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Most Oak Parkers associate 300 N. Kenilworth Ave. with Under the Gingko Tree, a popular bed-and-breakfast in the Frank Lloyd Wright Historic District for nearly 20 years.
But to a variety of creative crews shooting catalog spreads, making commercials and filming movies, the spacious three-story property has doubled as any number of settings for nearly as long.
“The whole place is like a black dress,” said owner Gloria Onischuk. “You can either dress her up or dress her down. It doesn’t have any particular look. That’s what crews bring to my home.”
From a Thanksgiving scene (for a hearing aid company) to a Spiegel’s Christmas catalog shoot (in July), Onischuk has played host to about 20 projects since 1990.
It’s been a fun, profitable journey, with some shoots paying $1,000 or more per day. And it has included behind-the-scenes stories that contain dramatic elements rivaling the on-screen productions.
It all began when a neighbor who worked for an advertising firm put Onischuk in touch with a director filming a commercial promoting abstinence from cigarettes. Though the director loved the Onischuks’ china cabinet, he also wanted wallpaper, which the dining room does not have.
Onischuk suggested they create temporary wallpaper on poster boards for the area of the room that would be on camera, the first of many collaborative ideas that she has shared to help crews over the years.
By then, the film-location bug had bitten Onischuk, who, along with her husband of 52 years, Dan, has eight children and 13 grandchildren.
“I thought, `Hey we could do this,’” she recalled. “This would help pay for college tuition.”
Over the years, Onischuk has developed contacts with location managers, producers and other creative decision-makers. Most of her outreach has been by mail, though she recently established an Internet presence.
She has a web page (http://300nkenilworth.blogspot.com) that details her home’s features and provides links to eight short videos. Those clips, each about one or two minutes long, take viewers on a tour of the home while highlighting its assets, and providing a history of past productions at 300 N. Kenilworth.
One of the favorite parts of the engagements, said Onischuk, is getting to meet creative, upbeat people. Much of that good fortune undoubtedly stems from Onischuk’s fun-loving, motherly touch.
She regularly bakes cookies for crews, occasionally providing catering services to those that request it. For the hearing-aid commercial, not only did she prepare the on-camera Thanksgiving dinner, but she also prepared a second one so the crew could enjoy the meal.
“I haven’t met my crew from hell yet,” she said. “I have met all kinds of crews and most of them have been very polite. It’s just been a positive, happy experience.”
Perhaps the happiest moment came during the summer of 1992.
At the time, Onischuk wanted to avoid taking out a loan to pay the $3,000 that Paul, her youngest son, needed to begin his junior year at Elmhurst College.
So she spent $100 to place an ad in Screen magazine, a publication geared toward those working in film and other productions. She then said her prayers to St. Jude.
A few days later, her phone rang and Spiegel’s arranged to come to 300 N. Kenilworth for a three-day shoot, involving six photographers, for their Christmas catalog. The daily rate: $1,000, for a three-day total of $3,000, equaling precisely the tuition bill facing the Onischuks.
Onischuk asked the director to make the check payable to the college. The request caught him by surprise: “Do you mean we’re helping educate someone?” he asked.
"Yes,” she answered. “Did you think I was going to buy a fur coat?”
To see the video of Onischuk sharing this story, go to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qh3QLM3UvMY
For more information about Gloria Onischuk, Under the Gingko Tree or to make inquiries about using the property as a production location, visit http://300nkenilworth.blogspot.com or http://undertheginkgotreebb.com or call 708-524-2327.
