There's something for everyone in Downers Grove
With its thriving downtown, Downers Grove continues to preserve a charming, hometown character - a trademark for more than a century.
"I grew up close to downtown, and when I was 15, I was a soda jerk and would walk to work after school," said Margy Sigerich, Realtor-associate with RE/MAX Enterprises. "The biggest change I've seen is the four- and five-story condo buildings, with the old coming down and the new going up. Yet the community still has the same charm that it always had."
This new mix of young and older buildings has helped the area thrive, she said.
"The downtown is very vibrant now with restaurants and shopping. So the village does a good job of drawing people downtown," Sigerich said.
The village's residential areas include diverse neighborhoods with a mix of housing styles. Teardowns and small older residences are being replaced with larger new houses. And the village has a large collection of Sears-Roebuck catalog homes purchased and assembled as kits between 1908 and 1940.
"It's all apples and oranges in Downers Grove, from charming turn-of-the-century homes to new construction, in all styles, all mixed in together," Sigerich said. "So there's something for everyone."
Liz Chalberg, Realtor with Coldwell Banker Residential, said there is very affordable housing in Downers Grove, with an opportunity to get a house at a great price.
"You can get into senior housing for as low as $60,000 in the Cameos, our 55 and up community," she said. "They're $60,000 to $100,000 for a one-bedroom, $80,000 to $110,000 for a two-bedroom and $150,000 for a three-bedroom. Those were pushing more than $200,000.
"You can buy a pretty nice home that needs work for less than $225,000 where that was unheard of four years ago. And with tax credits, it's just a great time to buy," Chalberg said. "On the market now, you can buy a condo from $60,000 to $655,000 and a single-family home from the low $90,000s to $4,899,000."
In addition to it's variety of housing and downtown shops, Downers Grove has many other advantages to attract homebuyers.
"I always enjoy selling in Downers Grove because there is so much to talk about," Chalberg said. "It has an excellent park district and schools, the train, a nice ambience."
Park district activities range from youth and adult sports leagues during all seasons to the 10-acre Belmont Prairie, one of the last pieces of natural Illinois prairie still in existence. Lyman Woods features an oak savanna and more than 70 acres with hiking trails near 31st and Highland Avenue. Also, Good Samaritan Hospital has an excellent health and wellness center.
"We have an awesome park district," Sigerich said. "In the 1960s, people on the park board were buying land and now the parks are the crown jewels of the village."
The park district museum is in the historic Blodgett House on the grounds of Wandschneider Park near downtown. The Victorian structure was built in 1892 as the 11-room home of the Charles Blodgett family, descendants of one of the village's first settlers.
High school sporting events draw large crowds, especially the Downers Grove North and South high school football games.
"It's a good cross-town rivalry," Chalberg said. "The schools have awarding-winning music and performing arts programs and very devoted teaching staff in both schools."
Downers Grove offers an active cultural scene with two community theater groups, a ballet studio downtown, the Downers Grove Choral Society, Downers Grove Oratorio Society, Downers Grove Concert Association and the DuPage County Symphony.
The Tivoli Theatre has been restored to much of its original grandeur and features movies and live theater performances. Several performing arts groups also use the theater as their main venue.
When the theater first opened in 1928, 4,000 people lined up all the way down the block. Admission at the time was 15 cents for children and 40 cents for adults. Part of the attraction to the theater was sound. The Tivoli was built as one of the first theaters in the country designed to show talking movies.
The community has many events to bring people together. The Heritage Festival in June was voted the Best Festival in the Midwest. People from all over take to the streets of downtown Downers Grove to enjoy great food, craft booths, amusements, and live entertainment during the festival.