Landholding
was not regularized until 1839 when John Blackstone bought
3,000 acres from the United States government. In 1844,
Blackstone sold most of the property to Thomas
Morgan, who with his family farmed and
hunted most of the area from 91st Street to 119th Street.
In 1867 the Morgan holdings were sold to the Blue Island
Land & Building Company, a development firm backed
by many executives from the Rock Island Railroad. This
was critical to the future of the community. A special
commuter line was built to serve the Ridge, providing
a convenient link to jobs and markets in the city for
the families who were building their homes in "the
suburbs".
In
1872 the Village of Washington Heights was incorporated
for the area north of 107th Street, and in 1882 the Village
of Morgan Park was established south of 107th Street.
Washington Heights grew into a series of small population
centers along the Rock Island tracks. Morgan Park centered
on 111th Street, and was developed around educational
institutions including the Baptist Theological Seminary
and Morgan Park Military Academy.
In
1890, the, Rock Island commuter line was extended to serve
the northern portion of the Ridge. The
area, which would later be known as Beverly Hills, was
annexed to the City of Chicago that same year. The village
of Morgan Park did not agree to Annexation until 1914,
after a 25-year battle between those for and against annexation.
The
community is rich in examples of Stick, Italianate, Queen
Anne, Colonial Revival, Tudor, French Provincial, Prairie,
Craftsman, Italian Renaissance, Neoclassical, Art Moderne,
International Style, Ranch and Contemporary houses.
Many
of Chicago's most important home designers are represented
here, including Frank Lloyd Wright, George Washington
Maher, Howard Van Doren Shaw and Walter Burley Griffin.
This neighborhood also called on noteworthy architects
whose work primarily is in this region, including Harry
Hale Waterman, Rudolph Boehm, Homer G. Sailor and father
and son John Todd and Murray Hetherington.
The
Beverly Hills/Morgan Park community of Chicago is known
as "the Ridge". The area, lying 30 to 60 feet
above the rest of the city on a ridge formed by glaciers,
is now distinguished by the quality of its residential architecture.
The community displays examples of all American house styles
developed since 1844. 
