A dash of history in Park Addition
History is alive in the Park Addition neighborhood of Naperville.
• Park Addition
"We love it. We raised our children here. It's close to the railroad station. (Naperville) is such a progressive town, and (our neighborhood is) friendly and homey and well kept."
– Jean Sawyer, resident of about 50 years
"I do like this neighborhood. It's very nice. A lot of people are in their 20s. I live with friends."
– David Reyes, resident of two years
Home to the former Kroehler furniture plant, one of the largest employers in Naperville, Park Addition is still home for Elmer Court, one of Kroehler's employees. Court has lived in Naperville since 1953 and in Park Addition since 1970. Many of the houses on Loomis Street were constructed for the employees of Kroehler in the 1940s, in the second of two major construction booms. Still living on Loomis, Elmer Court is one such resident -- just as the building, now known as Fifth Avenue Station, has survived, too.
With many buildings dating back to the late 1880s and 1890s, Park Addition experienced a surge in the 1920s and again in the post-WWII years, according to Thom Higgins, homeowners association president. He has been a resident here for 30 years.
"These (years) were probably its heyday," Higgins said.
Higgins lives in a house with Queen Anne architecture, an elaborate style of Victorian architecture that flourished during the industrial revolution.
"It's one of the oldest homes in the neighborhood," Higgins said of the 1897 home.
But, "it's changing now," Court said May 11, as he stood watching the construction of a new home, in place of a teardown.
Higgins is wary of how the neighborhood is changing, too.
"We're a little concerned about what's happening with the development," Higgins admitted. "(We want to) retain the residential fabric."
Because so many new and young residents are streaming in, Park Addition is indeed changing. But with the placement of the former Kroehler Plant on the National Register of Historic Places in 1985 and the efforts of residents to preserve their older homes, it is clear many want to keep neighborhood's history alive. Even the oldest houses are well-maintained, with fresh paint and manicured lawns.
"We love it," said Judy Sawyer, resident of about 50 years. "It's friendly and homey and well-kept."
1. Fifth Avenue Station: The historic building of the Kroehler furniture-making business, built in the late 1890s by Peter Edward Kroehler, was transformed in the 1980s into 127 condo units and 80,000 feet of retail space, now called the 5th Avenue Station. Kroehler Manufacturing Company was the world's largest producer of upholstered furniture and one of the largest employers of Naperville residents for the better part of the 1900s. The building was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1985. To get there: Take Columbia Street south from Ogden Avenue. Make a right on Fifth Avenue, and the shopping center and condos will be on the left side, just past North Sleight Street, at 200 E. Fifth Ave.
2. Kroehler Park: Cheerful tulips adorn the signage at Kroehler Park on Fifth Avenue, where five slides, four swings, monkey bars and a safe mulch ground beckon the young families of Park Addition in Naperville. A bike rack and picnic table make Kroehler Park perfect for residents of neighboring subdivisions to pay a visit or have a picnic as well. To get there: The park is just east of 5th Avenue Station, on the north side of the street, at Fifth Avenue and Sleight Street, at 507 E. Fifth Ave.
3. Naperville Fine Art Center and Gallery: Naperville artists meet and exhibit their work here. The gallery, supported by the Naperville Art League, is open to the public and features classes and workshops for students of all ages. The theme for May is "Dream Works." Visit www.napervilleartleague.com. To get there: Take Columbia Street south from Ogden Avenue, and make a right on Fifth Avenue. Proceed to Center Street. At the intersection of Fifth and Center, on the northeast corner, is the gallery, 508 N. Center St.
