Recently, the Village of Wilmette asked the question: What should be done with Elmwood Avenue Beach? Most people in Wilmette have never heard of Elmwood Avenue Beach, so to help with this question I did some research.
In 1899 the Village of Wilmette realized that there was no parkland or access to the beach, except for a few strips of Village controlled land, so the Village made the resolution that for a growing place like Wilmette it needed to establish and maintain a public park system for future Wilmette residents.
Then in 1908, sixty-one Wilmette residents, 'Fathers of Wilmette Beach', formed the Wilmette Beach Improvement Association by making small personal donations and Elmwood Avenue Beach was born, Wilmette's first public beach. At that time, the beach was only a small space where the shore was cleared of rocks and branches there were no swings, life guard lines or beach house. Much as it is today, for the most part.
Elmwood Avenue Beach is located at the end of Elmwood Avenue. It is 80 feet wide and approximately 540 feet to the waters edge. The total land area of this parcel is approximately 1 acre or around 43,000 square feet and if you have lived in Wilmette a while, you either remember going to the park or know someone who did.
Elmwood Avenue Beach was enjoyed by Wilmette residents for decades as a park, one longtime resident said in the early 1940’s and through the1950's the end of Elmwood Avenue where it meets the beachfront was open to the use of residents. At the top of the bluff there was a beautiful little park. A set of stairs led to the natural ungroomed beach with dunes and beach grass. These stairs were about 45 inches wide with a wooden railing. The stairs had been creatively carved out of the bluff with a round wood front and back piece on each step. The design was very rustic and in keeping with the bluff.
In the 1980's we used the beach to escape the mass of people at Gillson Park Beach on those really crowded days. Not many people knew that it was public access land, so there was plenty of towel space. It was always considered an invaluable asset.
Now the question was raised as to what should be done with Elmwood Avenue Beach. In thinking about the answer I keep going back to a letter from the Wilmette Beach Association, dated June 12, 1909. The letter was soliciting funds to help the association, the letter closed with this: There will also be subscription lists and plans left in different stores throughout the village, so add your mite, whatever it may be, little or great. Everything will be appreciated and used to the best advantage. This is a village affair for the use of all. How much are you interested in what goes on in the village?
One of the people that put forward the letter was Louis Gillson.
Keep Elmwood Avenue Beach.
