Shape of Village history includes memories of 'the 'Triangle'

It was 25 years ago that the historic Village Triangle disappeared from the Northbrook landscape.

But during this fall's election campaign, the area that symbolically took its place - referred to by some as Triangle Park - has been squarely in the news.

Located at the intersection of Shermer Road and Walters Avenue just west of the downtown railroad tracks, the Village-owned land is categorized as a public forum.

Various signs and posters focusing on a variety of subjects have been placed there over the past quarter-century, but in mid-September, a sign referring to the number of United States COVID-19 deaths appeared. The result was numerous cases of vandalism to the sign as well as controversy among many village residents along with nationwide attention on Northbrook.

Citing First Amendment laws, Village attorney Steven Elrod was quoted as saying, "So long as there is a public forum, the village must allow all forms of noncommercial speech, religious symbols, political speech, political campaign speech."

It wasn't the first time that "the Triangle" had served as the site of disagreement among residents. During the late 1970s and early 1980s, holiday displays on the property became a source of conflict.

Then, when the Illinois Department of Transportation began planning in the mid-1980s to widen Shermer Road, the Triangle served as a focal point for discussion.

The Triangle actually was a small patch of land that once separated traffic turning west onto Walters from traffic continuing south on Shermer. According to "Northbrook, Illinois: The Fabric of Our History," the land was purchased by the Village of Shermerville in 1912 from the George Knochenmuss family for $100.

When the Northbrook Park District was formed in 1927, President Herman Meier and commissioners Clarence Bartelme, Wallace Clore, J.W. Cooksy and E.D. Landwehr comprised the first board. One of the board's first orders of business in April 1927 was to accept the Village's donation of the Triangle to the Park District, and the parcel became Northbrook's first park. Soon a flagpole was erected and landscaping added to enhance the appearance.

A large spruce tree and other seasonal plantings helped establish the Triangle as a unique characteristic of Northbrook. As noted in "The Fabric of Our History": "Over the years, the quarter-acre Village Triangle became one of the most recognizable Northbrook landmarks."

However, in 1986 the Village Board approved a state plan for a four-lane road between Meadow and Techny roads, and that plan was reconfirmed in 1991. According to "The Fabric of Our History," "Prior to construction, residents appeared before the Village Board seeking reconsideration of the plan. The original design was reconfigured to three lanes when the Village Board voted to fund the redesign."

A number of residents - some passionately - also objected to the part of the project that called for elimination of the Triangle. But the pleas were unsuccessful, and the Triangle was demolished 25 years ago in 1995.

As a consolation and nod to history, the Village retained the triangular strip of land on the west side of Shermer. It now features various plantings that include a nostalgic pine tree (actually two) and space for signs - one of which states, in part: "This Village owned property is a public forum for the expression of Constitutionally protected free speech."

"This has been a public forum for almost 100 years," Village President Sandra Frum told one news source recently. "It's something that Northbrook has been proud to have as a public forum."

Village-owned from 1912-27, then Park District property for some 60 years, then back to Village control in the mid-1990s ... the memories and saga of the Village Triangle endure.