Businesses of Mount Prospect

Does MPHS have photographs: Yes

Address: Mount Prospect Plaza

Is building standing: No

What is at site: Mount Prospect Plaza

When was business founded: Company was founded in 1914 but opened in Mount Prospect Plaza in 1961

If no, when did it close: 1977

Who owned business: Maurice and Nathan Goldblatt

Interesting stories, facts, history:

Goldblatts was an important early department store in the Chicago area. Through large scale purchases, they were able to negotiate lower prices and increase the number of customers who came into their stores. They were even able to increase their customer base during the Depression. They opened one of the first department stores in Mount Prospect, at the Mount Prospect Plaza, the first strip mall in Mount Prospect. By the early 1970s Goldblatt’s had over 40 stores in the Chicago area.

Unfortunately, a major fire tore through Goldblatts in 1977. It took several hours and more than 100 firefighters from 9 suburbs to bring the fire under control, as ice and freezing temperatures delayed the extinguishing of the fire. After the fire, Goldblatt’s moved to Arlington Heights.

The vacant space was soon turned into a park with public art. One of those sculptures on display was “Hula Pole,” a giant kinetic sculpture by George Rhoads. By the late 1980s the park was replaced by another commercial building.

Top photo caption: Aerial view of Mount Prospect Plaza in the 1960s
Bottom photo caption: Goldblatts fire during the morning of February 6, 1977

Does MPHS have photographs: Yes

Address: 320 W. Central

Is building standing: Yes

What is at site: Friedrichs Funeral Home

When was business founded: 1958 in Mount Prospect. Still operating.

Who owned business: Hank Friedrichs

Interesting stories, facts, history:

The Friedrichs Funeral home has been offering mortician services in Mount Prospect for close to five decades. The family business goes back over 100 years and four generations, although it has not always been in Mount Prospect. Hank Friedrichs has been very involved with community organizations and has been a large supporter of the community.

Photo taken in 1965

Does MPHS have photographs: Yes

Address: Northwest Highway and Elm

Is building standing: No

What is at site: Townhouses

When was business founded: 1905

Who owned business: J. B. Crowfoot

Interesting stories, facts, history:

The Crofoot Company was probably the largest industrial concern in Mount Prospect in the 1920s. The factory produced “modern and up-to-date” staplers, and tackers for a number of uses, including assembling screens and attaching labels to shipping crates. Originally started in 1905 in the Crofoot family home in Milwaukee, Wisconsin it moved to Chicago to take advantage of the larger market and the easy access to transportation. The firm moved to Arlington Heights in the early 1920s but was lured to Mount Prospect by William Busse a few years later. When the Crofoot Company moved to Mount Prospect, they brought a workforce that greatly increased the population of the community and improved home sales in Busse’s Eastern Addition. The factory was located in a large building on the corner of Evergreen and Maple, near the water tower.