Editing Wilmette, Illinois (section)

===20th century===
====Early 20th century====
[[Sheridan Road]] opened on October 8, 1900. This opened up the North Shore to automobiles, providing a north–south arterial roadway along the lakeshore.<ref name="shea"/>

In 1900, by a margin of 62 to 52, village residents approved a referendum to establish a free public library, thus establishing the [[Wilmette Public Library]].<ref name=wilmettelibrarytimeline>{{cite web |title=Wilmette Public Library Timeline |url=https://www.wilmettelibrary.info/about/about-us/mission-and-strategic-plan/library-history |publisher=Wilmette Public Library |access-date=August 19, 2019}}</ref> In 1905, [[Carnegie library|with the assistance]] of funds from [[Andrew Carnegie]], the village was able to erect a new building for its library at the corner of Park and Wilmette Avenues.<ref name=images/><ref name=wilmettelibrarytimeline/>

[[File:North Shore Channel - Wilmette, IL.JPG|thumb|North Shore Channel in Wilmette in 2013]]

The North Shore Channel, which terminates in Wilmette, was a crucial part of the huge engineering and sanitary project to reverse the course of the Chicago River in order to carry Chicago's sewage away from Lake Michigan. In 1907, upon beginning construction of the [[North Shore Channel]], Sanitary District of Chicago president [[Robert R. McCormick]] noted that the construction of the canal would ultimately create approximately twenty-two acres of landfill from excavated materials next to the mouth of the canal.<ref name=parkdistrict>{{cite web |url=http://www.wilmettepark.org/about-us/history |title=Park District History |author=<!--Not stated--> |date=n.d. |website=www.wilmettepark.org |publisher=Wilmette Park District |access-date=June 15, 2017 |archive-date=June 15, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170615075837/http://www.wilmettepark.org/about-us/history |url-status=live }}</ref> Illinois law stipulated that an organized Park District had the authority to, without any cost, take possession of any man-made land for use as parkland. Citizens, thereafter, petitioned for a vote to be held on the prospect of establishing Park District.<ref name=parkdistrict/>

An election was held January 1908, with 174 votes in favor of creating a park district and 37 votes against it. The Wilmette Park District Board of Commissioners was appointed, serving the entirety of the village, as well as a segment of northeast Evanston (responsibility for which was later assumed by the Evanston Park District). The Wilmette Park District's Board of Commissioners held their first meeting on February 17, 1908.<ref name=parkdistrict/> State legislation was passed May 25, 1911, granting the Park District ownership of the landfill. Ultimately, the Park District gained ownership of a riparian property stretching between Lake Avenue and Forest Avenue. Today, this land forms much of Gillson Park.<ref name=parkdistrict/> The excavated material that formed the landfill turned out to largely consist of a relatively impervious blue clay. Mulchings and plantings began part of a years-long process of transforming the landfill into usable parkland.<ref name=parkdistrict/> The North Shore Channel project, completed in 1909, also resulted in the creation of Wilmette Harbor.

Wilmette's first informal beach was established at the foot of Elmwood Avenue in 1910. Wooden steps were constructed down the bluff to allow access to the beach from the street.<ref name=images/> In 1914 the Wilmette Beach Improvement Association was founded to clean up the village's unsupervised shoreline. The group established an official swimming beach at the foot of Lake Avenue, the site of today's Gillson Beach, with facilities including a bathhouse, swings, benches, and umbrellas.<ref name=images/>

In 1912 the [[Northwestern Elevated Railroad]] (today's [[Chicago Transit Authority]] [[Purple Line (CTA)|Purple Line]]) extended its service into Wilmette.<ref name=images/> This occurred without permission from the village, as the tracks were extended from the route's [[Central station (CTA Purple Line)|existing terminal in Evanston]] into the village's border under the cover of darkness before the morning of April 1, 1912.<ref name=images/><ref name=ctalinden>{{cite web |url=https://www.chicago-l.org/stations/linden.html |title=Linden (500N/400W) |author=<!--Not stated--> |date=n.d. |website=www.chicago-l.org |publisher=chicago-l.org |access-date=June 8, 2017 |archive-date=June 21, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170621111932/http://www.chicago-l.org/stations/linden.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Later that year, a second track was added in Wilmette and the station's platform was elongated.<ref name=ctalinden/> In 1913 the tracks were extended deeper into the village and the makeshift station that had been constructed under the cover of darkness was replaced with two new stations in Wilmette at [[Isabella station|Isabella]] and [[Linden station (CTA)|Linden]],<ref name=images/> the latter of which was designed by [[Arthur U. Gerber]] and served as the line's terminus.<ref name=ctalinden/>

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More than 400 men from Wilmette and Gross Point Village served during World War I.<ref name=images/> 150 of them served overseas, thirteen (12 from Wilmette, and one from Gross Point) lost their lives in the war. Many women back home volunteered in the Wilmette branch of the [[American Red Cross]] Auxiliary.<ref name=images/>

By 1918 the village of Wilmette had increased its population to 5,000 from a population of only 1,500 twenty years earlier.<ref name=images/> The Wilmette Health Center (a [[free clinic]]) was founded that same year.<ref name=images/>

====Expansion during the 1920s====
Between 1900 and 1920 the village saw its population more than triple to 7,814.<ref name="shea"/> In 1922 the village adopted the "Plan of Wilmette", which outlined a vision for its future that included open spaces along Green Bay Road and the elevation of the railroad tracks to provide unobstructed flow of traffic between the east and west parts of the village.  While few of these specific plans ever materialized, the 1922 plan represents the beginning of zoning as a mode of shaping the village's development.<ref name="shea"/>

In 1919 the neighboring Village of Gross Point was dissolved due to bankruptcy.<ref name=images/> It was subsequently annexed by Wilmette, with one part being annexed in 1924 and the rest in 1926.<ref name="HoW" />

In early 1924 the village issued a permit approving construction of its first apartment building, the Linden Crest Apartments at the intersection Fifth Street and Linden. This launched a controversy, and a "No Flats" campaign was held during the following year's election. Consequentially, very few apartment buildings would be constructed in the village for the next four decades.<ref name=houses/>

The oldest surviving [[Bahá'í House of Worship]] began construction in 1920 (it would not be completed until 1953).<ref>Nancy Ryan. "Bahais celebrate anniversary; Faith's House of Worship in Wilmette 75 years old". ''Chicago Tribune''. June 12, 1987. 6.</ref><ref>{{cite book | first = Bruce W. | last = Whitmore | title = The Dawning Place | publisher= Baha'i Publishing Trust | year = 1984 | isbn=0-87743-193-0 | pages = 230}}</ref> See "Attractions" below. Across Sheridan Road from the Bahá'í property, Wilmette Harbor experienced a plethora of changes in the twenties.

The Sheridan Shore Yacht Club opened in Wilmette Harbor during the 1920s.<ref name=images/><ref name=shorelife>{{cite web |url=http://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/wilmette/news/ct-wml-sheridan-shore-yacht-club-status-tl-0331-20160329-story.html |title=Sheridan Shore Yacht Club building lease, future murky |last=Routliffe |first=Kathy |date=March 30, 2016 |website=www.chicagotribune.com |publisher=Wilmette Life; [[Pioneer Press]] ([[Tronc|Tribune Publishing]]) |access-date=June 12, 2017 |archive-date=November 15, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171115082719/http://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/wilmette/news/ct-wml-sheridan-shore-yacht-club-status-tl-0331-20160329-story.html |url-status=live }}</ref> The club was housed in a space on the lower floor of the [[Marshall/Goldblatt mansion|Marshall mansion]] (architect [[Benjamin Marshall (architect)|Benjamin Marshall]]'s opulent residence and studio),<ref name=images/> which sat along Sheridan Road on the south side of the harbor.<ref name=images/><ref name=houses>{{cite book |last1=Cohen |first1=Stuart |last2=Benjamin |first2=Susan |date=2004 |title=Houses of the Lakefront Suburbs, 1890-1940 |location= New York |publisher=Acanthus Press |pages=153, 192–198, 203–207 }}</ref><ref name=bmptd>{{cite web |url=http://www.triblocal.com/wilmette-kenilworth/community/stories/2011/10/lakeshore-exhibit-opens-at-historical-museum/ |title=Lakeshore Exhibit Opens at Historical Museum |last=Kuhn |first=Rachel |date=October 20, 2011 |website=www.triblocal.com/ |publisher=Chicago Tribune |access-date=June 12, 2017 |quote=Carbon Petroleum Dubbs, who pushed through the building of Wilmette's water plant, to Benjamin Marshall, whose lavish lakeside mansion provided the first real home to Wilmette's new yacht club. |archive-date=November 15, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171115015529/http://www.triblocal.com/wilmette-kenilworth/community/stories/2011/10/lakeshore-exhibit-opens-at-historical-museum/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Marshall had allowed the club to be located in his mansion as a compromise with the village. The village had previously been unwilling to rezone the property to permit him to house his commercial offices there. As a result, Marshall had been unable to get a building permit for the home. Marshall made an offer to members of the headquarterless organization, he would let them house their headquarters in the basement of the studio if they could convince the village to issue a permit.<ref name=houses/> Soon afterwards, the village was convinced to issue a permit allowing for the construction of a "clubhouse-studio". Marshall constructed his forty-room pink-[[stucco]] [[Spanish Colonial Revival architecture|Spanish Colonial Revival]] mansion from 1922 until 1924 and decorated it with rare art and furniture.<ref name=images/><ref name=houses/> It was said to have cost somewhere between $500,000 and $1,000,000 to construct.<ref name=houses/><ref name=marshallgoldblatt1>{{cite web |url=http://archives.chicagotribune.com/1936/08/06/page/3/article/goldblatt-buys-benj-marshall-1-000-000-home |title=GOLDBLATT BUYS BENJ. MARSHALL $1,000,000 HOME |author=<!--Not stated--> |date=August 6, 1936 |website=archives.chicagotribune.com |publisher=Chicago Tribune |access-date=June 12, 2017 |archive-date=February 1, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210201040329/https://chicagotribune.newspapers.com/ |url-status=live }}</ref> The house was built into a bluff so that only one of its three stories was visible at street level.<ref name=houses/> The residence featured an enclosed tropical [[greenhouse]] with a [[swimming pool]] and a Chinese temple room featuring a 500-year-old mandarin bed (the Chinese temple room was said to have cost $87,000).<ref name=houses/><ref name=marshallgoldblatt1/> also had an Egyptian solarium that featured a table which rose through the floor, rising up from a butler's pantry beneath it.<ref name=marshallgoldblatt1/><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.sarahrothschild.com/real-estate--history-blog/goldblatt-homes-a-pink-palace-wilmette |title=GOLDBLATT HOMES, A PINK PALACE & WILMETTE |last=Rothschild |first=Sarah |date=June 22, 2012 |website=www.sarahrothschild.com |publisher=Sarah Rothschild |access-date=June 15, 2017 |archive-date=November 15, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171115014922/http://www.sarahrothschild.com/real-estate--history-blog/goldblatt-homes-a-pink-palace-wilmette |url-status=live }}</ref> The house's furnishings included a tapestry which [[Louis XIV of France|Louis XIV]] once presented to [[Madame de Pompadour]].<ref name=marshallgoldblatt1/> It was one of the North Shore's most extravagant residences.<ref name=houses/>

Development of Wilmette's 'Indian Hill Estates' subdivision began in 1926. The subdivision featured long winding roads named after Native American tribes, and its homes were built on well-manicured lots featuring deep setbacks. The early homes developed were given European styles and names.<ref name=images/>

In the 1920s, [[No Man's Land, Illinois|No Man's Land]], an unincorporated area to the north, experienced a period of tremendous exuberance. The [[Plaza del Lago|Spanish Court]], one of the nation's earliest automobile-centered shopping developments, was constructed in No Man's Land.<ref name="shea"/> Building began on such private clubs as the Miralago Ballroom, an early Art Deco building designed by George Fred Keck, which opened in 1929.<ref name="shea"/> Teatro del Lago, an opulent movie house, opened in 1927.<ref name="shea"/>

====Great Depression era====
In 1931 [[UOP LLC|Universal Oil Products]] co-founder Carbon Petroleum Dubbs was elected Village President. At the time that he took office, the village was approaching bankruptcy. To stabilize its finances, Dubbs cut the village's budget and refused his salary.<ref name=cbd1>{{cite web |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/2004/02/04/depression-era-president-refined-wilmettes-finances/ |title=Depression-era president refined Wilmette's finances |last=Kening |first=Dan |date=February 4, 2004 |website=archives.chicagotribune.com |publisher=Chicago Tribune |access-date=June 12, 2017}}</ref> In 1932, despite the onslaught of a national depression, Dubbs was able to finish construction on Lochmoor, his Phillip Brooks Maher-designed lakefront mansion located along Wilmette's Michigan Avenue. Construction of the residence cost him $200,000.<ref name=images/> On January 27, 1934, the village celebrated the opening of its own water plant<ref name=images/> that was completed largely due to Dubbs' commitment to the project.<ref name=bmptd/> The village had previously been purchasing its water from Evanston. Not only did Wilmette start pumping its own water, but by the year 1938 Wilmette was selling water to [[Glenview, Illinois|Glenview]].<ref name=images/> By the end of Dubbs' tenure as Village President in 1935, Wilmette had become fiscally solvent.<ref name=cbd1/>

During the depression, the [[Works Progress Administration]] program undertook a project in Wilmette to resurface brick streets. Bricks were removed and relaid upside-down, exposing a smooth non-weathered side.<ref name=images/> Another WPA project that was undertaken was the refurbishment of Wilmette pier, which is located just north of the mouth of Wilmette Harbor and had originally been built in 1906.<ref name=images/> An additional WPA project broke ground in 1936, beginning construction on a lakefront amphitheater at Gilson Park. The venue, now known as the Wallace Bowl (in honor of Gordon Wallace, Park District superintendent from 1936 until 1968), opened the following year.<ref name=parkdistrict/><ref name=bushnell/>

In 1931 [[Illinois Route 131|Green Bay Road]] was opened, supplementing Sheridan Road's role as a north–south arterial route through the North Shore.<ref name="shea"/><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.n9jig.com/121-140.html |title=Illinois Highways Page: Routes 121 thru 140 |last=Carlson |first=Rich |date=April 15, 2005 |website=www.n9jig |access-date=May 2, 2006 |archive-date=May 16, 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060516175707/http://www.n9jig.com/121-140.html |url-status=live }}.</ref> A [[United States Coast Guard|Coast Guard]] station was established in Wilmette Harbor in 1931.<ref name=images/> In 1933 the village restricted the use of unofficial beaches, such as the one at the foot of Elmwood Avenue.<ref name=images/> Despite this people still continued to visit the Elmwood beach until the village constructed a fence to block street access to it in the 1960s.<ref name=images/>

Among the residents that were affected by the depression was architect Benjamin Marshall, who was forced to sell his house to Nathan Goldblatt (of the [[Goldblatt's]] chain).<ref name=houses/><ref name=marshallgoldblatt1/> As a result of this change of ownership, the Sheridan Shores Club was evicted from their headquarters in the lower floor of the Marshall Mansion.<ref name=houses/><ref name=marshallgoldblatt1/> In 1937 the Sheridan Shore Yacht Club constructed a new clubhouse at Wilmette Harbor.<ref name=images/><ref name=shorelife/> The Goldblatt family offered to gift the former Marshall mansion to the village for use as a community center. However, the village declined their offer.<ref name=images/> The opulent mansion was ultimately demolished in 1949 and 1950.<ref name=images/>

The Depression halted most home construction for the first half of the 1930s. However, by the middle of the decade construction slowly resumed. The homes being constructed, however, were far more modest than those that had been constructed in the previous decade.<ref name=images/> Among the homes built in this period were several designed by [[George Fred Keck]].<ref name=images/> Much of the village's 'Kenilworth Gardens' subdivision was developed during this time.<ref name=images/> Much of the Indian Hills Estates was also developed at this time, with the assistance of federal loans.<ref name=images/>

In November 1934, Monsignor John Neumann oversaw the building of a new school for [[St. Joseph Catholic Church (Wilmette, Illinois)]]. It was the only building constructed in the entire Midwest that year. President Roosevelt sent a letter commending Monsignor Neumann and St. Joseph's for their courage in undertaking the large task during the Great Depression.

The Great Depression greatly impacted No Man's Land, forcing the closure of Vista del Lago. A fire that broke out in the Miralago on the night of March 8, 1932, severely damaged the building along with many nearby properties (such as the structures abandoned by the defunct Breaker's Beach Club and Vista del Lago), thus tolling the final death knell for an exuberant era of No Man's Land's history.<ref name="shea"/>

====World War II era====
Wilmette's first brush with [[Nazi Germany]] came by way of a financial lawsuit against [[St. Joseph Catholic Church (Wilmette, Illinois)]]. In the wake of Chicago Cardinal [[George Mundelein]]'s criticisms of [[Adolf Hitler]] in 1937, (see [[Paper hanger (Mundelein's speech)]]), ridiculing Hitler for his mistreatment of Catholics, St. Joseph's was unexpectedly sued by a family in Germany, claiming to be relatives of the deceased Fr. William Netstraeter, a key figure in the expansion of Wilmette who died in 1924, thirteen years prior. Fr. Netstaeter had bequeathed a sum of $300,000 from his real-estate business for St. Joseph's, which was being held in the bank account of the [[Archdiocese of Chicago]], under Cardinal Mundelein's supervision. The lawsuit was blatantly political and clearly orchestrated by the [[Nazi Party]] in retaliation for Cardinal Mundelein's "one armed paper hanger" remark. A Chicago circuit court validated Fr. Netstraeter's will, and the money was quickly rewarded to the Archdiocese, ergo St. Joseph's. Folklore believes that Cardinal Mundelein told his chief architect, [[Joseph W. McCarthy]], to "Put the money into brick!" and construction of a large new church was instantly underway (completed in October 1939). It is believed that had Hitler/the Nazi's obtained the money, it would have gone towards Nazi military.

After the [[Attack on Pearl Harbor]] in December 1941, village life revolved around the war effort: bond drives, air raid drills, scrap drives, and victory gardens were the order of the day.  The Wilmette Council of Civil Defense, under the chairmanship of David C. Leach, organized a wide range of activities, including classes designed to train citizens in first aid, fire-fighting, demolition, marksmanship, and bomb disposal.  Air raid wardens for every block enforced blackouts and manned battle stations during drills. On Sunday, May 23, 1943, a mock air raid on the village dropped hundreds of paper-bag "bombs" of brightly colored streamers, to test local readiness.  Eighty-three service members from Wilmette lost their lives during the war.

The Wilmette Coast Guard Station was given an increased workload during World War II, placing a heavy burden on the station's staff of 40 men. The voluntary civilian Wilmette Coast Guard Auxiliary was formed to assist the station's guardsmen during the war. Many of the Auxiliary's 64 members came from the Sheridan Shore Yacht Club and used their personal vessels to assist in operations.<ref name=images/>

In 1942, after a long legal battle, Wilmette annexed No Man's Land.<ref name="shea"/>

In August 1943 a ship named the ''USS Wilmette'' was given the honor of transporting [[President Franklin D. Roosevelt]], Admiral [[William D. Leahy]], [[James F. Byrnes]] and [[Harry Hopkins]] on a 10-day cruise to McGregor and [[Whitefish Bay]] to plan strategies for [[World War II]]. The ''USS Wilmette'' was a naval ship that had been commissioned in 1918 and was constructed by retrofitting the former ''[[SS Eastland]]'', a passenger ship which in July 1915 rolled over in the [[Chicago River]] resulting in 884 deaths (the largest loss of life from a single shipwreck in [[Great Lakes]] history).

====Postwar growth====
The postwar need for housing, combined with government-guaranteed loans and the availability of former farmland west of Ridge Road, led to a housing boom in the 1950s that utterly transformed the area west of Ridge Road from farmland to residential subdivisions. Tracts of ranch-style and bi-level houses, distinctive street layouts, and new schools, places of worship, and shopping centers quickly characterized much of west Wilmette, particularly west of Hunter Road.  Builders reflected the country's optimistic postwar mood with upbeat names for their housing styles, like "Young Modern" and "Skylark" and idyllic-sounding subdivision names like "Hollywood in Wilmette" and "Sprucewood Village".  As a direct result of this housing boom, Wilmette's population grew from 18,162 in 1950 to 28,268 a decade later.<ref name=images/><ref name=bushnell/>

Construction began on the [[Interstate 94 in Illinois|Edens Expressway]] in the late 1940s, and it opened in 1951. [[Carson's|Carson Pirie Scott]] opened [[Edens Plaza]] shopping center next to the new expressway in 1956.<ref name=bushnell/>

Wilmette saw a growth in youth sports during this period. The boy's youth Wilmette Baseball Association was founded in 1951.<ref name=images/> In 1953 the village opened Roemer Park, a [[Little League Baseball and Softball|Little League]] baseball park with features such as a concession stand and scoreboard.<ref name=images/> By 1962 the Wilmette Baseball Association had more than 900 youth players (including [[Bill Murray]]) and 52 teams.<ref name=images/>

Also in 1951, Wilmette Public Library built a new facility, replacing the facility that had been built in 1905.<ref name=wilmettelibrarytimeline/>

The North Shore Line ceased its service in Wilmette in 1955.<ref name=nsl1950>{{cite web |url=http://northshoreline.com/1950-end.html |title=1950-End |author=<!--Not stated--> |date=n.d. |website=www.northshoreline.com |access-date=June 26, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170312145624/http://northshoreline.com/1950-end.html |archive-date=March 12, 2017 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

In 1968 the Curtis Curling Center, a state-of-the-art [[curling]] facility, opened in Wilmette. Its construction was funded by a $400,000 donation from Darwin Curtis, a millionaire from the neighboring town of [[Winnetka, Illinois|Winnetka]]<ref name=images/><ref name=bushnell/><ref name=curtisclose>{{cite web |url=http://archives.chicagotribune.com/1980/08/07/page/97/article/wilmettes-curling-center-just-a-shattered-dream |title=Wilmette's curling center--just a shattered dream |last=Enstad |first=Robert |date=August 6, 2017 |website=archives.chicagotribune.com |publisher=Chicago Tribune |access-date=June 12, 2017 |archive-date=February 1, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210201040323/https://chicagotribune.newspapers.com/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name=wilmettecurlingclub>{{cite web |url=http://www.wilmettecurling.org/v2r1/r2index.shtml |title=Welcome to Wilmette Curling Club |author=<!--Not stated--> |date=n.d. |website=www.wilmettecurling.org |publisher=Wilmette Curling Club |access-date=June 12, 2017 |archive-date=July 8, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170708184859/http://www.wilmettecurling.org/v2r1/r2index.shtml |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name=bighit>{{cite web |url=http://archives.chicagotribune.com/1968/03/24/page/367/article/wilmette-curling-is-a-big-hit |title=Wilmette Curling Center Is a Big Hit |last=Casady |first=John |date=March 24, 1968 |website=archives.chicagotribune.com |publisher=Chicago Tribune |access-date=June 12, 2017 |archive-date=February 1, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210201040319/https://chicagotribune.newspapers.com/ |url-status=live }}</ref> and a $39,000 grant from the Wilmette Memorial Trust.<ref name=bighit/>

Between 1962 and 1968 the area that was once No Man's Land saw massive redevelopment. Several high-rise apartment towers and town homes were built, and the Spanish Court shopping center was renovated and renamed Plaza del Lago.<ref name="shea"/>

====Village Centennial and National Bicentennial====
The village marked the 1972 centenary of its incorporation with festivities on the lawn of Village Hall.<ref name=images/> The Curtis Curling Center hosted that year's [[United States Men's Curling Championship]].<ref name=teamusachampionships>{{cite web| url=http://www.teamusa.org/USA-Curling/Events/Championships-microsite/Inside-the-Championships/National-Championship-Events/2017-National-Championships/National-Championships/Champions--and-Awards/Men| title=Men's Championships| author=<!--Not stated-->| website=www.teamusa.org| access-date=February 18, 2017| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160825212557/http://www.teamusa.org/USA-Curling/Events/Championships-microsite/Inside-the-Championships/National-Championship-Events/2017-National-Championships/National-Championships/Champions--and-Awards/Men| archive-date=August 25, 2016| url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://archives.chicagotribune.com/1972/03/07/page/44/article/illinois-wins-pair-in-curling |title=Illinois Wins Pair in Curling |last=Husar |first=John |date=March 7, 1972 |website=archives.chicagotribune.com |publisher=Chicago Tribune |access-date=June 12, 2017 |quote=the National Curling Championship at Wilmette's Curtis Curling Center |archive-date=February 1, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210201040356/https://chicagotribune.newspapers.com/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

In 1973 Wilmette adopted a new comprehensive plan (which had been developed between the years 1967 and 1971). In 1974 the village adopted a new zoning ordinance designed to adhere to the vision of the comprehensive plan.<ref name=bushnell/>

Centennial Park, named in honor of the village's centenary, was opened that year.<ref name=parkdistrict/> The Park District had begun buying the land for Centennial Park in 1967, but did not finish buying the last parcels until 1972.<ref name=parkdistrict/> In 1971 the Park District proposed building a sports complex at this site.<ref name=parkdistrict/> Previous plans to construct a sports complex (featuring a swimming pool, children's park, bath house/warming house, natural ice rink, and a toboggan hill) on the site of the Community Playfield were blocked afters voters narrowly opposed it in a 1968 referendum.<ref name=parkdistrict/> However, the Park District was successful in its proposal for a sports complex at Centennial Park, which was approved by voters as part of a $1.78 million parks renovation plan in a February 1971 referendum.<ref name=parkdistrict/> The sports complex was completed in 1972 with a public swimming pool and indoor tennis complex.<ref name=bushnell/><ref name=parkdistrict/> In 1974, following lobbying from local ice skating and ice hockey enthusiasts, the Park District broke ground on an expansion project that added an indoor ice complex and additional tennis courts to the sports complex. Centennial Ice Center opened to local ice enthusiasts the following year.<ref name=bushnell/>

A portion of the land that the Park District acquired for Centennial Park was a farm belonging to Michael Loutsch, the last working farm in the village.<ref name=images/><ref name=bushnell/><ref name=parkdistrict/> A compromise was reached in 1968 where the Park District allowed Loutsch to continue operating his farm until his death, at which point the village would assume control of the land. Centennial Park was therefore developed around his farm.<ref name=bushnell/> Per their agreement, the Park District assumed control over the land after Loutsch's death in 1978.<ref name=bushnell/> Thus, over one hundred years after its incorporation, Wilmette completed its transformation from a farming settlement into a bustling suburb.

In 1972 [[Northwestern University]] decided to sell a 106-acre golf course it owned on Lake Avenue, and offered for the village to buy it. Concerned that it might otherwise become a massive subdivision development, community groups and citizens organized to lobby for its preservation as open land. In June 1972 voters overwhelmingly voted in favor of approving $4.4 million in Park District tax bonds to finance the purchase (with 5,704 votes in favor and 785 in opposition). In November 1972 a Cook County Circuit judge set the appraisal of the land at $4.2 million, and the Wilmette Park District acquired the course.<ref name=parkdistrict/>

The same month in which the Park District acquired the golf course, citizens sent petitions to both the Park District and the Village Board requesting a referendum proposing that the Park District buy and preserve an 11-acre plot of land on the [[Mallinckrodt College]] property. The land had already been under contract, with its owners (the Society of the Sisters of Christian Charity) planning to sell it to a developer who intended to build 43 single-family homes. The referendum was held January 16, 1973, with voters rejecting the proposal. As a result, the parcel of land in question was developed into homes.<ref name=parkdistrict/>

On July 16, 1973, the Chicago Transit Authority ceased service at the Isabella station, leaving the Linden Station as the village's sole CTA station.<ref name=images/><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.chicago-l.org/stations/isabella.html |title=Isabella (2800N/1200W) |author=<!--Not stated--> |date=n.d. |website=www.chicago-l.org |publisher=chicago-l.or |access-date=June 12, 2017 |archive-date=June 20, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170620215742/http://www.chicago-l.org/stations/isabella.html |url-status=live }}</ref>  In 1974 Wilmette launched a village bus system named ''[[Wilmette Wilbus|Wilbus]]''.<ref name=images/>

In 1974 the Chicago & North Western Railroad planned to demolish the structure of the former 1897 station house, which it had previously been using for storage. The village saved the structure from demolition relocating it from its position along the Chicago & Northwestern tracks to elsewhere downtown. The structure is now recognized as a local landmark and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.<ref name=images/> In 1975 Wilmette built a new structure to replace its 1874 railroad station. The new station began serving commuters in September, and the 1874 station was razed in order to make room for parking behind the new Village Hall.<ref name=images/><ref name=bushnell/>

The village had begun construction on a new Village Hall in 1973. The project would replace the 1910 Village Hall.<ref name=images/><ref name=bushnell/> It was completed in 1975. However, its dedication ceremony would be held on [[Independence Day (United States)|Independence Day]] of the following year (the [[United States Bicentennial|bicentennial day]] for the adoption of the [[United States' Declaration of Independence]]).<ref name=bushnell/>

====Late 20th century====
In 1978 deficits forced the village to close the Curtis Curling Center only a decade after it first opened.<ref name=curtisclose/> The space was used for a televised [[Guinness Book of World Records|Guinness]] [[world record]]-setting 135,000 piece [[domino show]] in 1979,<ref name=curtisclose/> but would otherwise sit vacant until being converted into a senior housing complex named The Atrium in 1982.<ref name=images/><ref name=parkdistrict/> Despite the closure of the Curtis Curling Center, the Wilmette Curling Club continues to exist (albeit without a facility of their own).<ref name=wilmettecurlingclub/> They won the 1984 United States Men's Curling Championship<ref>{{cite news |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |title=Winners of Individual and Team Championships During 1985 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1985/12/29/sports/winners-of-individual-and-team-championships-during-1985.html?pagewanted=all |newspaper=[[New York Times]] |location=[[New York City]] |date=December 29, 1985 |access-date=February 18, 2017 |archive-date=February 19, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170219090659/http://www.nytimes.com/1985/12/29/sports/winners-of-individual-and-team-championships-during-1985.html?pagewanted=all |url-status=live }}</ref> and represented the United States at the [[1985 Air Canada Silver Broom|1985]] men's [[World Curling Championships]] where they ultimately tied with Denmark to place 3rd overall.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://results.worldcurling.org/Championship/Details/37 |title=Air Canada Silver Broom 1985 |author=<!--Not stated--> |website=results.worldcurling.org |access-date=February 18, 2017 |archive-date=February 19, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170219142325/http://results.worldcurling.org/Championship/Details/37 |url-status=live }}</ref>

In the 1970s, Wilmette experienced a post-[[baby boom]] drop in primary school education. As a result, the village closed three schools (including Bell School).<ref name=parkdistrict/> The village also closed Highcrest Middle School, but retained ownership to accommodate a potential re-opening in the future. Highcrest was subsequently used by the village as a community recreation center and was for a time the home of the Wilmette Historical Museum.<ref name=parkdistrict/>

In 1973 the Park District had purchased (with the assistance of a federal grant) a 4.8 acre parcel of land near Skokie Boulevard and Hibbard for a playground. However, it was subsequently decided that instead of a playground, the Park District would develop the site as an open-space nature center. The site was incrementally developed before being officially dedicated in 1981 as the Stephen R. Keay Nature Learning Center.<ref name=parkdistrict/> The [[Green Bay Trail]] opened in 1981.

In October 1991 construction began on a new structure for the Linden Station. The new Linden Station opened in 1993, with the former station being preserved as a retail space and a local historical landmark.<ref name=images/><ref name=ctalinden/>

In 1974, the village gave a contract to the firm OTR to design and operate a bus service for Wilmette, in view of the bankruptcy of the privately owned Glenview Bus Company. The service was named by a contest as [[Wilmette Wilbus]], and it began in March 1974.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Nelson |first=Wade |date=January 31, 1974 |title=Village retains OTR to devise plan |journal=Wilmette Life}}</ref> Drivers and maintenance staff were Village employees. Ridership grew as service quality was high, and the routes served the train stations, the high schools and the shopping area. In 1995 [[Pace (transit)|Pace]] took over the operations for Wilmette's bus routes, bringing an end to the village's ''Wilbus'' service.<ref name=images/>

In 1994 the board of Wilmette Public Schools District 39 voted to reopen Highcrest Middle School. This forced the Wilmette Park District to find new quarters.<ref name=parkdistrict/> The Park District bought the former Bell Elementary School building, which had been developed for use as offices, and converted it into their new home. After significant renovations, the 95,000 square foot Community Recreation Center was opened in October 1995. Parts of the center were dedicated for use by the Early Childhood Center and Meskill Senior Center (the hub of the village's programs for those aged fifty and older), creating spaces dedicated to serving some of both Wilmette's youngest and oldest residents.<ref name=parkdistrict/> Other portions of the building housed the Center Fitness Club and a brand-new gymnastics facility.<ref name=parkdistrict/> An athletic gymnasium was added to Community Recreation Center 1996 and an auditorium (funded in part by a $720,000 grant from the state) was added to the Community Recreation Center in 1998. The Auditorium is now home to ''The North Shore Theater of Wilmette'' and ''Wilmette Children's Theatre''.<ref name=parkdistrict/>