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to Think
Beyond Winter?
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Downers
Grove’s Latest
Landmark
Congratulations
to Nancy and
Gordon
Goodman!
On
February 1st
the Downers
Grove Village
Council
unanimously
approved local
landmark
recognition
for their 1954
ranch home
located at
5834 Middaugh
Avenue. Gordon
is a founder
and longtime
director of
PDHA.
Both the house
itself and the
role played by
homes like
this one in
the Village’s
post-war
expansion are
extensively
documented in
their
landmark
application
where an
original
architectural
drawing for
their home is
compared to a
Polaroid of
the house when
it was first
built and to
the home as it
looks today.
The home is a
classic
Mid-century
Modern Ranch,
with Prairie
style elements
such as ribbon
windows and a
wide chimney.
It also
exemplifies a
period of
rapid growth
for Downers
Grove in the
1950s, a
decade in
which the
population of
Downers Grove
increased by
78%. Downers
Grove's
residential
developments
during the
1950s
significantly
transformed
what had been
a small,
historically
rural village
into a
substantially
larger and
more diverse
community.
The
Goodmans
purchased
their home
from John and
Doris Mochel
in 1965 and
have requested
that this new
local landmark
be known as
the
Mochel-Goodman
Home.
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Walnut
Park Plans
Include Area
Around Belmont
Prairie
The
Downers Grove
Park District is
in the planning
phase for
development of
Walnut Park,
along Walnut
Street between
Burlington and
Ogden Avenue.
The District is
looking at a
combination of
active
recreation
facilities in
the northern
portion of the
park, and
enhancements to
the buffer
zone for the
Illinois Nature
Preserve Belmont
Prairie in the
southern
portion, with a
nature center
facility to
provide a
location for
educational
programs. The
buffer zone
improvements and
associated plans
offer a real
opportunity to
improve
management of
this natural
area and
highlight
Belmont Prairie
as an
outstanding
quality natural
resource for
Downers Grove.
PDHA is
following this
planning process
and we look
forward to the
next steps.
One
of the next steps
is expanded public
communications
about this
planning effort.
The Park District
has posted
information about
the Walnut Park
plans and is
seeking public
input through
their website. We
encourage you to
submit comments to the
Park District in
support of the natural
areas portion of the
plan.
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Morton
Arboretum
Updates
Chicagoland
Tree Census
In
2020, The
Morton
Arboretum
partnered with
Davey Resource
Group Inc. and
the Student
Conservation
Association to
conduct its
second tree
census,
remeasuring
1,576 plots in
the city of
Chicago and
the seven
surrounding
counties of
Cook, DuPage,
Kane, Kendall,
Lake, McHenry,
and Will to
gain a
comparative
snapshot of
the regional
forest and the
benefits it
provides.
The first
census was in
2010. For the
whole
seven-county
area, the
number of
trees and
shrubs
increased from
157,142,000 in
2010 to
172,297,000 in
2020,
representing
more than 194
species. In
2020, the
regional
forest tree
and shrub
canopy cover
was assessed
to be 23%, an
increase from
21% in 2010.
In DuPage
County, the
canopy cover
increased from
26% in 2010 to
31% in 2020.
Although the
number of
trees and
shrubs and the
canopy
coverage did
increase, the
study notes
that a large
percentage of
the canopy is
composed of
species
considered
invasive, such
as European
buckthorn and
tree of
heaven.
Detailed
discussion of
the tree
census
findings may
be found
at:
https://mortonarb.org/science/tree-census/
In
addition, based on
earlier data, the
Chicago Region Trees
Initiative (CRTI) has
developed
community-specific
tree canopy summaries,
including Downers
Grove and many other
Chicago area towns.

The above images and
corresponding ones for
other communities may
be found at:
http://chicagorti.org/CanopySummaries/
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Historic
Preservation
Activities
The
Village's
historic
preservation
program was
revised in
2015,
contributing
to an
increased
interest in
landmarking
homes and
other
structures.
Since then
twenty-eight
historic
features have
been granted
local landmark
status in
Downers Grove
–– nine
structures in
2016, another
nine in 2017,
four more in
2018, four
historic
features in
2019, one in
2021 and one
in 2022.
Landmark
status was
approved
unanimously
for 5834
Middaugh
Avenue, the
Mochel-Goodman
Home, on
February 1,
2022 at the
request of
Nancy and
Gordon
Goodman.
Please click
here to learn
about this
Mid-Century
Modern Ranch
home built in
1954.
Pierce
Downer's
Heritage
Alliance is
committed to
sound and
sustainable
environmental
practices;
protection and
appreciation
of our
community's
outstanding
natural
features, such
as Lyman Woods
and Belmont
Prairie; and
preservation
of significant
cultural
traditions,
including the
rich
architectural
heritage of
Downers Grove.
The Alliance
works to
promote
appreciation,
protection and
enhancement of
our
community's
natural and
cultural
heritage
through
education,
advocacy,
stewardship
and community
outreach.
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Village Council Meeting
Tuesday,
June 7, 2022
Meeting
Agenda
7:00 PM, Council Chambers
Village Hall
Downers Grove, IL 60515
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PDHA
Meeting
Tuesday, May
24, 2022
7:00
PM,
Remote
Attendance
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Click
Below
To Read
Yesterday's
Headline
Stories:
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Please
consider
a
charitable
donation
to
support
educational
activities
of
Pierce
Downer's
Heritage
Alliance.
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