David J. Kennedy and his wife Carrie bought this property in early 1888; they bought a substantial lot, 172 feet wide by 250 feet deep — close to a full acre.  By the end of the year their house was completed.  Click here for a picture of the original house.  Built at a cost of approximately $13,000 — a considerable sum in those days — it was considered one of the finest houses in the village.  Mr. Kennedy had a lumber business, later he was one of the organizers of the Cicero and Proviso street railroad company.  But apparently his business ventures did not turn out well, in 1904 the family declared bankruptcy and the house was sold.  Between 1909 and 1957 the property was subdivided into 5 separate plots and 4 of them sold.  The houses at 313 Kenilworth and 11, 9 (originally the coach house), and 7 Elizabeth Court were built on the remains of the Kennedy estate.  See the entries for these houses for the individual lot sale dates.

The house has recently been extensively restored.