![\"461mapleave\"](\"http:\/\/www.bassettbranches.org\/newsblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/461MapleAve.jpg\")
<\/a>An earlier story about this Thomas Bassett can be seen at the following link:\nhttp:\/\/www.bassettbranches.org\/newsletters\/2013\/12\/201312.shtml<\/a><\/p>\n
Chicago Tribune Publication, Thursday, February 11, 2016
\nWinnetka\u2019s Thomas Bassett house slated for demolition
\nFormer farmhouse was built in the 1860\u2019s
\nBy Bridget O\u2019Shea, Pioneer Press<\/p>\n
The house at 461 Maple St. has been standing for almost as long as Winnetka has been a village. One of the oldest houses in Winnetka, the house, also known as the Thomas Bassett house, has reached the end of its long life.<\/p>\n
Built in the 1860s as a small farmhouse, the home was originally owned by Thomas Bassett, one of the first village council members in Winnetka. The house is now slated for demolition.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is probably one of the oldest structures in the village,\u201d said Louise Holland, former village president and chair of the landmark preservation commission. \u201cIt\u2019s very sad, but there\u2019s not much more we can do. The village won\u2019t extend the wait period on a historical home that we don\u2019t want to be seen torn down.\u201d<\/p>\n
But Sean Freeman, founder and president of Highland Park-based Twenty9Inc. Construction, sees it differently.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a rich history and a long history and I know that people get emotional when things get torn down,\u201d he said. \u201cWe understand some people are upset, but because something has a date on it doesn\u2019t make it significant. It didn\u2019t line up with any of the other homes and that\u2019s unappealing. From a neighbor and city perspective, the way the house sits is awkward.\u201d<\/p>\n
Freeman said the new, mostly stone structure that will replace the Thomas Bassett house would be roughly the same square footage (38,000 square feet) but will sit further back on the lot.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s going to fit in more as a new home than it did as an old home,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Freeman said it wasn\u2019t just the exterior of the existing home that made it unappealing.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was not well maintained,\u201d he said. \u201cThere\u2019s no bathroom on the first floor. It just wasn\u2019t prudent to take that home and try to remodel it.\u201d<\/p>\n
The home\u2019s most recent owners were Mary and Richard Larkin, according to a village house file. In the file, Richard Larkin said the house was in \u201cembarrassingly bad shape\u201d before he left Winnetka for Florida last year. As for the ho9me\u2019s history, Freeman said an exhaustive study of the home did not say if one of Winnetka\u2019s founding fathers resided there.<\/p>\n
\u201cDid one of the founding fathers of Winnetka live there? I don\u2019t recall that,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
But Holland said the study did find that 461 Maple St. was the home of Thomas Bassett. The village file also stated the original owner as Thomas Bassett.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn the body of the study is the whole story of Thomas Bassett living in that house,\u201d Holland said. \u201cHe (Freeman) should just look at the report that he commissioned and paid for.\u201d<\/p>\n
Freeman, however, said he want to look more toward the future of a property and its prolific location, en route to parks and beaches.<\/p>\n
\u201cCherry and Maple is an important corner,\u201d he said. \u201cOur goal is that when you go by Maple and Cherry, people won\u2019t know it\u2019s a new home. It\u2019s not going to be one of those vanilla box homes. It will fit in with the rest. Whether you\u2019ve lived there for two years or two generations, I think people will agree that the aesthetics of the home are very pleasant.\u201d<\/p>\n
Patti Van Cleave, executive director of the Winnetka Historical Society, said while she recognized that the Thomas Bassett house has history, she agrees that it makes more sense to build a new structure in its place rather than remodel.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s an old house, but I didn\u2019t see anything about it that would be significant,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Thomas Bassett descends from William Bassett of Plymouth as follows: William Bassett of Plymouth and wife Elizabeth William Bassett (b. 1624) and wife Mary Rainsford William Bassett (b. 1656) and wife Rachel Willison William Bassett (b. 1681) and wife Abigail … Continue reading