November Greetings

Last month Laurie and I suggested googling “celebrity childhood homes” to see interesting images from all over the United States and the world. Here in Chicago, that Google search produced a wonderful surprise: Walt Disney spent the first four years of his life only three miles from my current home on the northwest side.

 

The Disneys lived in a frame house at 2156 N. Tripp Ave. (photo below) built in the style of thousands of other houses in Chicago. Walt’s mother Flora drew up the plans, and his father Elias, a carpenter, completed the house in 1893. They moved in that year with their two sons, Herbert and Raymond. A third son, Roy, was born in June, 1893. On December 5, 1901, Walter Elias Disney was born in a second floor bedroom. His sister Ruth was born in 1903. When Elias sold the house in 1906, the seven Disneys had lived there together longer than they would in any other place.

 

The house changed hands several times over the years. Alterations obscured much of the original appearance. However, an enthusiastic and dedicated group acquired the property and is restoring it to the way it looked in 1901, when the Disney family lived there. Here is a link to The Walt Disney Birthplace website, where you’ll see profiles of the organizers, information on their progress, and their exciting and ambitious vision for the future of this fascinating cultural landmark.

 

http://www.thewaltdisneybirthplace.org/

 

When I reached out to the Walt Disney Birthplace team, they sent a beautiful colorized photograph (below) of young Walt and his sister Ruth standing on the front porch of the house, and I learned a little about the neighborhood's atmosphere during Walt’s four years there. North Tripp Ave. was one of the only paved roads in the community, then called Northwesttown. The unpaved excavated streets would flood and freeze during the winter, and neighborhood children ice-skated on them. The Schwinn Bicycle Company was close by. Children used discarded hoops from the factory to race up and down Tripp. The milkman enjoyed special popularity. During the winter, he allowed the kids to hook sleds to his open bobsled and be pulled along the route.

 

What unique features of your childhood home or neighborhood do you remember? We would love to read and post your story, and we are happy to offer editing help, or we can interview you and write your story for you from the transcript. Send your story or your questions to childhoodhomestories@gmail.com.

 

Laurie and I look forward to hearing from you. We wish you a happy and safe Thanksgiving!

 

Susan

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