An Honor Roll cabinet with the names of all Park Ridge citizens who served in the military during WWII previously stood on the site of today’s American Legion War Memorial in Hodges Park. This is the story. In 1942, the Mel Tierney American Legion Post, and its Auxiliary unit, worked with Legion Vice Commander Victor [...]
Today’s Summit of Uptown was originally a hotel named The Park Ridge Inn. A building permit was issued on December 1, 1955 to Caesar Marconi, the original builder. Marconi’s project foundered after the foundation was dug out, and it was two more years before another builder took over the project. The local newspaper photo is [...]
DID YOU KNOW… In Park Ridge, residential delivery of US mail began in 1921. Prior to this postal customers picked up their mail at the general delivery window at the Post Office.
DID YOU KNOW… William ‘Bud’ Jackson was a Park Ridge Park District Commissioner serving in the 1950s, working to secure new sites for our future parklands. He served as the President of the Illinois Association of Park Districts in 1951.
DID YOU KNOW… the Historical Society has found a home in three different places in Park Ridge since its founding in 1971: the Gillick House, at Euclid and Summit Avenues, the Victorian-era house at 41 South Prairie Avenue, and now the Park Ridge History Center in the historic Solomon Cottage at 721 North Prospect [...]
DID YOU KNOW… The 1926 Camp Fire Girls Fountain in Hodges Park was designed by sculptor Alfonso Iannelli. In 2007, the Park Ridge Heritage Committee arranged for the renovation of the fountain, including a ring of 34 granite Milestones of History plaques placed around the Fountain recalling major events in the history of Park [...]
DID YOU KNOW… construction of three new elementary schools in District 64 began during the bustling economy of early 1929: Field, Lincoln, and Theodore Roosevelt.
DID YOU KNOW… Railroad tracks were laid down here in 1854, and passenger service began the next year. In all of 1863, the Chicago and North Western Railway logged 944 passengers boarding trains in Brickton, and 748 arrivals, for total revenue of $712.86.
DID YOU KNOW… The official Park Ridge flag was dedicated on July 24, 1960, two months after we celebrated our fiftieth anniversary under the City form of government.
DID YOU KNOW… our community has had three names: Pennyville in 1854, Brickton beginning in 1857, and Park Ridge beginning in 1873 (as a Village and as a City beginning in 1910)
