500 Maple

The stately Georgian Revival at 500 Maple was designed by William Aitken in 1916. This property was originally owned by the Prouty family, but was sold to Aitken after the Prouty home was destroyed in a fire in 1912. According to the original building permit, Aitken was the original owner of the property, and built this house as a speck house to sell once finished.

Aitken was a prolific North Shore builder. He was born in Scotland on June 10, 1878, and in 1903, emigrated to the Chicago area. In 1910, Aitken moved to Winnetka. He lived at 1063 Cherry Street, and opened an office at 1065 Gage. In 1922, he founded the Village of Bannockburn approximately 10 miles northwest of Winnetka and, a few years later, moved from Winnetka to his new Village.

Throughout his career, Aitken designed many notable homes and buildings in Winnetka, including the “Home Alone House” at 671 Lincoln, the retail buildings in Hubbard Woods at Gage and Green Bay Road, and, of course, 500 Maple.

Later in life, Aitken was on a British ship off the coast of Ireland on September 3, 1939, the day Great Britain declared war on Germany. The ship was torpedoed the next day by a German U-Boat. Aitken was one of several passengers rescued from the sinking ship, and he returned to Bannockburn shortly after. He died in a car accident in Nebraska in 1952.

While Aitken was the builder and original owner of 500 Maple, he never lived in the house. After the house was completed, Aitken sold it to Glen C. Bull, a local real estate broker.

The house at 500 Maple is a wonderful representation of Aitken’s popular Georgian Revival designs. The 2-story structure with brick façade and center entry is typical of the style, as are the 3 rooftop dormers, the row of 5 windows on the front façade, and the symmetry to the sunrooms on the right and left sides.

500 Maple’s age, as well as its quintessential Georgian Revival features, are noted as reasons that the house was named a Local Landmark in 1994.