Bicentennial ash tree finds new life after being destroyed in windstorm

Prior to a windstorm that toppled the Bicentennial Ash Tree in July of 2011 in Willmette, IL, it had grown for more than two centuries. It towered almost 70 feet high and predated most urban and wild ashes, since most of them are no more than a few decades old.

Wilmette decided that the historic tree deserved an new life to continue its presense in the community. The table that now sits on the second floor of Wilmette Village Hall has a remarkable provenance, as do the chairs that surround it, the lobby benches one floor down, and the broad conference table in a first floor meeting room.