Naperville in DuPage County, Illinois — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)

Walter and Grace Fredenhagen

"Two in a Million"

— Naperville Century Walk —

Walter and Grace Fredenhagen Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Sean P. Flynn, September 15, 2024

1. Walter and Grace Fredenhagen Marker

Inscription. Walter and Grace Fredenhagen, visionaries in business and community and creators of "One in a Million" milk shakes, are depicted in these bronze sculptures. Walter owned and operated Prince Castles and Cock Robin ice cream shops from 1931-1993, laying the foundation for fast-food giants. Here, Walter and his wife, who worked together in the family business, are looking toward the park which is located on the site of their ice cream factory and first retail shop. Grace was also instrumental in restoring and furnishing the Martin Mitchell Mansion and acquiring the land that is now the Edward Hospital campus.
Sculptor: Jeff Adams

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Arts, Letters, Music • Industry & Commerce • Parks & Recreational Areas. A significant historical year for this entry is 1931.

Location. 41° 46.238′ N, 88° 8.876′ W. Marker is in Naperville, Illinois, in DuPage County. It can be reached from Washington Street south of Chicago Avenue, on the right when traveling north. The marker and statue are on the edge of Fredenhagen Park, which is near the Naperville Riverwalk and also has an entrance onto the campus of North Central College. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Naperville IL 60540, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Greater Chicago.

It is also in the American Midwest

and on the Great Lakes.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture

and also the Northwest Territory.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking

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distance of this marker: Fredenhagen Park (a few steps from this marker); North Central Students at Selma (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Rev. George St. Angelo (about 300 feet away); Mildred Rebstock, Ph.D (about 400 feet away); James L. Nichols (about 400 feet away); Henry Tayama (about 400 feet away); First and Second Main Street Bridges over the West Branch of the DuPage River (about 500 feet away); Pre-Emption House (about 500 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Naperville.

More about this marker. When visited in September 2024, the statue and marker were behind an orange fence, as they are near the Washington Street bridge, which was under construction.

As the marker explains, the title of the statue, "Two in a Million," is a reference to Cock Robin's/Prince Castle's famed "One-in-a-Million" malts.

Regarding Walter and Grace Fredenhagen. This park is on the site of Cock Robin, an ice cream shop and diner that was a legendary chain around the Chicago-area from the 1930s until the end of the 20th century.

Walter Fredenhagen was a native of Downers Grove and a Northwestern University law school graduate who, along with his childhood friend Earl Prince, owned a wholesale ice cream business before the duo decided to

Walter and Grace Fredenhagen image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Sean P. Flynn, September 15, 2024

2. Walter and Grace Fredenhagen

The area around the park was under construction in September 2024, as the Washington Street bridge was being repaired.

to open ice cream shops around Chicagoland. The first store they opened, called Prince Castle, opened at this location in 1931, and gradually spread across the area. As referenced on the marker, the store indeed was an inspiration for the growth of fast food; Ray Kroc, the McDonald's founder, worked for the company early in his career selling the company's Multi-Mixer milkshake machines, which made its famed "One-in-a-Million" malts. Prince died in the 1950s, and Fredenhagen soon thereafter renamed the stores Cock Robin. At their peak, there were roughly two dozen Cock Robins across Chicagoland. Walter sold the business in the early 1990s and died in 1993 at age 97; this location in downtown Naperville closed in 2000. The final active Cock Robin, northeast of here in Brookfield, Illinois, closed down in 2009 and was later razed; all that remains of it is the sign. In 2004, Fredenhagen's two surviving children, Walter Jr. and Rita Harvard, sold the land to the City of Naperville for $10, with the stipulation that it become part of the Naperville Riverwalk. Today it is the site of a park with a fountain, a clocktower and an entrance to North Central College.

Grace Fredenhagen is cited as an instrumental player in the creation of Edward Hospital, which replaced the Edward Sanitorium, a leading tuberculosis treatment center that was founded in the 1900s. She also helped in

Walter and Grace Fredenhagen statue and marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Sean P. Flynn, September 15, 2024

3. Walter and Grace Fredenhagen statue and marker

the restoration of the Martin Mitchell mansion and its 212-acre estate, which were donated to the city in the 1930s and today are the home of the Naper Settlement, an outdoor history museum in downtown Naperville. Grace died in 1965.

Also see . . .
1. The Way We Were: Cock Robin ice cream shop. A 2024 article in the Naperville Sun looks at the history of Cock Robin and its store in downtown Naperville, which today is the site of Fredenhagen Park, named after its founder. (Submitted on September 20, 2024, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois.)

2. Cock Robin—The Family Business Behind Fredenhagen Park. (Submitted on September 20, 2024, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois.)

Fredenhagen Park image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Sean P. Flynn

4. Fredenhagen Park

The clocktower is at the park's Washington Street entrance.

Photographed by Sean P. Flynn

5. Fredenhagen Park

Credits. This page was last revised on September 20, 2024. It was originally submitted on September 20, 2024, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois. This page has been viewed 233 times since then and 58 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. submitted on September 20, 2024, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois.