Kildeer is a village in southwestern Lake County, Illinois, United States, and a suburb of Chicago. Per the 2020 census, the population was 4,091. It has limited development to custom houses on large lots, and has worked to preserve natural features and open space.
History
This area was largely rural and made up of farms and undeveloped lands until after World War II. Increased population and pent-up demand for housing resulted in new suburban development outside many major cities, aided by federal investment in highways that eased commuting to work. Lake County began to prepare by paving its roads and improving some. The Kildeer area began to attract persons who wanted to live a relatively rural life. In 1951 Quentin Road was realigned, removing the four right-angle turns, and substituting a smooth curve north from Rand Road. In 1952 its entire length was paved.
In the mid-1950s, Henry Bosch Jr. submitted a residential subdivision to the county containing mostly homesites. On April 15, 1955 it was approved and called Boschome Farms. Bosch wanted to retain strict control of his subdivision and refused to sell lots to builders. As a condition of sale, each purchaser had to submit plans for their residence to Bosch and receive his approval prior to building. Not long after, the land south of Boschome Farms was subdivided as Long Grove Valley. Unit I was approved September 16, 1955, Unit 2 on February 1, 1957 and Unit 3 on June 20, 1957.
Brickman Builders
On October 16, 1958, Brickman Builders of Chicago announced their intent to build a planned community "of the future" consisting of 20,000 residential units in Ela Township, Lake County. This planned community would cover south and southeast of Lake Zurich. It would contain 16,000 single-family homes, 6,000 apartments or duplex units, one high school, four junior high schools, 29 grade schools, a country club, and ten church sites. Ten percent of the area would be reserved for industrial use. The development would have an ultimate population of 60,000 and take 15 years to build. There would be a central shopping mall at West Cuba and Quentin Road containing a major department store, a variety store, ten small shops, one or more supermarkets, a bank, two drugstores, two restaurants, a professional and medical center, with provisions for parking 2,500 cars. Six smaller shopping centers were also to be located in neighborhoods.
When Joseph M. Brickman announced his "billion dollar city", he claimed to have bought or had options on 2,000 of the required . He said it would be the largest planned community in the country. It would bring organized development with planned infrastructure and amenities to the projected rapid growth of the area. Existing residents were surprised, as many had moved here to enjoy the tranquil countryside. They learned that Brickman intended to incorporate his land as a village. If there were 100 residents and 35 voters living within the prescribed boundaries, they could hold a referendum to establish a village form of government. The existing residents feared that Brickman could effectively select individuals to have voted into office, and form his own government, passing codes and ordinances to serve his own interests.
In the summer of 1957 Brickman began building a subdivision on Sturm's farm, located on the south side of Rand Road just west of Quentin Road. He rented the completed homes to Brickman real estate agents and other company employees. Surrounding residents became suspicious when they learned that such renters were paying only $50 per month for a three-bedroom house. Brickman was rumored to be moving migrant farm workers into structures on other properties. People became convinced that Brickman would shortly incorporate the Sturm Subdivision and systematically annex his adjacent parcels. Brickman was seeking rezoning from Lake County of the latter properties in order to permit small lots, which would enable more dense development.
Inspired by longtime resident Dorothea Huszagh, local residents organized and petitioned to hold a referendum on incorporating a municipality. Brickman attempted to move a small red barn west on East Cuba Road to use as housing for his workers. Although the barn was mounted on a truck, it could not be transported across the one-lane bridge over Buffalo Creek because of large overhanging oak tree branches. The foreman ordered the branches to be cut down but neighbors told him the tree was on private property and a confrontation ensued. By the time the County police arrived, Rudy Huszagh had fired a rifle into the ground to stop the workmen. The police ordered the workers to take the barn back to the farm and dispersed the residents.