If the walls of the homes on the Historical Society of Oak Park River Forest’s annual housewalk could talk, what sort of stories do you think they might tell?
Would they tell the tale of 742 Bonnie Brae, built for A. J. and Anna Drechsler Lehmkuhl, sister of the founder of today’s Drechsler-Brown Funeral Home? The family also had built the 1898 Drechsler Building on Lake Street — with the name and date emblazoned on the parapet.
You can find out more about the Dreschlers, as well as learn several other stories at the Historical Society’s 14th Annual Spring Housewalk, newly named Tales Our Houses Tell. The housewalk is being held from 1 to 5 p.m. on May 7, and it’s a rare opportunity to tour the interiors and learn the stories of seven historic homes — how they came to be built, the families who lived in them and the man who developed them.
This year’s event, subtitled Cummings & Goings in River Forest, features homes in the East Central section of River Forest developed by Edmund A. Cummings’ River Forest Land Association Company. Cummings lived in Oak Park for more than 50 years and his company built thousands of homes in the Chicago area, including Oak Park, River Forest, Maywood, and Forest Park.
“Cummings & Goings in River Forest features interior tours of seven lovely homes, each with fascinating stories to share,” said event co-chair Mary Boyaris. “They include stories of an amazing restoration, River Forest’s first historic block designation, several infamous River Foresters, and three beautiful California bungalows that began with a kit home.”
In 1905, E. A. Cummings purchased a 135-acre tract of land from the Quick family on the eastern edge of River Forest and formed The River Forest Land Association to market and sell the lots, said Boyaris. He also left an extensive collection of advertisements featuring beautiful sketches, some with poetic descriptions of the wonders of River Forest, which inspired the walk’s poster, she said.
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You’ll hear anecdotes about people such as Charles Durland, the River Forest village president during the World War I years, said Peggy Tuck Sinko, a Historical Society volunteer and local resident who researched four out of the seven houses. Durland and his neighbor, Otto Kretzer, along with Ewald Balgemann (who briefly owned 743 Monroe) were among the founders of the River Forest Country Club.
Kretzer built the three bungalows on the tour, said Tuck Sinko. He lived in the center one with his family from 1916 until his death in 1975. His home and 743 Monroe are kit homes, not by Sears, but by a competitor firm from Chicago (find out who on the walk).
One of the bungalows has a vintage 1950s “streamline” kitchen with steel cabinets, stainless steel door frames, ribbed glass in the cabinet insets. It has been used in a couple of commercials, she said.
“I think of this particular housewalk as a tale of the American dream of homeownership and the selling of the glories of suburban life,” said Tuck Sinko. “We tend to think of suburbs as a post-WWII phenomenon, but these early 20th century suburbs were very important to the development of Oak Park and River Forest.”
Historical Society volunteer Kurt Etchingham — a more than 40-year Oak Park resident — researched three of the seven homes, including the aforementioned Dreschler abode. The architect of the William Street houses is unconfirmed and is the subject of great controversy, said Etchingham. The most popular theory is that they were designed by Harry F. Robinson, but several other names have been suggested, including William Drummond and Frank Lloyd Wright. Another theory is that they could be variations done by Henry Hogans based on plans he had for other Prairie School homes that he had erected, said Etchingham.
“The Historical Society is not taking a position on the identity of the architect,” said Etchingham. “Rather, we will have a table set up outside on William Street during the house walk specifically to explain the controversy and to tell the story of [contractor] Henry Hogans, E. A. Cummings, and the unique William Street development.”
While the houses on the walk are all architecturally interesting, Etchingham said he thinks the overriding historic theme this year is the E. A. Cummings Real Estate Company’s promotion of River Forest as the idyllic suburban refuge from city life.
“He wasn’t just selling houses; he was selling dreams,” said Etchingham. “It’s clear he was selling the image of home ownership and suburban life as much as he was selling houses. We tend to think of this kind of suburbanization as a post-WWII trend, but it started decades earlier with men like Cummings.”
Proceeds benefit the nonprofit Historical Society. Pre-paid, reserved tickets are $30, $25 for members, and can be bought online at www.oprfhistory.org, by calling 708-848-6755 and at Good Earth Greenhouse, 7900 W. Madison St., Oak Park Visitors Center, 1010 Lake St., The Book Table, 1045 Lake St., Frame Warehouse, 346 Harrison, and Olive and Well, 133 N. Oak Park Ave. Tickets on walk day are $35 at the Cook County Forest Preserve District headquarters, Lake Street and Harlem Avenue.
Shop ’til you drop … at the Friends of the Oak Park Conservatory’s (FOPCON) 28th annual plant sale, being held at the Oak Park Conservatory, 615 Garfield St. For sale will be more than 100 varieties of flowers, veggies and herbs. Members can shop from 2 to 6 p.m. May 5, and then the sale opens to the public from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. May 6 and noon to 3 p.m. May 7.
Felicia Dechter is a freelance columnist for Pioneer Press.