KAE, it really is a fascinating case. Every fact that turns up only adds to the mystery, it seems.
The building in the street view there was always the Village Hall - and still is, I think. The police station was at the back of the building (which you can't see clearly as a street view, sadly) before the new police building was built. The Hall also housed other official services, such as the Village Administration and the Fire Dept. The Hall was designed by the partner of Frank Lloyd Wright, Webster T. Tomlinson, and the tower at the top was used for drying the fire hoses.
In my research, I've become a little envious of Lake Bluff residents. It's a beautiful place, and seems a very nice community to boot.
Another thing I discovered is that the Village was not only the place of origin for the Prohibition party, but ironically also a huge part of Al Capone's booze smuggling operation during Prohibition. He'd bring the alcohol in from Canada, across Lake Michigan and drop it off in Lake Bluff for distribution through Chicago.
Gotta wonder how much Barney knew about that...
Oh, and I found mention of State's attorney A. V. Smith in a blog article about the St. Valentine's Day massacre:
Local authorities did not seem very interested in solving the shooting at Manning's. Within several days of the murder, State's Attorney, A.V. Smith, announced that he believed the killers were professionals from New York and were long gone.
There's a picture of Smith near the end of the article.
The building in the street view there was always the Village Hall - and still is, I think. The police station was at the back of the building (which you can't see clearly as a street view, sadly) before the new police building was built. The Hall also housed other official services, such as the Village Administration and the Fire Dept. The Hall was designed by the partner of Frank Lloyd Wright, Webster T. Tomlinson, and the tower at the top was used for drying the fire hoses.
In my research, I've become a little envious of Lake Bluff residents. It's a beautiful place, and seems a very nice community to boot.
Another thing I discovered is that the Village was not only the place of origin for the Prohibition party, but ironically also a huge part of Al Capone's booze smuggling operation during Prohibition. He'd bring the alcohol in from Canada, across Lake Michigan and drop it off in Lake Bluff for distribution through Chicago.
Gotta wonder how much Barney knew about that...
Oh, and I found mention of State's attorney A. V. Smith in a blog article about the St. Valentine's Day massacre:
Local authorities did not seem very interested in solving the shooting at Manning's. Within several days of the murder, State's Attorney, A.V. Smith, announced that he believed the killers were professionals from New York and were long gone.
There's a picture of Smith near the end of the article.