A major homebuilder in the Chicago area and US has ceased to operate as a result of the current economic mess all the greedies have gotten us into. The Dec. 7th Chicago Tribune had an article by Mary Ellen Podmolik about the company named for the man "who brought the 'GI bath' to the northwest suburbs and who put Rolling Meadows on the map called it quits last week..."
Kimball Hill began building homes in 1951 on 600 acres of farmland that would become Rolling Meadows by offering small ranch homes to military veterans who used their GI Loan to cover the cost.
These homes featured two or three rooms, one 5 X 8 foot bathroom, no basements, and deep lots. On some days, 20 homes were completed in assembly line fashion. There was nothing elegant or extravagant about them, but, they were AFFORDABLE, starting at $13,400 and less. Most young families today would turn their noses at these. What, ONLY ONE BATHROOM???
Many a family made their move from Chicago to the suburbs via these homes.
Today, the Rolling Meadows Historical Society is housed in an exact replica of one of these homes, a real trip back to the fifties.
These homes also meant something personal to me and my family. When my dad transferred to Chicago to work at Quaker Oats' home office at the Merchandise Mart, he rented a Kimball Hill home at the corner of Kirchoff and Flicker Lane in Rolling Meadows and we lived there for a year before moving to another massive housing development called Winston Park in Palatine.
My brother went to Kimball Hill Elementary School,named for the builder.
Another Victim of he GRBs. --Cooter
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