Mount Prospect housewalk celebrates village's 100th year

The annual Mount Prospect Holiday Housewalk is always memorable as homeowners generously open their lovely homes to “sightseers” who want to check out the interiors of homes they have admired for years.

The annual event has been held for the past 30 years in order to raise funds for the Mount Prospect Historical Society. This year it will be held from noon to 5:30 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 3.

In honor of Mount Prospect's Centennial celebration, the 2017 walk is highlighting only 100-year-old-plus homes, all of which were in place when Mount Prospect was incorporated in 1917. Only 33 houses and five public/business structures qualified - and, fortunately for the historical society, the requisite number of willing homeowners were found.

One of those homes is the stately Victorian home at 808 E. Central Road that was built in 1895 by William Busse, a man who would become the village's first mayor and who also served as a longtime Cook County commissioner. He was probably the most influential person in Mount Prospect's early development and his home reflects that prominence.

The Victorian gem was originally built in the heart of Mount Prospect, at the intersection of Busse Avenue and Main Street. It was one of the most impressive in the community, with Victorian decoration that included a widow's walk with elaborate ironwork, brackets along the roofline and decorative shingle work above the windows. Originally, it even had formal gardens laid out behind it that was the site of several weddings.

Busse and his new neighbors - John Moehling, William Wille and John Meyn - worked together tirelessly to put their little community on the map. First, they joined forces to have a public school built for local children. Later, Busse used his political connections and business sense to bring a lot of development into the community.

For instance, Busse was responsible for the planning of Northwest Highway, the road that opened Mount Prospect to new opportunities, and he convinced numerous businesses to move to village's growing downtown.

Busse himself was the founder and president of the Mount Prospect State Bank and he established Busse Buick and Busse-Biermann Hardware.

William Busse and his neighbors established the Mount Prospect Improvement Association in 1911 because they were determined to improve their community and attract new residents so they could eventually incorporate. This association brought sidewalks, kerosene street lamps and modern streets that were scraped and oiled to this tiny community. Members laid the groundwork for incorporation once the population reached the state-required threshold of 300 residents.

When Mount Prospect finally became large enough to become a municipality, Busse led the charge for a vote and was subsequently elected Mount Prospect's first mayor, a position he held until 1929. It bears noting that Busse remained a Cook County commissioner while serving as mayor of Mount Prospect. In fact, he served as a Cook County commissioner for more than 50 years.

He reportedly never let personal considerations stand in the way of public ones. In fact, during the late 1920s, Busse chose to move his own home one block east to the corner of Emerson Avenue and Busse Street so that Main Street could become the fledgling community's commercial base.

No one quibbled when his descendants, after his death in 1955 at the age of 91, chose to move his house a second time - to its current location on Central Road. The move was done sometime between 1958 and 1960. Today, those friends invited to venture into the home's basement can still see the distinctive notches where I-beams were inserted for its slow trip on the back of a truck.

The William Busse home is now owned by Steve and Lisa Haynes. Steve and his late first wife purchased it in 1984 and the family has been lovingly caring for and progressively improving the masterpiece ever since.

“This is a wonderful home and it has been a great palette upon which we have been able to express ourselves,” Steve Haynes said. “It is fun to live in a place that is so full of history.”

“The importance of this house to the community was impressed upon me the first time I saw a school bus pull up outside to talk to the children about the house. That impressed on me the importance of us keeping the house looking perfect,” Lisa added.

The interior of the vintage home is filled with an eclectic mixture of items that Steve and Lisa have picked up at estate sales and that Steve, an avid woodworker, has created. Steve has also renovated all of the hardwood floors himself and most recently has redone the kitchen, adding marble countertops for a unique look.

The interiors of five other homes that witnessed the signing of Mount Prospect's papers of incorporation will also be featured on the annual housewalk.

Other homes featured this year are: 122 N. Emerson St., owned by Tom and Kathy Schultz; 13 S. Maple St., owned by Chris and Liz Jannusch; 218 S. Emerson St., owned by Ed and Mary Verschoor; 222 S. Emerson St., owned by Steve and Kelly Meersman; and 1702 W. Myrtle Drive, owned by Brian and Wendy Lambel.

Since it began in 1988, the interiors of a total of 144 Mount Prospect homes have been featured on the annual Mount Prospect Historical Society tour, earning over $252,000 for the society.

But the annual event has certainly not remained static over the years. Some years it is held on Sunday afternoon (when it is driving tour highlighting homes all over the village) and other years it is a Friday night neighborhood-specific walking tour. The evening's/afternoon's festivities have also begun in diverse locations including local churches, the Mount Prospect train station, the historical society campus, a local bank and heated tents, depending on the neighborhood featured.

This year's tour will begin at the Mount Prospect Historical Society campus, 101-103 S. Maple St., where refreshments will be served and tours offered. Artwork of the featured houses will also be displayed and museum store items sold.

Nonrefundable tickets will be sold for $28 through Dec. 2 at The Huntington Bank, 50 N. Main St.; Mount Prospect State Bank, 299 W. Central Road; Busse Flowers and Gifts, 100 E. Northwest Hwy.; River Trails' Weiss Center, 1500 E. Euclid Ave.; Lions Park Recreation Center, 411 S. Maple St.; Millie's Hallmark, 1024 S. Elmhurst Road; and Dave's Specialty Foods, 105 W. Prospect Ave. - and through Nov. 30 at the Dietrich Friedrichs House museum, 101 S. Maple St.

Tickets are also available through PayPal at mtphist.org. Those tickets can be picked up at a “will call” desk located at the museum during the walk.

Last-minute decision-makers may also purchase tickets on the day of the walk, beginning at 11:30 a.m. at the museum campus, but the cost will be $30 per person at that time.

Call the society at (847) 392-9006 for more information or visit mtphist.org.