The Prospect Heights Police Department was started in 1990, and moved to this location in 1996. Just west of it is one of the city's fire stations.
TOM QUINLAN/tquinlan@dailyherald.com
In my effort to spend one hour photographing in Prospect Heights, I must admit I resorted to using Google to search for a boundaries map before I drove all over the nearly 40-year-old city.
I knew the boundaries were likely to be a bit squiggly, but I didn't know they resembled a car engine with a supercharger thrown in. Check it out, and you'll see what I mean.
That's OK, though, because Prospect Heights, like my car, has a few miles on it and is still in pretty good shape.
My snapshot adventure took me from Arlington Heights on the west to Northbrook on the east, and everywhere between Mount Prospect on the south and Wheeling to the north.
Along the way, I was reminded of the rural charm in the neighborhoods and parks that once were farmland. You'll also find some serenity along the borders lined by golf courses, forest preserves and the Des Plaines River.
I focused on the places where most people congregate (government buildings, schools, parks and recreation areas), but I could have spent another hour shooting some of the fabulous homes tucked away in the tree-lined neighborhoods.
Look for a new town gallery every Sunday at dailyherald.com/galleries and on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.
On our social media sites, share your favorite Prospect Heights photos with us by using #shareyoursuburb.
And tell us what photos are your favorites. Which ones stir a memory for you? Where do you love to go in town? (Lou Malnati's is a must for me).
So here's "An Hour in Prospect Heights."
Located just across the northwest corner of Randhurst Shopping Center on Route 83, this sign welcomes visitors to the city.
TOM QUINLAN/tquinlan@dailyherald.com
This clock sits outside the Prospect Heights Police Station on Camp McDonald Road. It looks as great today as when it was installed for the city's 25th anniversary nearly 15 years ago.
TOM QUINLAN/tquinlan@dailyherald.com
Here's a look at the plaque that rests at the foot of clock outside of the Prospect Heights Police Station. What do you get a town that turns 40 next January?
TOM QUINLAN/tquinlan@dailyherald.com
City Hall use to sit in the shopping district at Camp McDonald and Route 83 in Prospect Heights. Now it's just a block north of that intersection.
TOM QUINLAN/tquinlan@dailyherald.com
The former Social Security Administration building at Euclid Avenue and Route 83 in Prospect Heights has lost its shine to rust and peeling paint, but the architectural bones of this building remain attractive. There are plans to convert it to commercial use, but it will need some work.
TOM QUINLAN/tquinlan@dailyherald.com
As you drive around Prospect Heights, at times you'll cross into Mount Prospect, Wheeling and Arlington Heights along its borders. I couldn't resist the colorful entrance at Old Orchard Country Club, which is surrounded on the north and east by Prospect Heights. On a 90-degree day, these flowers were a welcomed respite. You'll spot it on Schoenbeck Road, which runs through Prospect Heights.
TOM QUINLAN/tquinlan@dailyherald.com
Bikers can enjoy this beautiful trail at the entrance of Country Gardens Park. This stretch looks east, and the trail also connects with Lake Arlington to the west.
TOM QUINLAN/tquinlan@dailyherald.com
The majority of children in Prospect Heights are served by District 23, although some attend Dist. 26 and others go to Dist. 21 or parochial schools. MacArthur Middle School is the largest public school in the community, and its students feed into Wheeling and Hersey High schools.
TOM QUINLAN/tquinlan@dailyherald.com
The park district's water slide towers over the pool at the Gary Morava Recreational Center in Prospect Heights. The place was busy on a recent steamy Sunday.
TOM QUINLAN/tquinlan@dailyherald.com
The ornate gazebo at the Crowne Plaza Hotel on Milwaukee is an attractive place to wait for your cab. Both the nearby Hilton and the Crowne Plaza hotels boast Northbrook in their names, but their properties are in Prospect Heights, with Northbrook just to the east.
TOM QUINLAN/tquinlan@dailyherald.com
Smaller jets have a home in Prospect Heights at Chicago Executive Airport, known for many years as Palwaukee Municipal. Prospect Heights and Wheeling are co-owners of the property, which covers more than 400 acres.
TOM QUINLAN/tquinlan@dailyherald.com
This is what happens on a humid, 95-degree day in Prospect Heights. I took this photo of the control tower at Chicago Executive Airport not knowing that my camera lens fogged up as soon as I stepped outside of my air-conditioned car. Or maybe Homeland Security used a special signal to disrupt any images being taken. To me, it looks haunting.
TOM QUINLAN/tquinlan@dailyherald.com
The Des Plaines River winds its way through Prospect Heights on its eastern borders. This view is looking north from the River Trails Nature Preserve, a special retreat for many over the years.
TOM QUINLAN/tquinlan@dailyherald.com
These orbs are home for purple martins at the River Trails Nature Preserve along the Des Plaines River.
TOM QUINLAN/tquinlan@dailyherald.com
Drive along Wheeling Road just north of Euclid and you'll get an up close glimpse of Rob Roy, the River Trail's Park District's 9-hole golf course run by Billy Casper Golf.
TOM QUINLAN/tquinlan@dailyherald.com
Prospect Heights was originally a dairy farm, and there are still plenty of rural retreats throughout the community. When I stopped at Izaac Walton Park just east of Route 83 and north of the downtown district, I was surprised by the size of these wetlands. Green was the color of the day, in or out of the water.
TOM QUINLAN/tquinlan@dailyherald.com