HOFFMAN ESTATES THROUGH THE DECADES: A MONTHLY LOOK BACK (FEBRUARY)

During Hoffman Estates’ 60th anniversary year of 2019, we will take a look back at the Hoffman Estates you’ve known for the last six decades.  Every month there will be a posting on village happenings for each decade the village has been in existence. Maybe you remember some of the events and have something more to add to a few of the items? Send in your comments!

60 Years Ago In 1959

• Another vote for incorporation was held on Saturday, February 21 from 6 A.M. to 6 P.M. at 117 Cumberland Street which is in Parcel B, just off of Roselle Road. The pro-incorporation group held a party at the Buggy Whip (Easy Street Pub) the night of the vote.  The proposal, however, was defeated by a vote of 276-142. Another vote was scheduled for September.
• A Hoffman Estates unit of the League of Women Voters was formed as a branch of the Palatine chapter. Women who helped organize the unit were Cleis Jensen, Sally Probst and Louise Dennett.
• A Valentine Square Dance was held at Our Saviour’s Methodist church on Saturday, February 14 starting at 8:30. Refreshments were served and donations of $1 per couple were requested to attend. The Dance committee was headed up by Gloria Bowen on Geronimo Street.

50 Years Ago In 1969

• A new publication called “Community From Cornfields,” celebrating Hoffman’s 10th anniversary, was all the rage. Hank Linton, a commercial artist on Edgemont Lane, contributed a two-page drawing of local churches and designed the brochure’s layout.
• The first four-bedroom ranch model houses in Hoffman Estates were offered in the new High Point subdivision by Hoffman Rosner.
• Hoffman Estates Village Board rejected a zoning appeal for Photo-Mat to erect a 24-hour photo processing and developing booth in the Golf Rose Shopping Center. The booth was to be built with a styrofoam core surrounded by an aluminum skin and glass. It was rejected because of the potential for increased traffic and a lack of sanitary facilities. [Sidenote: Didn’t one of these eventually get built, next door in the Annex Shopping Center?]

40 Years Ago In 1979

• Mobile classrooms at Hillcrest School in Hoffman Estates and Collins and Dirksen School in Schaumburg were scheduled to close at the end of the school year due to declining enrollment. Room was, once again, available in the school buildings.
• Hoffman Estates offered a $1 million low-interest loan through village-sponsored bonds to Nederlander Organization of Detroit who was developing the Poplar Creek Music Theater which was being developed at an overall cost of $15 million.
• After five years of planning, the Suburban Medical Center of Hoffman Estates was close to being built. The exterior walls were up and the interior was close to finished. Chuck Iobe, the administrator, was happy with the numerous windows, the circular nurses’ stations and the cheerful, orange, red and blue walls.

30 Years Ago In 1989

• The Dominicks at 2575 W. Golf Road was all set for Valentine’s Day and was offering .79 Suave shampoo, Gallo table wines 3/$7.98, Kodak film for $2.69 and diamond earrings for $7.99. Not to mention cologne, lipstick and candy!
• Village officials approved the construction of Woodfield Lexus in Hoffman Estates to be built at the corner of Higgins Road and Evanston Street. It was built next to Resnick’s Hyundai and was its first location in Schaumburg Township.
• As part of Hoffman Estate’s 30th anniversary, the Daily Herald accepted questions regarding the history of the village. One of the questions was “When, where and why did Hoffman Estates first annex north of the tollway?” The answer that was provided by the village was: This annexation took place in 1961. There was a land developer who wanted some farm land annexed to the village of Hoffman Estates for the purpose of receiving village services for his development. The Northwest Tollway separated the potential development from the existing village of Hoffman Estates. The decision was finally made to annex by way of Barrington Road over the tollway to Central Road and then including the area that is now Winston Knolls.

20 Years Ago In 1999

• The sale of Hoffman Estates Medical Center became final February 1 and it would be now known as St. Alexius Medical Center. They also closed on Woodland Hospital, a related-mental health facility that was nearby on Moon Lake Boulevard.
• Hillcrest School was accepting applications for their new concept school that would group different grades together and design customized learning plans for each student. They had already received 294 applications for 300 openings.
• The Village of Hoffman Estates issued a proclamation to an ailing Walter Payton offering him “their concern, care and ecumenical prayers” as a “Hoffman Estates business entrepreneur, professional football player and gentleman.” Mayor McLeod hailed him as a “great corporate neighbor” who contributed to numerous local programs such as the Children’s Advocacy Center for abused children.

10 Years Ago In 2009

• Lakeview School in Hoffman Estates (as seen in the photo above) was celebrating its 50th birthday and was seeking former students, PTA members, community friends, families, teachers and staff who attended or worked at the school to attend the 50th celebration. Lakeview School opened in 1959–the same year the village was incorporated.
• Susan Kenley-Rupnow, who served as member of the Hoffman Estates Village Board from 1985 to 2005 and then went on to serve as a board member for the District 211 board from 2007 until her death on February 14. She followed her father, John Harmon, who served as a village board member in the early 1960s and was instrumental in pushing for the Public Works building in 1986 and 1987.
• The Tyson American Cup was held at the Sears Centre arena on February 21 and featured David Sender, Jordyn Wieber and Joseph Haggerty in the international gymnastics competition. Olympic greats like Mary Lou Retton, Kerri Strug and Paul Hamm were on hand to sign autographs.

Jane Rozek
Local History Librarian
Schaumburg Township District Library
jrozek@stdl.org

The factual items for this blog posting were taken from stories that appeared in the Daily Herald and the Chicago Tribune.