Skip to content

Kenilworth Centennial Homes

The Suburban Ideal

1889 – 1899

A Planned Community

326 Essex Road
326 Essex Road

A Planned Community, 1889 – 1899

Joseph Sears sought to escape the unsanitary conditions of Chicago. 

He envisioned a location in the country with ample green space and a harmonious community spirit in which to raise his family. With the purchase of the land in 1889, Kenilworth, one of the first planned communities in the U.S., was born.

Kenilworth Company Map, 1914

To transform his vision into reality, Sears formed the Kenilworth Company in 1890 and appointed Franklin Burnham to serve as its architect. Sears’ dream began to take shape. Laying the foundation for this growing community, Burnham designed the iconic Kenilworth train station, the Kenilworth Union Church, a gasworks, the Company Barn, the first school, as well as the first residences along Kenilworth Avenue. Kenilworth’s oldest homes were built in the Queen Anne, Classical Revival, and Colonial Revival architectural styles.

No results found.