Embedded in Hinsdale History

EMBEDDED in Hinsdale HISTORY

THE STORY OF A HINSDALE LANDMARK

Hinsdale Magazine recently sat down with Dennis Jones, Founder and CEO of Hinsdale Bank & Trust to take a ‘tour’ of a historical landmark which has been a home to area residents’ banking and community gatherings for over a quarter century. The address at 25 East First Street is as familiar to generations of Hinsdaleans as the Village Hall at 19 Chicago Avenue, the Community House at 415 W. Eighth Street, Amita Health Adventist Medical Center at 120 N. Oak Street and the Robert Crown Center, 15 Spinning Wheel Road.

Five-Pointed Stars on Entrance Symbolize the Police Station

With the string of new restaurants and upscale retails storefronts along the now elegant First Street, the 25 East First Street address remains the home of Hinsdale Bank & Trust. The town’s financial beacon lays in the footprint of a historic landmark echoing village stories dating back to the late 1800’s, when Hinsdale was just established. It was the first address for both the Fire Station and Police Station.

Volunteers answered this South-facing fire bell

Jones recounted the diaries from the Hinsdale Historical Society when the all-volunteer, horse drawn, hook and ladder ‘Hinsdale Hose Company No. 1’ was operational as far back as 1886. Volunteers, all local businessmen, kept their fire buckets at home, and upon hearing the fire alarm, they dashed home, grabbed their buckets and rushed to the station at 25 East First Street.

“They didn’t keep horses at the fire station,” Jones pointed out. “When the alarm sounded, the first team of horses to appear at the station was hired for $5. The second team got $2, so competition was fierce,” Jones recounted.

In 1935, the fire station and the police station moved into the current brick structure. You can still see the fire alarm bell on the outside of the building. In addition, the front entrance is still adorned by traditional police symbols of five pointed stars on either side of the front door. At the rear of the building, on two sets of windows, you can also see remnants of bars from police holding cells.

Bars on windows from police holding cells

In 1970, the Fire Station and Police Station moved to Symonds Drive, and 25 East First Street became an interesting mix of retail stores, restaurants, and even a private residence. Businesspeople John and Shirley Angelo purchased the building for $133,000 with plans to continue Shirley’s women’s clothing store in their

new location. Before remodeling, they threw a memorable party showing their guests the old courtroom upstairs, the actual fireman’s pole, the police booking area, and the old jail holding cells. When they remodeled, they put big windows where the fire station doors used to stand, and those windows are still in place.

As time passed, The Mole Hole gift shop, The Mousetrap Restaurant, and a travel agency were added. Eventually, the Angelos sold their Hinsdale home, and the village board approved a plan to convert the second floor to full time living quarters with a rear terrace overlooking Village Place, as it was then known. In 1993, they packed up, moved to sunny Florida, and sold the building to Hinsdale Bank & Trust.

EARLY DAYS FOR THE BANK, AND MAJOR CHANGES

When Jones partnered with fellow Chicago banking excutives, Ed Wehmer & Rich Murphy, one of the first things they considered was the potential to turn Village

Hinsdale Bank & Trust donated this statue in the Courtyard to encourage friendly gatherings.

Place, a disparate group of buildings behind the bank into a welcoming community location. Jones said, “As we started on a major renovation, we were very careful to continue the classic look of the front of the bank. Hinsdale Magazine learned from the construction records that one of the buildings was once a blacksmith shop which left behind more than a few horseshoes and empty bottles.

Today, the well thought out project is a lasting legacy to villagers who now call it The Courtyard. The bank building now extends to the rear as one, beautiful, seamless, classic look, complete with a small plaza where people can sit and relax. In the center stands a statue depicting a grouping of young children suggesting a place to gather. Directly across from the statue, is a local coffee shop, Café LaFortuna, which opened nine years ago, where customers sit and sip their coffee on two park benches. Across the way, the relocated Wellness House Resale Shop, for which Jones made special accommodations, completes the classic look.

CREATIVE INTERIOR IMPROVEMENTS

According to Jones, in remodeling the interior, they continued to retain classic features, while adding space for the future. He said, “We were able to create a second floor over where the closed movie theater stood, next door. We kept the theater dome, certain theater wall design features and we turned the firemen’s sleeping quarters into a board room. We even created a bridge between both buildings overlooking a cozy restaurant dining area.

The boardroom formerly functioned as the firemens' sleeping quarters.

In remodeling, the bank kept the theater's acoustic dome

HOW 25 EAST FIRST STREET COMBINES BUSINESS WITH COMMUNITY SERVICE

“The Bank” as many locals refer to it, has grown as a town lender and has started or acquired several banks in the surrounding communities. Jones has made sure each is known to be community oriented.

In Hinsdale, the bank supports HCS Family Services, Habitat for Humanity, PADS (Public Action to Deliver Shelter) for homeless, The Community House,

The old firehouse doors.

Large glass windows and pillars replaced the firehouse doors.

the Rotary Club of Hinsdale, various school districts, churches and other nonprofits. In addition, Jones has helped with traditions such as the Christmas Walk, Octoberfest, Uniquely Thursdays, and a Junior Savings Bank program for children, all of which continue to this day. “A good number of those Junior Savers from the early years of the bank are now business owners, many have loans or mortgages or savings with us, and they have Junior Savers of their own. Fortunately, our parent company, Wintrust, is a great believer in community banking. It prides itself on staying local and supporting, giving back and investing in the communities we serve.”

In sum, 25 East First Street has a very rich and varied history of community service and private businesses. Hinsdale Bank & Trust continues the legacy of both. “It’s been 26 years since we started and our goal remains the same. Simply, when one Hinsdalean says to another ‘I’ll meet you at the bank’, we want there to be no doubt as to which bank they are talking about.”▪

"It has been 26 years since we started, and our goal remains the same; simply, when one Hinsdalean says to another 'I'll meet you at the bank,' we want there to be no doubt as to which bank they are talking about." ~Dennis Jones, CEO Hinsdale Bank & Trust

The Wellness House Resale Shop is part of the classic Courtyard in Downtown Hinsdale.

This space between the bank and resturant has turned into a cozy dining spot.