We moved to Libertyville in late summer 2007. Like the Youngs, we previously lived in a walkable Chicago neighborhood, and we were looking for a neighborhood with a similar feel in Libertyville. We were so excited to find our house on Maple Avenue, a 1920 American Foursquare. We took many walks around the area that summer and would often make lists of all the places and events in town that we can easily reach on foot: Cook Library, Cook Park, Butler Lake Park, Sunrise Rotary Park, Libertyville High School, the Farmer’s Market, Out to Lunch, Streetdance, numerous restaurants and shops, banks, and the train station. I commute to downtown Chicago, so being able to walk to the train station is particularly important, and it’s enabled our family to rely on just a single vehicle despite living in the suburbs.
Our house was among several others in the neighborhood featured in a historic walking tour this past summer. I researched its history and, among other things, discovered that it was built by a retired milk dealer from Chicago. In the course of my research, I learned a lot about the historic residences in the area and their previous owners, and I began to feel a link to Libertyville’s past despite the fact that I had just moved here.
They really don’t build homes like they used to, and it is crucial that we be able to reflect architecturally Libertyville’s past. If the home at 212 W. Maple is allowed to be demolished, we will lose one more link to our village’s heritage. It will be a terrible blow to our beautiful, unique, historic neighborhood.
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