HS Board

Name of Building or Business:  Grocery Store later His and Her Hobbies

Address: 15 W. Busse

Built: Circa 1935

Demolished:  2006

What is currently at that address:  Nothing

This building was originally constructed with a classic Art Deco façade of black and white glazed tiles. This probably was the most modern building in Mount Prospect when it was built. The property that this building sits on was originally the garden behind the Meyn family’s home and blacksmith shop. It is possible that a member of the Meyn family built this building as an extension or modernization of the William Meyn Associated Grocery store which stood next door. The building did originally serve as a grocery store and was tied into the Busse Block Business District.

The building later had its façade modified twice. The reason for the first modification is not known, although it was much less severe than the second modification. In the late 1950s the original art deco glazed tile façade was covered with irregular flat stones. While this covered the black and white tiles, the building still maintained a similar structural appearance. However, this style did not last long and the building’s façade was again changed in 1984. This new façade radically changed the architectural style of the building, placing half timber frame construction along the outside, adding an artificial sloped roof line and an off centered peaked façade. This new look for the building was designed by an architectural firm hired by the village of Mount Prospect and a portion of the construction costs of this renovation were paid by the village through the Façade Improvement Program, an aspect of the downtown plan of 1983. For many years, this building was home to His and Her Hobbies, an independent, locally-owned craft and hobby store.

Name of Building or Business: Central Standard School

School District: 57

Grade Levels: K-8

Built: 1927

Demolished: 1975

What is currently at that address: The Mount Prospect Public Library

The Second Central School or the Central Standard School is one of the best remembered schools in Mount Prospect. It was built in 1927 and at the time was a great leap forward. Mount Prospect went from having one classroom for the entire town to having five: four new classrooms plus the original one-room Central School building. There were a number of additions to the Central Standard School, the first of which was built in 1937. Over time, the additions to the school became larger than the original school. With the boom of students in the 1950s and then the drop in enrollment in the 1970s, many of the schools in Mount Prospect faced insufficient enrollment. In the 1970s and 80s Mount Prospect’s schools were faced with rapidly falling enrollment, and many schools were closed, sold, or demolished. The Central Standard School went from teaching K-8 students to becoming a Junior High, just teaching 7th and 8th graders. Central School closed in spring 1970. In 1975 the Central Standard School, with all of its additions, was razed. Today the Main Branch of the Mount Prospect Public Library stands in its place.

Name of Building or Business: Busse School

Built: 1956

Demolished: 1994

What is currently at that address: Busse Park

The Busse School was a definite product of the Baby Boom in Mount Prospect; it stood at the intersection of Owen and Henry Streets and was built in 1956. With the heights of the boom came the depths of the bust and with shifting demographic trends, School District 57 faced declining enrollment through the 1970s which forced them to close many schools. By 1982, the school district was forced to close the Busse School, although there was a large public outcry. For many the closing of Busse School was seen as the end of an era of neighborhood schools. When the building came down, a number of alumni of the school commented on it being last school in the community where the parents could see the school from their front porch and the children could go home for lunch in nice weather. In 1987 School District 57 sold the building to the Mount Prospect Park District, who rented the building out to a number of different organizations and then in 1994 demolished it to construct Busse Park.