The Cage in Wilmette - clients always ask me what that term means.  It's easy: the four parallel streets named Chestnut, Ashland, Greenwood, and Elmwood  east of Green Bay Road make up the "Cage."

The present Village of Wilmette is distinct among North Shore communities because it was created by the 1924 merger of two older villages, Wilmette and Gross Point. The origins and development of these two communities differed, and this difference is still visible on the landscape.  The east side of Wilmette (the Cage) was developed on a wooded tract bordering Lake Michigan, whereas the area west of Ridge Road, the original Gross Point, was a center of a vibrant German farming community.

One unique feature of the Cage area are it's brick streets.  Of the village's 96 miles of road, 11 miles are the original brick streets constructed of clay-fired bricks from the late 1880s.  Not only has Wilmette maintained the brick streets, but has also restored many areas that had been covered in ashphalt.  Although many of us bemoan driving and biking on these streets, they have two distinct advantges:  they are a naturally slow down traffic, and make utility work easier since asphalt patching is not necessary.

Homes in the Cage are some of the most expensive in Wilmette (along with Indian Hill and Indian Hill Estates) and are usually historically significant.  The Cage has many "Painted Ladies", Victorian homes that have been imaginatively painted and are often given awards for their creativity.

Shoppers in the area need only go to Plaza del Lago on Sheridan Road to find the Jewel grocery, Burhops Fish, Char Crews, Hanig's Footwear, La Colonna Ladies Clothing, Yellow Bird gifts Fannie May Chocolates, Vibrato Women's Clothes, and Starbucks.  Plaza del Lago was originally known as Spanish Court for its distrinctive Mediterranean styling.  The current location of the Jewel used to be a movie theater called the Teatro.

If you or anyone you know is moving, Call Me!

Margaret Goss

Realtor, GRI CRS

847-977-6024