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History of Northlake > The 1960's

Griffen's term expired in 1957 and Ed Neri of the United Citizen’s Party took over the helm until 1968. The

Mayor Ed Neri

Sixties may be remembered by some as the birth of "new politics" for Northlake. The crisis was seen in 1965 when, in the Mayoral election, there were no less than five candidates, all backed by separate parties. The incumbent, Ed Neri, won a third term in office and in the face of this defeat the separate parties joined to form a coalition. The coalition was later successful in unseating a majority of the "old line" aldermen, but itself took a beating from a group of independents in the 1969 election.

During the sixties and during Mayor Neri’s term as Mayor, many projects were completed including the construction of City Hall, installation of curbs and storm sewers on Roberta and Palmer Avenues and the construction of many of the bridges which replaced wooden bridges over Addison Creek. Additionally, the

Mayor Neri delivers a speech at the 1960 Northlake Days.

original portion of the Northlake Library District building on Wolf Rd., the Northlake Bank (now Firstar Bank), the Dominick’s facility on Northwest Ave. (originally Kroger Foods); the Burny Brothers Bakery (now Entenmann’s Bakery) on North Ave., the Northlake Hospital (now Vencor), St. John Vianney’s Church (as it stands today) and King Arthur were all built during Neri’s term.

It was predicted that King Arthur would add to the tax income of almost all the taxing agents in Northlake. It was to be "a city within a city" complete with two large swimming pools, several tennis courts and two one hole putting golf areas. Since the apartments would be one bedroom construction and would rent for approximately $140.00 a month, at the time, it was expected that is would cater to two different type of family groups. One would be that of the middle age family that had already raised their children and did not wish to continue maintaining a large home. The other would be a newly married couple desiring an apartment so plans could be made to save enough money to buy a home of their own and raise a family. The article from the 60's regarding the complex plans read "Those who have the good fortune of having a child while living in the apartment, will have to look for a larger home, since a one bedroom apartment is not large enough to start raising a family."

In 1963 the Northlake Community Hospital (now Vencor Northlake) was completed. It was built to solve for a long standing problem of overcrowded existing hospitals in the suburbs. It was originally built with the emergency entrance on the basement level, conference rooms, doctors examining room, kitchen and dining facilities, a laboratory, supply center, engine room, residence quarters for interns, a barbershop, gift shop and beauty shop. The first floor had administration offices, X-ray department, outpatient clinic, seven examining rooms and general nursing area, etc. The second floor was to contain the surgical department and provisions for 46 beds. The third floor would be devoted to obstetrics, with labor rooms in the west area and 40 beds and a 50 bassinet nursery. The nearest hospital at the time was Gottlieb Memorial which was under construction.

In January 1968, plans were being completed in Northlake for a 16 story motor hotel to be built a block

Northlake O'Hare Airport Hotel - 1974

east of the Elmhurst city limits. The way hotel entrepreneur Dave Pavis described it, it would be "one of the finest things that has happened in the area." He left the audience of the City Council, planning commission members and citizens impressed with the visions of thousands more dollars for the city, boosts in sales of area businesses, more jobs for the unemployed and a posh watering place for those who wished to live it up. But Northlake wasn’t prepared to accommodate such a huge building scheme, although it appeared warm to the idea. Additionally, the city had no zoning classification for this type of building.

Upon completion the O’Hare-Airport Hotel (now Concord Place) was the tallest building in the western suburbs. It was described as a first-rate hotel planned for opening in mid-1969.