Present day Milwaukee Avenue location for commerce, education in Glenview, Northbrook

The establishments that currently reside along Milwaukee Avenue on the outskirts of Glenview and unincorporated Northbrook provide locals with unique offerings.

The Grove ties past to present

The Grove, Natural Historic Landmark at 1421 Milwaukee Avenue is the oldest building along Route 21 in Glenview, and its 123 acres of open space provide both recreational and educational opportunities for the community.

“It kind of reminds people of a time of gracious giving,” said Steve Swanson, director of the Grove. “It links us to our past. We offer programs for schoolchildren that tie into their curriculum, provide hands-on historical and ecological activities. When fourth graders learn about pioneers, they can come here and spin wool, make candles, make a fire—it’s a tremendous resource.”

Swanson said in the 1970s, commercial developers wanted to demolish the Grove to build their corporate headquarters, but thanks to a group of 11 women, who called themselves, the Fern and Frog Ladies, the Grove became part of the Glenview Park District and continues to serve the community today.

“The Fern and Frog ladies had a tremendous vision for this place, starting with the school children,” he said. “They have really given future generations a wonderful gift. It’s an internationally known site that’s directly related to the history of Glenview and is very much part of Glenview’s present.”

Corridor Committee looks to build along route

Part of what make’s a place like the Grove stand out on Milwaukee Avenue is because for many years, it was surrounded by wood lands. Now, its neighbors are single and multi-family homes, commercial areas, parks and open space and offices for companies like ABT Electronics, AON Consulting and LifeSource Blood Services.

In 2006, the Village of Glenview established a Milwaukee Corridor Committee, which developed a plan to incorporate more commercial locations, greenery and parking in hopes of creating another downtown-like area.

Mary Bak, director of development for the village, said the area along Milwaukee Avenue was always different compared to other central locations in town.

“There was quite a bit of development that existed before the village annexed it,” Bak said. “It was mostly characterized by large lot uses and hotels and the park. There are also traditional commercial strips, it’s a little bit different than the rest of the town. But, it’s still a dominant piece of our community.”

Construction and economical setbacks

Back said the plan offered significant changes for the road until the economy took a dive.

“It has taken us out of the game for the time being,” Bak said. “We started to see some projects that were built based on the plan, which is great. But others, at Central and Milwaukee, are stopped right now because of bankruptcy problems.”

The construction, which began last summer, halted last December and is going to be a shopping center. She said the village is confident construction will resume in a timely manner.

Road repairs are also taking place along Milwaukee Avenue in Glenview and unincorporated Northbrook. The project is currently being led by the Illinois Department of Transportation.

In unincorporated Northbrook, a number of well-known businesses have Milwaukee Avenue in their mailing addresses. Allstate Insurance, the River Trail Nature Center and Allgauer’s all reside along the road and continue to serve the community today whether it be through providing jobs, nature education or the site of many weddings and special events.

The land along Milwaukee Avenue is anything but the vastly vacant, open farmland it once was. And, with future plans, it will continue to grow and blossom as the main street for parts of Glenview and Northbrook.