The Annexations: 1925 and 1926
The Annexations: 1925 and 1926
Three annexations took place in these years, though two of them were separate propositions on the same special election ballot. All are depicted on Map "C". On January 25, 1925, a special election was held on two acquisition propositions. A village ordinance of January 29 shows that both of these propositions passed. The first annexed an area of land directly to the north of original Niles Center, and to the west of the 1924 acquisition. The second proposition annexed land lying to the south of the original village and of the 1924 acquisition.
Specifically, as shown in Map "C", the first annexed land west of Skokie Blvd. and Iserman Road, and west of Gross Point north of "Sharp Comers" (the intersection of Iserman - Niles Center Road - and Gross Point) up to Golf Road only. Golf was the northern limit of this annexation, and the western boundary was Linder.
Proposition two extended the western boundary of Long Avenue south to Howard, then east to Laramie, then directly south to Pratt Avenue. The southern boundary of this annexation was dictated by the presence of Tessville (Lincolnwood). From Laramie and Pratt, the boundary ran east to Lamon, north on Lamon to Jarvis, east on Jarvis to Hamlin, south on Hamlin to Touhy, east on Touhy to the eastern border of the township, hence north to Howard, (it should be repeated that the use of street names in this account does not mean the streets actually existed yet: the legal descriptions are in terms of sections, and lines of fractions of sections of the township, also shown on the maps.)
At this point in history, then, a long stretch of Laramie was a border of Niles Center, The corner of the village at Howard and Long lay directly in the middle of what is today the northbound lanes of Edens expressway (built in the '50s).
In the next year, 1926, a special election was held on January 4, and a village ordinance of January 8 confirms the passing of the resolution by a vote of 85-4. The area thus annexed is the quadrilateral at the north end of the village, having as a western boundary Linder, as a northern boundary Central, as a southern. Golf, and as an eastern, Gross Point. (Several times we shall have occasion to refer to a "Central Avenue" There are two--the north-south Central, at 5600 West, and the east-west Central, at about 10,200 North.)
Niles Center was now roughly 3 miles by 3 1/2 miles in area. It had grown from approximately 2/3 of a square mile originally to something over 10 square miles in the two-year period, 1924-1926.
At this time major development and settlement in Niles Center was expected, and many of the streets were laid out, and sidewalks built in 1926. The expected development did not immediately follow, the major reason perhaps being the Great Depression.
But acquisition of unincorporated territory was not yet at an end.