|
Woodmar & Kenwood: Developed By Woods and Martin |
Prior to 1910, local developers created only a few small subdivisions to serve the region’s elite. These efforts did not full embrace the idea of community development. Kenwood was the first subdivision in Hammond advertised to the upper middle class. In 1912 two developers, Frank R. Martin and Roscoe E. Woods, believed that Hammond contained a middle class sufficient to support a development based on Progressive planning. Woods and Martin were experienced local realtors. However, the planning of Kenwood reflected outside influences, especially the Garden City movement in England. The developers believed that these ideas would appeal to Hammond’s wealthiest residents.
Woods and Martin claimed that Kenwood would become a community based on a
plan for a carefully designed landscape rather than an odd collection of large
houses. To create a high-class
garden city in Hammond, the developers established a subdivision of 320 lots
allowed for 100 houses. The
subdivision also included wider streets, deeper sewers, and greater spaces
between houses. These amenities
were uncommon in Hammond and attractive to prospective buyers.
To promote Kenwood, Woods and Martin published a series of articles in
The Lake County Times. The Kenwood
Monologues distinguished Hammond’s first planned subdivision from all other
developments. This development set
certain restrictions in order to guarantee buyers a high-end subdivision. They set a minimum cost on the houses to be built in Kenwood.
Woods and Martin restricted the establishment of taverns.
They also restricted the building of large flat buildings and houses zone
to accommodate businesses. Woods
and Martin wanted to create a tree-lined subdivision based on garden city ideas
with out following them in a strict way.