Venerable Kenilworth

(Kenilworth Fountain circa 1910)

Modest in size, but note-worthy on the North Shore is the Village of Kenilworth. Tucked in between Wilmette to the south, and Winnetka to the north, Kenilworth enjoys its location along Lake Michigan and a fascinating history. The original acreage that was to become the Village of Kenilworth was purchased by a fellow named Joseph Sears. Sears had a dream: a planned community where streets were plotted to maximize sunlight in every home, where land was set aside for a school building (Sears School bears his name, and enrolls K-8 children) and a place of worshp. The gracious entrance into the heart of Kenilworth at the east corner of Green Bay Road and Kenilworth Avenue is attributed to architect George M. Maher, who also designed some 37 homes in the village. Other notables whose talents molded the growth of Kenilworth include Jens Jensen (landscaping) and Frank Lloyd Wright. The village annexed more land in the 1920's to grow to its current size of a diminutive 0.6 square miles, and a community of some 2,500 souls.

Kenilworth today is primarily residential, with a few commercial sites along the west side of Green Bay Road, primarily service entities (dentist, financial services, etc.).

A visit to the Village's website gives the reader a sense of what Kenilworth is all about: if you promise to help coach the winter basketball league for children in grades 1-3, your child is GUARANTEED to be on the team that you coach!

Kenilworth has a dedicated police force, and receives fire protection services in cooperation with Winnetka. Library services are shared with both Winnetka and Wilmette.

By reputation, Kenilworth is not an inexpensive community in which to purchase a home; the current average list price of home is $2,588,732. That's a significant number, but homes can also be found in the $700-$800,000 range. In reaction to a rising number of "tear downs" by home builders in Kenilworth, the National Trust for Historic Preservation placed the entire village on its 2006 list of 11 endangered places, right up there with the Arts and Industries Building of the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. and Mission San Miguel Arcangel in San Miguel, California. The image provide here is a home that recently escaped demolition, saved by the efforts of a local community group that is dedicated to preserving these magnificent homes of distinction.



(157 Kenilworth Avenue)

Beautiful in its design and proud of its tradition, Kenilworth offers the blend of hometown ambiance and a Metra commuter train station in the heart of town to whisk you into the city.

Just north of Evanston you'll find ...

Beautiful Wilmette! (pronounced Will - MET)

Like it's neighbor to the south, Wilmette treasures its history, as well as its modern day progress. Wilmette was named after a fur trader named Antoine Ouilmette. The United States government awarded him 1,280 acres of land, which he eventually sold in 1848 to farmers and developers. It grew to be the community of Wilmette as we know it. Wilmette fronts Lake Michigan with beautiful public access parks and beaches. It reaches west to the Edens Expressway, and north to the village of Kenilworth. Bicyclists beware: there are still many cobblestone residential streets in Wilmette, making for a rather bouncy ride. But the residents love those cobblestones, and the village maintains them; they are a link to the honored past.

Wilmette home ownership opportunities range from condominiums to cooperative apartments to townhomes and single family homes. The prices range from moderate (by today's market standards) to luxury levels. You will find older homes, brand new homes where older ones once stood, condominiums built decades ago, and the recently approved mixed-use project that will rise along Green Bay Road where a Ford auto dealership once stood, near the Metra train station. Another fascinating residential project is the transformation of the former Mallinckrodt College into luxury seniors-only condominiums. The village trustees have taken great care in guiding these recent projects in their planning to protect what Wilmette already has, and to maximize the benefit for the citizens of the village.

Attached homes (condos, co-ops, townhomes) sold in Wilmette last year from $113,000 up to $841,000. Single family homes sold last year from $300,000 up to $2,900,000. There's something for everyone.

Wilmette is the last outpost for the North Shore "L" train; the end of the Purple Line that links commuters to the Red Line into the heart of Chicago is found in Wilmette at the corner of 4th Street and Linden. If the CTA train does not take you where you want to go, the Metra's Union Pacific North Line might be your ticket, delivering you to the Ogilvie Transportation Center in only 32 minutes.

If boating is your preferred way of getting from here to there, Wilmette can help you out with lake access as well. A beautiful harbor awaits the local avid boaters. Sign up for lessons at the Sheridan Shore Sailing School!

A really nice place to call "home," take some time to discover Wilmette.