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.
Local Architecture
While you’re out and about for the BAPA Garden Walk this Sunday, July 10, please stop by the Ridge Historical Society, also.
RHS will now be open to the public on Sunday and Tuesday afternoons from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. Everyone is welcome and admission is free. Visitors should enter at 10621 S. Seeley Avenue. There is limited parking right at RHS, and abundant street parking on Seeley.
The current exhibit at RHS is “Hetherington Design Dynasty” which explores the architecture careers of three generations of the Hetherington family.
John Todd and Jane Hetherington, their sons and daughter, and their grandchildren, lived in Beverly. It’s safe to say this community would not have become the architecture showplace it has been known as for decades without the contributions of the Hetherington family. They designed close to one hundred buildings in a variety of styles. Just three examples of their work which are publicly accessible are the Graver-Driscoll House (RHS headquarters) which is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year, the Ridge Park field house at 96th and Longwood, and the Rainbow Cone building at 92nd and Western.
This Sunday, the three RHS representatives who developed the exhibit will be there in person to discuss their work. Meet Linda Lamberty, RHS Historian, the most knowledgeable person in the community about local history; Mati Maldre, the Chair of the RHS Historic Buildings Committee and the professional photographer whose images of Hetherington buildings grace an entire wall of the exhibit; and Tim Blackburn, owner of a local Hetherington-designed home, whose tireless research into all-things-Hetherington created the majority of this fascinating exhibit.
July 31, 2022
The Ridge Historical Society is now open to the public, for free, on Sunday afternoons from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. RHS volunteers will be there to answer questions about the current exhibit, Hetherington Design Dynasty, which celebrates the Hetherington family of architects.
It’s summertime and people are enjoying outdoor activities at Chicago’s vast system of city parks. The Chicago Park District has over 8,000 acres of land and more than 600 parks. Devoting space to parks has been a priority in Chicago since the beginning – in fact, the motto of Chicago is “Urbs in Horto,” Latin for “City in a Garden.”
The Ridge community owes its wonderful Ridge Park at 96th Street and Longwood Drive to the Hetherington family.
The residents of Beverly wanted a park on Longwood Drive to go along with their fine homes. They asked John Todd Hetherington, an architect who lived in the community who was designing many of those fine homes, to design the park.
Hetherington designed the original park in 1913. In the late 1920s, Hetherington and his son Murray, now also an architect, designed the current field house.
Visit the RHS exhibit to learn all about the Hetherington family of architects and Ridge Park.
RHS is located in the historic Graver – Driscoll House, a Hetherington creation, at 10621 S. Seeley Avenue. The grounds are entered through the driveway on Seeley, where there is some parking right at the house. Parking is also available on Seeley Avenue. The Graver-House is not wheelchair accessible and is not air conditioned.
August 1, 2022
The Ridge Historical Society is now open to the public, for free, on Tuesday afternoons from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. RHS volunteers will be there to answer questions about the current exhibit, Hetherington Design Dynasty, which celebrates the Hetherington family of architects.
Beverly/Morgan Park is renowned for its collection of architecturally significant buildings. Block after block of residences, churches, and business buildings, although varied in style, present a visual cohesiveness that has earned the area four official historic districts.
The most prolific architects in the community were the Hetherington family. John Todd Hetherington, his son Murray and daughter Jean, and Murray’s son John Murray created designs for at least seventy buildings on the Ridge that RHS researchers have documented so far.
John Todd and Murray Hetherington were known for the quality of their designs. They worked in a variety of styles – Tudor Revival, French Eclectic, even Prairie School.
To learn more about the Hetheringtons, their contributions to the community, and architecture styles, visit the current RHS exhibit.
RHS is located in the historic Graver – Driscoll House, a John Todd Hetherington creation, at 10621 S. Seeley Avenue. The grounds are entered through the driveway on Seeley, where there is some parking right at the house. Parking is also available on Seeley Avenue. The Graver-House is not wheelchair accessible and is not air conditioned.
Hetherington Photographs
The Ridge Historical Society, 10621 S. Seeley Avenue, is open today, Sunday, August 7, 2022, from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. Admission is free.
The current exhibit is Hetherington Design Dynasty, profiling the Hetherington family of architects who lived in Beverly and designed over 70 buildings in the Ridge communities.
The exhibit includes photographs of many of the Hetherington houses taken by Mati Maldre, Professor Emeritus of Art, Chicago State University.
The Ridge Historical Society is located at 10621 S. Seeley Avenue, Chicago. Admission is free.
The current exhibit is Hetherington Design Dynasty, profiling the Hetherington family of architects who designed many buildings in the Beverly/Morgan Park community.
The Ridge Historical Society is open on Tuesday afternoons from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. Admission is free and everyone is welcomed. RHS is entered through the driveway at 10621 S. Seeley Avenue. There is limited parking by the house, or on Seeley Avenue.
The current exhibit is the Hetherington Design Dynasty, featuring the Hetherington family of architects, who lived in Beverly and designed at least seventy houses and other buildings in the community.
The Ridge Historical Society is open to the public on Sundays from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. free of charge. The address is 10621 S. Seeley Avenue.
The current exhibit is the Hetherington Design Dynasty profiling the three generations of architects in the Hetherington family who lived on the Ridge and designed more than seventy buildings locally.
Reminder – Open House Chicago is next weekend!
The Ridge Historical Society (RHS) will be open on Saturday and Sunday, October 15 and 16, 2022, from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. free-of-charge for Open House Chicago. No reservations are needed.
Visitors will be able to visit the historic Graver-Driscoll House and view the “Hetherington Design Dynasty” exhibit on the Hetherington family of architects and artists.
There will also be a tour of the outside house and grounds which will include the history of the house, the Blue Island Ridge, and the Ridge Historical Society, and information on current restoration efforts. The tour includes a steep driveway and stairs onto terraces and is not fully handicapped accessible.
The tours will be offered every half hour from 10:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. (final tour) both days, weather permitting. The tours will begin in the grass courtyard of the 10621 S. Seeley Avenue entrance.
Photo of the Graver-Driscoll House by C. Flynn for the porch concert this summer.
The Ridge Historical society will be open today from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m., free admission, address is 10621 S. Seeley Avenue.
The current exhibit is Hetherington Design Dynasty, featuring the work of architect John Todd Hetherington and his descendants. Also featured is the artwork of Mildred Lyon Hetherington, who married John Todd's son Murrary. Mildred was known for her portraits and illustrations of children's publications.
The Ridge Historical Society will be open on Sunday, December 18, from 1 to 4 p.m. The address is 10621 S. Seeley Ave., Chicago. Admission is free.
There are just a few weeks left to view the current exhibit, the Hetherington Design Dynasty. Three generations of the Hetherington family lived in Beverly, became architects, and designed close to 100 buildings in the area.
Murray D. Hetherington was the second generation. An example of his work is the house he designed for himself; his wife, the artist Mildred Lyon Hetherington; and thier son Jack, who became the third generation architect.