Many Years Ago

I was thinking a few days ago about how much the District has changed in the last 35 years. Over the past 35 years our 4.2 square miles has experienced many changes:

In 1973 the major housing subdivisions included, Bruce Lake, Brookridge, Rose Hill, Lake in the Woods and Knottingham which was new at that time. There was no Farmingdale development west of Lemont Road and south of Boughton Road nor south of 75th Street. There was no Saw Mill Creek or Graceland area. Most of the district was farm land. I can remember coaching football at Center Cass School (83rd and Lemont Road) and watching the farmer plow the fields where the Water Tower Place condominiums are and the original Farmingdale Village was just 6 model homes along Parkview Street.

In those days, roads were atrocious; Lemont Road was a two lane road that was not well maintained and did not connect directly to Main Street, Downers Grove. What is now 75th Street and Main Street was a two lane road with a stop sign. The only thing in the four corners area was the Chase Bank. Woodward Avenue did not connect with 83rd Street and dead ended just north of Edgerton Drive. There was no connection to 87th street via Woodward Avenue. The only stop lights were at Plainfield and Cass Avenue and Lemont and 83rd Street.

We operated two schools in 1973; Center Cass and Elizabeth Ide. Center Cass has now gone the way of the wrecking ball and Ide still continues to serve the community. Center Cass School housed grades 5-8 while Ide had grades K-4. In 1973 we had almost 500 students at Center Cass and it was greatly overcrowded. I remember that the wood shop was in the east wing and the corridor went directly through the classroom. At passing time, the teacher would have to unplug the table saw which was in the hallway to protect students as they passed to their next class. The faculty lounge was in the basement which often flooded during heavy rains. Lakeview was a dream to be built in a vacant field along Plainfield Road. In these days the only activities for students were band, chorus, basketball, football and softball for boys and volleyball, softball and cheerleading for girls. Times have changed!

There was very little in the way of commerce in the area. There was a gas station that remains at Cass and Plainfield and another at 75th and Lemont Road. The main grocery store was the Brookhaven Market which was where the Walgreen store is currently in Brookhaven. The only restaurant in the area with the exception of McDonald's was the Longhorn which later became the Vineyard. Dunkin Donuts currently occupies that location. Memories are fun!