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George Nixon
The
above title appeared on an illustrated map showing one perspective the proposed
Westchester. The illustration included all of Westchester east of Mayfair.
The showpiece of this map was the proposed Civic Center north of 22nd
Street and east of Mannheim. It is not clear exactly who was the father of
this concept, but it shows the ideas presented by William Zelosky in the pages
of the Westchester Tribune in 1926. See
Westchester
Tribune Sep 28 1926 page 1 -- William Zelosky.
Samuel Insull, William Zelosky and many others had the pubic spotlight, but the George Nixon and his family played a significant role over no less than four decades in the development of Westchester. Indeed, of the original developers and industrialists, the Nixons' may have most benefited from their own efforts since they were still active at the time Westchester experienced its post-WWII boom.
George F. Nixon was born January 29, 1892 and died September, 1975. He was the father of Robert G. and Carver Nixon. Albert Nixon was his brother and Laura (Nixon) Schmidt was his sister. George was a member of the Immaculate Conception Church. He lived near the home of the Catholic Cardinal of Chicago.
During
the late 1920s George Nixon's company built two-flats some of which still stand
east of Mannheim. The 'thumb-nailed' panorama photograph to the left shows
some of these buildings on Chaucer.
George Nixon's company took part in the post-WWII boom in Westchester. The first batch of these Nixon homes to be built was along Gardner Road (formerly Puscheck Road) in 1947. These homes were in the area from Derby Lane to Canterbury Street.
Shirley Slanker, the FHS Vice President, recalls Albert handled all sales for the Nixon company at that time. Her family bought into the second batch of homes in 1948 which "had a little more gingerbread. This second batch of homes (the Fairview Addition) was built on the Batterman farm land. (The Batterman farm house is still standing and is located on Cermak Road between Portsmouth Avenue and Newcastle Avenue. It has received a new roof, siding and a paint job in the summer of 2001.)
For his role in building Westchester and the donation of land, the George F. Nixon School bears his name.
George Nixon's funeral was held at the Immaculate Conception Church, Saturday, September 27, 1975, at 11 a.m.
More can be found on George Nixon and his company in:
Last Modified: 05/01/2006