New housing shakes up a 'burb famous for its stability, diversity

I was a little confused last December when the guy I bought my Christmas tree from wished me "Happy Holidays" instead of "Merry Christmas." At a bus stop, in a grocery store, okay - I can understand a "Happy Holidays." But I had just paid good money for a fir tree, and I was about to hoist it onto my shoulder. Was there any question that I intended to celebrate Christmas? –>

I have put myself in a most unusual situation. First of all, it is the dead of winter and I am surrounded by nautical bric-a-brac – enough blue vinyl seating, polished brass and classic wooden boat models to call to mind the Adirondacks in July. (more…)

Metra station is focal point for continuing building boom downtown

Sue Curry is a living endorsement for Palatine. She was born in Boston but moved with her family to this northwestern Chicago suburb as a baby. Now 45 and married with two children of her own, ages 13 and 9, she has lived in Palatine her entire life, with the exception of her years at college in Carbondale.

That is endorsement enough, that she would move back to her hometown to settle after college. But there is a kicker.

"I think I would have moved here even if I hadn't grown up here," she says. (more…)

Evanston transforms from sleepy burb to mini-metropolis

We are seated at Koi Chinese and sushi restaurant in downtown Evanston, and Andy Warhol's portrait of Chairman Mao, this one in shades of red, is looming over my right shoulder. It's as if he, too – the Chairman – is keeping a close eye on the "underwater garden" tea pitcher we have ordered, its bloom suddenly bashful. The tea is sweet and light, and the two enormous maki rolls in front of us are almost too pretty to eat. But this is not enough; we are waiting for this special tea's flowers to bloom before our eyes. (more…)

The original directional beacon atop Britannica Center, 310 S. Michigan, was meant to convey the global reach of S. W. Straus & Co., which built the structure in 1924 as the Straus Building. Architects Graham, Anderson, Probst & White designed the highrise as the first to take advantage of a provision of Chicago's 1923 zoning ordinance allowing occupied towers above 260 feet if setback provisions were met. (more…)

Dubin Residential has sold more than 75 percent of the units at its Courts of Evanston project, a rare development of 90 townhouses in the built-up suburb of Evanston. (more…)

Dubin Residential has passed the 50 percent mark in sales at the Courts of Evanston, a large new development of townhouses in the built-up suburb that borders Chicago on the north. (more…)