A note from the sellers: Welcome to 221 Coolidge Ave. We have loved living in our authentic Sears Craftsman home here in the Historic Overlay District of the village of Barrington. A leisurely stroll around our neighborhood will bring you in contact with numerous beautiful, sometimes stately, historic homes, many built as far back as the 1860s. This home carries with it some history of its own. Irving Schumann was the original builder of this house. His name appears on the actual bill of lading, which is framed on the dining room wall. Mr. & Mrs. Schumann lived here, as well - with all 8 of their children. In the 1920s, Mr. Schumann was the master carpenter for the Chicago & Northwestern Railway, and was responsible for constructing the many station houses all along the northwest route of the railroad line - from just outside Chicago, all the way to Harvard, IL. Schumann would have had a hand in the constructing, and maintaining the old Barrington railroad station house, which was once located where Station Street meets the commuter railroad tracks. That station house building was moved to Barrington's Ice House Mall in 1978 and soon became Chessie's Restaurant (still in operation today, located in back of the Jewel-Osco).The location of our home is incredible. Hough Street Elementary School is a mere 2-blocks away, near the corner of Lill Street and Lincoln Avenue. Elementary-aged children won't have to cross any busy streets when walking to the school. Barrington High School is a little over a half-mile walk from our home, on Lake-Cook Road (Main Street), west of Dundee Avenue. Every May, the Barrington Arts Festival is held 3-blocks away on Cook Street. Over 100 artists are present at this event, some traveling quite far to exhibit at the festival. There's also live music and some great food. That same extended weekend, the Barrington Memorial Day Parade proceeds from Lake-Cook Road south onto Dundee Avenue, at the western edge of our block, and finishes on the grounds of the Evergreen Cemetery. Our neighborhood residents always congregate at the end of our block, and enjoy the multiple marching bands and parading veterans as they pass by our street. The 4th of July parade passes down Lake-Cook Road, just 4 blocks away, and the Barrington High School Homecoming Parade uses that same route. At Christmas time, Santa and his sleigh pull to a stop at the intersection of Coolidge and Lill Street, for families to enjoy. The Jewel-Osco is also 4-blocks away, and there are more than a dozen eateries within a 6-blocks of this home. Heinen's Grocery store is a must shop. It's the store where the employees actually know your name, and treat you like family. And of course, the historic Catlow Theater is also 4-blocks away - a perfect destination for a date night movie. For some 'getting back to nature' time, there's no better place to visit than Citizen's Park and the Cuba Marsh near the intersection of Route 14 and Lake Zurich Road (in back of the fantastic public library). There, you'll find a few miles of beautiful nature tails and wetlands. We really don't want to leave 221 Coolidge Avenue, but a job move in another city calls. We'll miss our cozy Sears home, especially on warm days when we'd sit on our front porch and watch the world go by, but we hope that you will enjoy your new home.
