Glenview A Blend of Old and New

By Leslie Mann, Special to the Tribune
December 23, 2011

When Mike and Erin Lovitto decided to build a house where they could raise their 5-month-old twins, they looked no farther than Mike's hometown, Glenview.

Having a new house in an established community is the best of both worlds, said Mike.

"My kids will be able to do the things I did, like meet friends at the (Glenview) Summer Festival or for Hackney burgers or go sledding at Elm Park (now Johns Park)," he said. "As soon as they're old enough to get pool passes, they'll be at the Flick pool."

The Lovittos hired Highland Park-based Green Building Technologies to build their three-bedroom, 2,500-square-foot house on a teardown lot. "We didn't need a giant house," said Lovitto. "But we wanted one that was more energy-efficient than the older ones in town."

While Glenview lacks the old-money patina of the North Shore "W" towns, it is not a string of cookie-cutter subdivisions either. It's a collection of neighborhoods, each with a different flavor. They are anchored by two Metra stations and their residents' determination to provide their families with safe parks, high-scoring schools and plenty of ways to have fun on weekends.

Lovitto likes the village's proximity to the Loop (16 miles) and the airport ("I can be at my gate at O'Hare in 30 minutes," he said). The biggest news on the village's recent police blotter was an investigator's report that missing heiress Helen Brach's ruby ring is in the department's vault.

Glenview is a town of family and neighborhood traditions, said village president Kerry Cummings, who raised her four children here. "Meet me at the bear" means you will see your friends at the 1917 bear fountain, built by Edwin Jackman to quench human, canine and equine thirsts at three levels.

Locals camp overnight at the Glenview Dairy Bar to be the first to get ice cream each spring. Couples with babysitters meet their friends at historic eateries including Meier's Tavern, Grandpa's Place and the Glenview House.

"The kids who are home from college get together at the annual Glenbrook South versus Glenbrook North hockey game," said Cummings.

The population of Glenview swelled to about 45,000 after homes were built on the former Glenview Naval Air Station. Known as The Glen, the site is a mix of residential and commercial development.

While The Glen has new chain stores and restaurants, Glenview's downtown has mom-and-pop stores in historic buildings. The village's healthy corporate community includes Kraft Foods Corp., Signode packaging systems company and Pearson education company.

"Glenview is a town where people get together for things like block parties," said Lovitto. "You know the neighbors and their kids. That's what I grew up with and what we want for our kids."

History

While Glenview (originally named South Northfield, then Oak Glen, then Glen View) did not incorporate until 1899, its roots date back to the 1830s. The arrival of the railroad helped put the suburb on the map.

Neighborhood names are clues to Glenview's origins. The Park has historic homes that surround the Glenview New Church, built by the Swedenborgian Church in the 1890s. Swainwood is named for Swain Nelson, a respected member of the church.

Glenview's history is intertwined with the air base, which closed in 1995. It was a self-contained community, with housing, a chapel, library, theater, stores and hospital. Thousands of pilots trained at the base, including former president George H.W. Bush.

Things to do

Glenview is a recreational Disneyland, with a range of wholesome venues, from the Kohl Children's Museum to the barn dances at the 1837 Wagner (living history) Farm.

Wagner also hosts annual farmers' markets, bonfires and scarecrow builds. The Glenview Clovers 4-H Club tends its animals here.

The Park District's calendar keeps families busy year-round with numerous events, including the Bearfoot Concerts in Jackman Park, Friday Night Live concert series at the Glenview Park Golf Club, an arts and crafts fair, a triathlon, soccer fest, winter carnival and Independence Day parade and fireworks.

Hockey is huge in Glenview, which has two indoor rinks at the Glenview Ice Center, plus outdoor skating at four parks.

Housing

The single-family houses are a mix of fixer-uppers that are usually sold as teardown candidates (but can serve as starter homes), older houses that have been updated and new houses on teardown sites.

Despite the recession, Glenview approved 22 new-home permits in 2011. Except for some older housing left over from the air base, most of The Glen homes are less than 15 years old.

Sales average $529,000 for single-family houses and $260,000 for attached homes, said Maureen Morey, broker at Koenig & Strey Real Living in Glenview.

Recent sales range from a 1951 three-bedroom ranch that sold for $255,000 to a 2011 four-bedroom, two-story that sold for $1 million. Because some properties have been reassessed and others have not, property taxes are inconsistent. The ranch, for example, has a tax bill of $7,780 a year, while the two-story's is $6,500, said Morey.

Transportation

Glenview is a half-hour commute to Chicago by train or by Interstate Highway 94.

Pace has eight routes that criss-cross Glenview, including the "Shuttle Bug" that takes commuters to and from the Metra station at The Glen.

Schools

The village is divided into seven elementary school and four high school districts. Most of the village's high school students attend Glenbrook South High School.