In 1860 he built a brick, Italianate mansion which was replace in 1917 by St. Mary of the Lake church. Waller named the mansion and its estate “Buena.” He provided a right-of-way and a station stop in 1884 for the Chicago & Evanston Railroad. The stop was also called Buena. The large development portion of Waller’s estate was subdivided into 50-foot lots and given the name “Buena Park.”
Although it was annexed by the city of Chicago in 1889 Buena Park grew as a suburb within the city by taking on the look and feel of the suburbs of the era. Between 1900 and 1930 it took on a more densely populated character and went from a neighborhood of “fine homes” to one of “fine homes and fine apartments.”
The historic flow of Buena Park architecture went from country estate to suburban residences to small apartment buildings to large apartment-hotels.
Waller’s efforts were not alone, because other developers in the 1860s and 1870s developed land in the area. Samuel H. Kerfoot, Daniel Goodwin and H. G. Spofford built estates adjacent to Waller and also promoted the area’s suburban feel.
1 thought on “About Buena Park: James B. Waller”
Where did Mr. Mr. Kerfoot live? Did he live on Bittersweet? If so, what was the address of his property?