It’s Official: Gillson Park named to the National Register of Historic Places!

Gillson “Improvements,” Explained

We are concerned about the Park District’s plans for Gillson road and sewer improvements, expected to begin in fall 2024. We have long favored repairing Gillson’s neglected roads and sewers. But, the Park District’s plans go beyond repair. Their plans include: 1) changing the historically significant design of two of Gillson’s roads—Middle and Harbor Drives, 2) adding a long, unattractive concrete retaining wall, 3) likely harm or death to the many trees that line the roads, and 4) a suboptimal walking and biking option, contrary to residents’ repeated requests for more and safer trails.

Among the features that qualified Gillson for listing on the National Register of Historic Places are its distinctive curved road circulation pattern and wide roads, which were part of the Prairie School desire to allow visitors to “wander” through the park as they enjoy its benefits. All the roads in Gillson are 20’ wide, providing symmetry and easy travel through the park. The original unique road pattern and wide roads were carefully thought out by the original landscape designers and have remained intact for 100 years.

Middle Drive

Now, the Park Board wants to upend that distinctive design by narrowing Middle Drive, which runs along the tennis courts and playground, from its original 20’ to make it a skimpy pedestrian walkway only 7’ wide. We favor better walking opportunities in Gillson. But, unnecessarily narrowing Middle Drive ruins Gillson’s original design and unbalances the unique road symmetry. Moreover, such a drastic narrowing will likely harm, and may even kill, the more than 40 mature trees lining Middle Drive, some of which are original to the park. Why not preserve the trees and keep Middle Drive a more user-friendly 20’ wide?

Harbor Drive

Even more alarming are the proposed changes to Harbor Drive—the southern entrance into Gillson. The Park Board plans to move a significant part of this road 7.5’ feet north to accommodate a unprotected bike lane and a 5’ sidewalk on the south side. To do this, they will move the roadbed off its original curve. They will also incur the expense of creating a new roadbed and moving sewers and electric lines. And, they will need to build a 100' foot long unsightly concrete retaining wall along the north side, adding unnecessary concrete to the park.

Moving Harbor Drive will not only alter its original beautiful curve, but will also jeopardize the many mature trees along the road and likely loss of all of the trees in the triangle across from Sheridan Shore. When visitors enter the park, they will see a mass of concrete and fewer trees---both completely out-of-sync with the naturalistic style and open vistas to the lake that residents value and the original landscape architects worked so hard to carefully achieve.

There is another option---an alternative path that makes walking and biking in Gillson safer, preserves trees and honors Gillson’s historic original design. Here’s why the Park District should abandon its plan and adopt a better, safer, and superior Alternative Path:

Public Opinion: For years, in Park District survey after survey, residents have asked for better walking and biking in Gillson. In the most recent survey, Wilmette residents overwhelming chose more trails as the #1 outdoor amenity they want in our parks. Just recently, over 300 people have signed the Bike Walk Wilmette petition supporting the alternative path over the Park District’s plan when presented with both plans. See petition and more information here. Why doesn’t the Park District listen to what residents want?

Safety: An alternative path could be totally separate from traffic and wide enough to accommodate the way residents walk in Gillson—in groups, with dogs on leashes, pushing strollers, and kids on bikes. The Park District’s proposed sidewalk is much too narrow to allow safe passing, and their proposed bike lane is dangerously right next to traffic without any protection from moving cars and trucks. The Park District ignores the transportation experts whose research shows unequivocally that keeping walkers and bike riders away from traffic on a separate multi-use path is far safer than bike lanes and sidewalks adjacent to traffic. This makes common sense, and safety should be a primary goal of the Park District. Why doesn’t the Park District rely on these experts and work to protect residents of all ages and abilities walking and biking in Gillson?

Trees: The alternative path will not impact Gillson’s mature trees, which are far more valuable than any saplings that might be planted to replace them. Over 100 trees have been lost in Gillson in the last 40 years. Few have been replaced. Isn’t the Park District responsible for protecting our natural resources?

History: The alternative path preserves the historic design of Gillson. In fact, as seen below in yellow, the original 1937 design for Gillson includes a path in the exact location that is proposed for an alternative path. Now that Gillson has been formally designated as one of the nation’s most historic places, the Park District must take great care when making plans for Gillson, ensuring that any changes do not adversely impact the historic character of Gillson. They have not done so here. Why is the Park District disregarding and negatively impacting Gillson’s original historic design and special character? Shouldn’t they be acting in the public interest and preserving the community’s history?

Cost: The Park District has not disclosed the cost of their plan to change the roads and add a long concrete wall. Because their plan is much more involved, we assume it will be significantly more than an alternative path. Why is the Park District wasting public funds by choosing the more expensive option and not pursuing state and federal grants available for walking and biking paths? 

Improving Gillson is an expensive and important endeavor. Over $5 million has been budgeted, and costs will likely rise during the construction process. Gillson is the crown jewel of our community. We all want the Park District to preserve what makes it so special---open space, mature trees, and wonderful design. Let’s make sure they do it right.

Please send your support for an alternative path to publiccomment@wilpark.org. Your email can be short---only 1 or 2 sentences works fine. 

Thank you.