildings Committee has been in contact with MPA.
RHS can help owners of local historic buildings in need of preservation “facelifts” to understand landmark considerations, and to research the building’s history and design to assist with restoration efforts.
The Ridge Historical Society will be open tomorrow, Tuesday, December 6, from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. The address is 10621 S. Seeley Avenue in Chicago. Admission is free.
A new feature has been added to the current exhibit, Hetherington Design Dynasty. Christmas cards designed by local artist Mildred Lyon Hetherington are now on display. Mildred sent these cards to family members and friends.
The Smithsonian Institute began adding personal Christmas cards designed by famous artists to its Archives of American Art in 2015.
Christmas card art that artists design for their personal use is a unique art form. The holidays are a time for reflection and sharing, and this art often offers a glimpse of the artist's personal point of view of what is important in her life.
Mildred became a great-grandmother in 1972, and from that point on her cards chronicled the growth and development of her great-grandchildren.
Her skills as a portraitist and illustrator of children's publications are apparent in these cards, but more importantly from a personal perspective, her love for and devotion to these children couldn't be more evident.
The Hetherington Design Dynasty exhibit is entering its final month of display. The last day will be January 7, 2023. Visit now on Tuesday and Sunday afternoons from 1 to 4 p.m., or by special appointment. Contact RHS at 773/881-1675 or ridgehistory@hotmail.com.
The Ridge Historical Society will be open tomorrow, Sunday, December 4, 2022, from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. Admission is free. The address is 10621 S Seeley Avenue, Chicago.
The current exhibit is "Hetherington Design Dynasty" featuring the work of three generations of architects in the Hetherington family, John Todd, Murray, and Jack. They designed scores of houses and other buildings in the Blue Island Ridge communities.
The artwork of Mildred Lyon Hetherington is also part of the exhibit. Mildred was a local artist who married Murray, a fellow student she met at the Art Institute of Chicago. They were Jack's parents. Mildred was known for her portraits and illustrations of children's publications.
Added to the exhibit for the holiday season are the Christmas cards that Mildred designed and sent to family members and friends.
A closing date has been set for the Hetherington exhibit: January 7, 2023. If you have been planning to visit, now is the time to do so!
The Ridge Historical Society – Christmas Comes to RHS
A special Christmas feature is being added to the current exhibit on the Hetherington Design Dynasty at RHS.
Images of a variety of Christmas cards designed by artist Mildred Lyon Hetherington will join the display for the holidays.
The Hetheringtons – John Todd, his son Murray, and his grandson Jack – were the family of architects who designed scores of houses and other buildings in the Ridge communities, including the Graver-Driscoll House, which is RHS Headquarters.
Mildred Lyon Hetherington, Murray's wife and Jack's mother, was a well-known local artist famous for her portraits and illustrations in children’s publications.
For the next few weeks, we will share some of the Christmas cards Mildred designed and sent to family and friends. This first one, from 1970, is of the front porch of their house on Prospect Avenue.
The Ridge Historical Society is located at 10621 S. Seeley Avenue and is open free of charge on Tuesday and Sunday afternoons from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m.
The Hetherington Design Dynasty exhibit will run until early January. If you have been putting off a visit, now is the time to stop by!