Creating Chicago’s North Shore: A Suburban History by Michael H. Ebner

Abstract

304 Book Reviews TECHNOLOGY AND CULTURE appetite whetted but not satisfied. Far more important, Barth needs to place San Francisco and Denver in the historiographic context of in­ stant cities. Since his opening chapter is an excellent analysis of the historic role of instant cities, he certainly is capable of undertaking this task. While previous instant cities such as Freiburg and Joachimsthal followed similar pursuits, my impression is that San Francisco and Denver were the first instant cities devoted to mining and commerce that gained cosmopolitan status. These criticisms should in no way detract from the importance of Barth’s work. Instant Cities is a major contribution to the field, helping us to understand the phenomenon of rapid urban growth. T his phenomenon at present is becoming commonplace, especially in the Third World where urbanization is proceeding at a pace at least as hectic as in early San Francisco and Denver. Instant Cities is required reading for all those interested in urban history and urban studies. Fred W. Viehe Dr Viehe is an assistant professor at Youngstown State University and the author of “Black Gold Suburbs: The Influence of the Extractive Industry on the Suburbanization of Los Angeles. 1890- 1930” and other articles on the southern California metropolis. Creating Chicago's North Shore: A Suburban History. By Michael H. Ebner. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1988. Pp. xxx + 338; illustra­ tions, notes, appendixes, bibliography, index. $29.95. Creating Chicago’s North Shore is a highly readable and thoroughly researched survey of the development of eight affluent communities along the western banks of Fake Michigan, just north of Chicago. Michael Ebner, professor of history at Lake Forest College, provides a clear and informative social history of suburban growth north of Chicago in the 19th and early 20th centuries. The North Shore was settled first along a stagecoach highway, Green Bay Road, connecting Chicago with Milwaukee. With the building of the Chicago & North Western Railroad parallel to the earlier road, population expanded as Chicagoans who could afford the luxury purchased the expensive real estate of the North Shore. They sought an escape from the city to an idyllic environment with stunning views of Lake Michigan, oak-forested hills and ravines, the possibility of quiet and privaev, and the association with others of like social status. Ebner studies the uniqueness and idiosyncratic character of each of the suburbs. The public image or identity that became associated with each community sometimes led to resistance to the broader shared identity as the North Shore. For the technologically minded reader, the book is of only minor interest in that it gives little attention to the development of the TECHNOLOGY AND CULTURE Book Reviews 305 transportation systems that tie the communities together. Rather than focus on the technology of railroads, road building, or automobiles, Ebner discusses repeated efforts by residents to resist technological change. There was considerable opposition to the construction of a second commuter rail line, to the construction of Sheridan Road along the lakeshore, and to the arrival of the automobile. The onslaught of technology became a threat to the beauty, quietness, privacy, and established values of the exclusive communities. The reader should also not expect to gain insight into such areas as street layout, public works, utility development, park design, archi­ tecture, and planning philosophy in the towns studied. The book is a history of people and their image of the society in which they lived more than of the physical man-made environment. It is a beautifully written, well designed, and handsomely illustrated social history, an important contribution to the literature of urban and suburban development. Frances H. Si i im r 1)r Steiner is associate professor of art and architectural history at Rosary College. She is the author of several architectural books ancl is currently writing a volume on Chicago architecture. Native American Architecture. By Peter Nabokov and Robert Easton. New York: Oxford University Press, 1989. Pp. 431; illustrations, glossary, bibliography, index. $50.00. Many books about the Native American attempt to recover the character of Indian life at some point before contact with Europeans and then show how it changed over the intervening centuries. Ellis is legitimate, but it is difficult...