Centennial Park: Settlers, Sanitarium and Open Space
Categories: Gazette
By Susan Whitcomb
The earliest people to walk the land we now know as Centennial Park were Native Americans who moved north and south on the Green Bay trail. In the early 19th century, trappers, mail carriers and settlers began to trod the same ground. The first permanent dweller on the land that comprises Centennial Park was Simon Doyle, who erected a cabin on its southern edge in the 1830s.
Winnetka was incorporated in 1869, but its population grew quite slowly until the end of the century. Little is known about the subsequent inhabitants of the five-acre tract until 1900 when a dignified brick mansion was built and a private healthcare facility called the North Shore Health Resort (NSHR) opened. The therapeutic evolution of NSHR echoes the progression of medical specialization in the 20th century.
An early postcard for the NSHR advertised it as a place where “the sick are here treated scientifically – sensibly – and are taught how to live.” By the 1920s, NSHR billed itself as a “well-appointed sanitarium” and its mission had expanded to include “the care of convalescents, the treatment of nervous diseases, insomnia, affections of the heart, and disorders of the stomach and kidneys.” At midcentury the facility, then known as “North Shore Hospital,” treated psychiatric disorders exclusively. Chicago writer Nelson Algren (National Book Award, 1950) was a resident there in 1956, diagnosed with “anxiety state and passive aggressive personality.” Algren stayed less than two weeks, making his exit through a window and down a fire escape.
The hospital closed in 1968 because – according to its chairman– the value of the real estate far exceeded the profitability of the hospital. The building and land were purchased by CA Hemphill & Associates, a builder of many homes and condominiums in Winnetka between 1930 and 1980. Hemphill planned to demolish the hospital, divide the land into 10 half-acre home sites and build custom homes.
Half of the new home sites were already under contract when the Plan Commission first reviewed the proposed development in late 1968. About the same time, there began some rumbling among Winnetka residents about more homes cluttering the lakeshore. Led by Vernon Walsh, a committee of 40 Winnetkans called the “Winnetka Conservation Association” collected 1300 signatures in support of a park on the hospital parcel. Soon afterward, the Park District, led by Board President Donald Erickson, filed a condemnation suit to stop Hemphill from moving forward and allow time to organize a referendum to fund the purchase of the land from Hemphill. Erickson said at the time that they had to get the issue in front of the voters because “we’ll never get a chance at this land again.”
The referendum passed by 119 votes, giving the Park District $550,000 to buy out Hemphill and create a park. Initially, Hemphill made comments to the press that he would have no more discussions with the Park District “short of a jury trial.” However, the two parties were able to work out an agreement in the end.
Almost 50 years later, we must marvel at the speed at which these events unfolded. North Shore Hospital announced the sale to Hemphill on October 6, 1968. By October 30, the Winnetka Conservation Association had organized and collected signatures. Hemphill took title to the property on November 1. On November 7, the Park District filed the condemnation suit and the Village held a referendum vote on December 7. Negotiations with Hemphill concluded by the end of December. It was less than three months from an idea to a new park despite many obstacles.
The new park was dedicated in 1969, the 100-year anniversary of Winnetka’s incorporation as a village – hence the name: Centennial Park. The dog beach below the park was introduced in 1995.
I was a patient as an adolescent at North Shore Hospital from May to November, 1968. It was a wonderful place for a kid. There were three wards, A, B and General. B was for psychiatric patients and was locked. A was open, and was like a beautiful hotel but with nurses to check you in and out. General was open and even had some elderly ladies who lived there from before NSH was a psychiatric hospital. There was a beautiful dining room with windows facing the lake. The hospital had it’s own beach. There was a grill with a wonderful cook who made the best hamburgers and malts. We young people had our own school until the place closed down, which was very sad for many of us who called it our home. We had a wonderful cross section of people there. One man had a tattoo on his arm, he’d been through the Holocaust. My doctor was Charles D. Matthews, MD. There was a very dedicated staff of nurses, doctors, and occupational therapists. I will always thank God for NSH. I run the North Shore Hospital page on Facebook.
Thank you for sharing this Camille! If you’d like to share any more information about your experience, I’d love to chat with you. Feel free to email me at curator@winnetkahistory.org. Thank you again!
You are very welcome and I’m glad I could be of some help. I will contact you and also tell my other friends that have memories of North Shore Hospital.
I too was there in 1968. As I recall Charles Jones was head doc then. I had a room in general, one of the nicest places facility wise. It was a lovely building, the dining room spectacular.