Lakefront Property for Sale in Forest Hills

Except for a select group of senior citizens who grew up in Western Springs, few of us can remember what the Forest Hills subdivision looked like back in the 1930’s. See photo above.

Today’s 47th Street (originally called, “South Boulevard”) was the southern border of Western Springs in the 1920’s. But, soon, land developers began purchasing the farmlands to the south for an upscale development named Forest Hills.

While the land was relatively flat and easy to develop, the western-most lots were prone to flooding. This was due to Flagg Creek, which every spring would overflow its banks in response to melting snow and spring rains. And, although efforts were made to channel the water, the springtime floods were an ongoing problem.

For many years, Central Avenue was about as far west as anyone dared to construct a home. Eventually, more storm sewers were installed which made the problem more manageable. But, in 1958, the Tollway Authority deepened the channel as part of the Tollway construction project. And, afterwards, the creek was able to handle much larger volumes of water than previously.

Today, many of the original “lakefront” homes on Central Avenue still exist. See second photo.  And, with luck, they will continue to do so for many years.

Each week, the Western Springs Historical Society presents a “Blast from the Past”. To view prior stories, visit us at www.westernspringshistory.org or just click on the author’s name shown above.