Plaza del Lago is a shopping center at 1515 Sheridan Road in Wilmette, Illinois, United States which opened in 1928 as Spanish Court; it has been reported as the second-oldest shopping center in the United States designed for automobile use,[1][2] and the first such center in the state of Illinois.[3]
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Though the Plaza is in the village of Wilmette today, the tract of land it was built on was originally an undeveloped area known as No Man's Land,[2][4][5] a strip of land owned by Henry Gage which, for unclear reasons, was not annexed when the rest of Gage's property was annexed by Wilmette.[2] The area started out as underdeveloped land lined by three gas stations, and Sheridan was unpaved.[2] When Wilmette released "Plan of Wilmette" (the basis of their first zoning code) they had planned to annex the land as a park, but they did not do so;[2] by 1926 they had lost the chance.
The "Roaring 20's" was a time of booming prosperity across the nation.[2] Plans for a Spanish styled shopping center in No Man's Land were drawn up in 1926 and 1927.[1][2][6][7] Spanish Architecture was the style of the rich and famous during the 1920s.[2] The plan was to build four buildings along the west of Sheridan Road. A drive would cut through the center of the plaza. South of the drive was to be a movie theater, Teatro del Lago,[2][5] on the north a single story building holding a restaurant and shops. a larger building would be built next door with stores on the first floor, and apartments on the second, with a 50 car garage. At the end of north side would be a five story apartment.[1][2] The plaza was designed by Edwin H. Clark.[2] The plaza opened in 1928.[1][8]
A fire in No Man's Land in the 1930s destroyed most of the other prominent structures.[2][5] No Man's Land had become a honky tonk town with Gas Stations, Hot Dog Stands, and a rat infested garbage dump.[2] Wilmette annexed No Man's Land on January 6, 1942.[2][5]
In the early 1960s Evanston lawyer Plato Foufas heard that a large section of No Man's Land might be up for sale. With lawyer Joseph Stefan's help, we acquired Spanish Court.[2][9] They set out to renovate the shopping plaza,[2][10] as well as the rest of No Man's Land, back to its former glory.[9] Their renovation started in 1967.[10] They tore down the Theatro and built a Jewel supermarket, tore down the 50 car garage to build arcade shops in an indoor hallway built to resemble a Spanish Street (which included a fountain), built new structures in the former Theatro del Lago parking lot, tore down the five story apartment structure to build a store that was for years occupied by Blockbuster.[2] The new center was to be named "Plaza del Lago".[2][10]
They were financially forced to allow a Howard Johnson's restaurant to be built east of the Jewel, but fought to prevent them from building their trademark orange roof. Howard Johnson's did not fare well and closed.[2] The last occupant of the premises was 'Convito Italiano';[11] they moved out in 2008, and the structure was torn down to build a new stucco structure housing three shops.[11][12]
The main architectural feature is the original bell tower.[2]
The Plaza was appraised as being successful due to the population density of the adjacent area and the lack of similar shopping centers nearby.[13]
Annual events at the plaza include a summer concert series,[14][5][15][16][17] an art show,[5][18][19][20] a classic car show,[5][18][19][15][21][22] sidewalk sales,[5][15] and sometimes races for children.[18][19][15] In winter, events can include carriage rides.[18][19][15]