KENILWORTH, ILLINOIS

'Kenilworth' is a village in Cook County, Illinois, approximately 17 mi (28 km) north of downtown Chicago. It is the newest of the nine suburban North Shore communities bordering Lake Michigan, and is the only one developed as a planned community.

Contents

History

Reputation

Education

Public Entities and Points of Interest

Kenilworth Assembly Hall

Teardown Controversy

Geography

Rebel Football

Demographics

Notable People

External links

History

Joseph Sears purchased 223.6 acres in one of the last undeveloped areas near Chicago's lakeshore for $150,300 in 1889. Seven years later, the population had reached 300 residents, fulfilling the legal requirement for incorporation. As of the 2000 census, the village population was 2,494.

Reputation

Kenilworth has a reputation as the wealthiest and most exclusive community in the Midwest. In April 2005, ''American Demographics'' magazine named Kenilworth's ZIP code (60043) the 11th most affluent in the US and in April 2006, Forbes magazine ranked Kenilworth as the 88th most expensive ZIP code [1].

Education

Kenilworth has its own public school district, with its only school being Joseph Sears School, named after the founder of the village. The school, commonly known as Sears, runs from junior kindergarten through eighth grade, with about sixty students per grade. Sears has its own gymnasium, auditorium, library, and two high-tech computer labs, in addition to a blacktop and large fields behind the school. Annual events that go on at Sears include The Eighth Grade Play, the Spelling Bee, the Geography Bee, Scamper Night (concert put-on by the Girl Scouts), and Field Day (tigers vs. wildcats). Most students participate in one of the school's athletic teams, including basketball, football, volleyball, soccer, and field hockey. While Sears is a public school, many people outside of the community think of it as a private school, because the entire student body comes from the same wealthy neighborhood.
There are no private schools in the small village of Kenilworth itself, but some K-8 students do attend nearby schools such as Sts. Faith, Hope and Charity, St. Joseph, St. Francis Xavier, and North Shore Country Day.
The vast majority of high schoolers in Kenilworth attend New Trier High School, the district high school just down the road, but others attend a variety of private schools including local and boarding schools. The most popular choices for students looking for alternatives include local private schools such as Loyola Academy, and Lake Forest Academy as well as east coast schools like The Hotchkiss School and Westminister School.

Public Entities and Points of Interest

Places in Kenilworth include

★ Kenilworth Fountain - In the middle of Kenilworth Avenue just east of the railroad tracks

★ The Kenilworth Beach - The public beach on Lake Michigan, which is divided into a sailing beach and a bathing beach

★ Pee Wee Field - Baseball field located on the west side of town where many little leaguers play

★ Townley Field - District-owned sports field behind the school where many sports are played including football, soccer, lacrosse, and the school Field Day

★ The Ware Garden - Public courtyard on the east side where many residents walk their dogs

★ McKinely Park - A small park on the south side of town

★ Kenilworth Train Station - Train station on the Metra Line in between Indian Hill and Wilmette stations

★ Joseph Sears School - Public elementary and junior high school on Abbotsford Road (JK-8)

★ The Kenilworth Club - A frequented community house that hosts all sorts of events throughout the year

★ Kenilworth Historical Society - Preserve and present the history of the town

★ Kenilworth Union Church - A non-denominational Protestant church on Kenilworth Avenue

★ Church of the Holy Comforter - Episcopal Church across the street from Kenilworth Union
Kenilworth does not have its own fire department or library; for these services, the town contracts with the neighboring Winnetka fire department and with the Wilmette library. Kenilworth has its own police department and 9-1-1 call center.

Kenilworth Assembly Hall

Known as the Kenilworth Club, the Assembly Hall is a community building in the center of the village used for civic events for the town's gatherings, school-related events, and private organizations' meetings. The building was constructed by George Maher in 1907, and will reach its centennial commemoration next summer. The community house is used by the Historical Society, Joseph Sears School, and the Boy and Girl Scouts programs among others. In addition, a handful of yearly events go on at the Kenilworth Club, including Bingo Night, The Memorial Day Parade, and the Halloween Party. According to the official website, the Club's mission is, "To educate members of the community about the village, its history and architecture, as represented by the Assembly Hall itself; to promote friendly relations among its members; to serve their social needs; and to promote cultural activities, provide literary entertainment and encourage mental culture."
In recent years, the Kenilworth Assembly Hall has become a home for concerts and benefits hosted by local bands from New Trier High School and other surrounding areas. The title "North Shore Scene" has been appropriately coined by many students and teenagers to describe their association with the concerts and the bands that participate. The North Shore Scene has helped launch the careers of well-known artists such as Fall Out Boy and Blacktop Mourning.

Teardown Controversy

One of the growing controversies in Kenilworth is the issue of tearing down historical homes. In the last three years, over 20 houses have been torn down, and have been replaced with bigger and more modern houses, dubbed "McMansions" by the community members who oppose the new movement. But the issue goes farther than just the new houses, it is the homes that are getting torn down. Recently, owners of historically important homes have sold their houses to developers who construct extravagant and massive houses, which has in turn drawn negative reactions from many residents. Kenilworth has many homes built by famous architects like the Burnham brothers, George Maher, and Frank Lloyd Wright, some of which have been in the center of the controversy. The controversy was represented in 2005 by the many small yard signs around the village protesting the demolition of significant homes. One of the most talked about homes "that could be torn down" was 157 Kenilworth Avenue, designed by Daniel Burnham's firm. This house was going to be torn down in November 2005, but was purchased just before demolition by a resident who wanted it preserved.[2] The issue drew national attention in 2006 when the National Trust for Historic Preservation put Kenilworth in its "Eleven Most Endangered Places" in the US.[3][4]
Some homes that drew controversy before being torn down include:

★ 338 Kenilworth Ave

★ 414 Warwick Rd

★ 512 Roslyn Rd (George Maher design)

Geography

Kenilworth is located at (42.088128, -87.716009).
According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of 1.6 km² (0.6 mi²), all land.

Rebel Football

Kenilworth has its own sixth through eighth grade football program, called the Rebels. The team is comprised of mostly boys from Sears School, but the team usually fields a few students from Wilmette and Winnetka. The squad practices four days a week during the season, and plays on weekdays at Townley Field, the field directly behind the school. While the first ten or so games are fun to watch, the spectacle of the year is the last game of the season, against their rivals to the south, Wilmette Football. Wilmette is roughly twenty times the size of tiny Kenilworth, but the Rebels seem to put up a fight year in and year out. The game is always the final match of the season, and is always under the lights in either Kenilworth or Wilmette.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 2,494 people, 792 households, and 697 families residing in the village. The population density was 1,604.9/km² (4,190.8/mi²). There were 815 housing units at an average density of 524.5/km² (1,369.5/mi²). The racial makeup of the village was 97.27% White, 0.16% African American, 0.04% Native American, 2.25% Asian, and 0.28% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.36% of the population.
There were 792 households out of which 49.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 81.7% were married couples living together, 5.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 11.9% were non-families. 10.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.15 and the average family size was 3.39.
In the village the population was spread out with 34.8% under the age of 18, 4.0% from 18 to 24, 19.7% from 25 to 44, 29.7% from 45 to 64, and 11.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 90.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.3 males.
The median income for a household in the village is $200,000+, as is the median income for a family. Males had a median income of over $100,000 versus $69,375 for females. The per capita income for the village was $100,718. None of the families and 1.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 1.7% of those under age 18 and 1.7% of those age 65 or over.
Kenilworth is one of the most conservative towns in Illinois. George Bush received over 65% of the vote in 2004. (New Trier Precincts 22-24)

Notable People

★ Walker Evans - Professional Photographer

★ George Washington Maher - early 20th century Prairie School style Architect

★ James McManus - Novelist and author of ''Positively Fifth Street''

★ Charles H. Percy - Former U.S. Senator

External links

★ Official village website

★ All scouting organizations

★ Kenilworth Assembly Hall Association (known colloquially as the Kenilworth Club)

★ Kenilworth Historical Society

★ Kenilworth Citizens Advisory Committee

★ Kenilworth Matters

★ Citizens For Kenilworth

★ Homeowners For Kenilworth

★ Wilmette Public Library