Waukegan Historical Society

This 1927 Craftsman style bungalow was purchased three years ago for their mother-in-law by the family that lives directly behind. Now they have combined gardens and life progresses between both homes.

The owner is a remodeling contractor, and he and his large family have lovingly restored the interior rooms. They have also updated the bath and kitchen in a more modern style while keeping the feel of the Arts and Crafts style. The owners are great collectors of Arts and Crafts antiques and have mixed them with many modern pieces in the same style. Luckily the interior woodwork, floors, and plaster walls were all still in place and simply required cleaning. The beautiful large brick fireplace is also original to the house.

In the kitchen, new cabinets in the mission style have been installed and a new large window placed so that one can look out over the new deck and into the garden beyond. While in the kitchen, note the old fruit crate art on a shelf near the ceiling. The original owners of the home owned a fruit market and used old crates to build shelves in the basement. The current owners were thrilled to find the pristine labels being used as shelves in the basement. Note also the beautiful woven wool coverlet made in 1842 by an itinerant weaver for an ancestor of the owners. The wool came from the sheep on their farm in Ohio.

When J.E. Sams completed this beautiful brick ranch late in 1941 the Second World War had just begun. The family did not move into their new home until March of 1942. The mid century ranch house is nearly all on one level with minimal steps down into the living room and then down another step into a dining room and den to beautiful views to the fifth fairway of Bonnie Brook Golf Course. The current owners have recently moved from a two story home and into this “downsized” home for their retirement years. With minimal changes to the house over the years, the new owners have kept the original mid century built-in shelves in the living room and have simply updated the kitchen and baths while leaving the original fixtures.

Family antiques can be seen all over the house, from the painted chest in the living room to the family crib in a guest room with brass plaques naming all the babies who have been rocked in it. Now there is room for all their grandchildren to visit and enjoy this beautiful home with its unique setting and views toward the golf course.

This Craftsman-style bungalow in its three period paint colors and beautiful landscaping is a very different picture from was seen when the current owner first purchased the home in 2001. Concern for restoring appropriate details is evident in every area of the home; from the new porch door to the half-round gutters. The homeowner is an avid gardener, which can be seen in the beautiful mix of native and ornamental plants surrounding the home and the window boxes in the front of the house. Particular attention should be given to the large garden to the rear of the home.

Inside the traditional 1925 home, original wood moldings and floors provide a backdrop for the owner’s collection of Mid-Century Modern furniture. Two Hans Wegner “501” chairs in the dining room and an Eames bent plywood chair in the study were all “rescued” from dumpsters. Modern artwork can be seen throughout this home and reflects the owner’s graphic design business which is based in the home. The kitchen has also been completely remodeled in a style which is complimentary to the house.

The original brick home was built in the Greek Revival style in about 1845. This two-story home can still be seen at the north end of what became a much larger building. In 1871 Robert A. Conolly enlarged the house greatly in the fashionable Italian villa style with a tower or campanile in the front of the building and a porch with classical columns to the south. Large Italianate brackets were added to the original classical pediment at the same time as the other additions with brackets were added. The handsome double doors at the base of the tower also have a heavy rope trim surrounding the arched entranceway. Pairs of arched “needle” windows are also characteristic of the Italianate style, as is the bay window with arched frames to the south.

This building was the original home of Shimer College when they moved to Waukegan in 1979 and was used as a classroom building until 2006. Recently the building has been purchased and work has begun to convert the building into lawyers’ offices. The original woodwork, beautiful marble mantels, and the curving walnut staircase are reminders of this home’s elegant past.

Built for Welcome Jilson in about 1845, this noble Greek Revival is currently near the end of a total renovation. The original two story building can be seen with its six-over-six windows, front door with side lights, and the handsome cornices and corner boards typical of the style. Two later additions to the north, including the little Italianate porch, doubled the size of the original house. The remarkable canopy over the front door was probably added in the 1860s or 1870s when many Waukegan homes were “modernized” in the Italianate style.

The little decorative porch to the right of the front door had been enclosed and a picture window installed, probably in the 1940s, when the building was wrapped in asphalt shingles. The porch was unknown until research of old fire insurance maps showed its presence. During renovation, another porch was discovered at the rear of the house and was rebuilt in the classical style.

The building had reached a low point when it was cut up into three apartments and finally was being used for a storage shed by Shimer College. Little is left of the original interior woodwork, but it has all been replicated using pieces discovered in the renovation.

The John M. Strong House was built c. 1846 by a prominent local businessman. The original small home was built in the popular Greek Revival style of the period and can still be seen in the east facing gable with its original dentil moldings. Originally a small one and a half story building, it has seen several additions over the years. Most of the exterior retains the ornamentation of the Italianate style popular in the third quarter of the 19th century. This can be seen in the brackets under the eaves and the finely detailed window surrounds. This building, along with four others in a row, were designated as landmarks by the City of Waukegan in 2006 and named the Shimer Historic District.

The home remained a private residence until it was purchased by Shimer College and converted to a modern laboratory building. The current owner recently purchased the home and plans extensive remodeling projects. The most interesting feature of this work in progress”is the former laboratory which has been converted into a huge kitchen complete with restaurant quality appliances—even the former laboratory work stations have become kitchen islands.

Built for John H. Swarthout in 1847, this is the finest example of Greek Revival architecture in Waukegan and one of the finest in the United States. The facade consists of four fluted Doric columns supporting a classical pediment. The tall original six-over-six windows, the pilasters with Greek bandwork, and the front door with transom above all add to the American interpretation of the classical temple style.

This famous building was extensively documented by the Historic American Building Survey of the Department of the Interior in 1934. Those detailed drawings have enabled the current owners to restore much of the exterior detail that had been lost over the years. Concrete which had replaced part of the front porch was removed and replaced with wood, and the front door was recreated from the original drawings.

The house remained a residence and had several additions over the years prior to being sold to the Chamber of Commerce in 1981. The building was purchased in 1993 by Shimer College and was used as their Admissions Office until 2006 when it was sold to the current owners. Little is left of the original interior woodwork except in the front room which has been carefully preserved. The building is currently for sale, and the interior has been designed to accommodate office use.

The Judge Francis E. Clarke home has been standing on Sheridan Road since 1875 and has been a funeral home since 1921. Built in the Italianate style with large overhanging eaves, huge decorative brackets, and characteristic arched windows, it also exhibits some feeling of the French Second Empire style. The central roof line has a convex mansard shape which can be compared to another building by the same builder at 710 N. Sheridan Road with a concave mansard.

This house is the last of several large mansions which were built on Sheridan Road from the current Masonic Temple all the way to the Clarke House. The exterior still presents most of the exuberant ornament for which the high-style Italianate was famous. The square porch columns with detailed brackets became a trademark of this Italian style of architecture. All over Waukegan one can see porches with this style of column added onto the “old fashioned” Greek revival homes in order to “modernize” them. Most of this took place in the 1870s prior to the Italianate style being supplanted by the new Queen Anne style.

The interior of the Clarke house still retains much of the grand woodwork installed in the 1870s. The large center hall ends in a dramatic curved staircase with walnut railing. The large rooms with arched doorways lead off the center hall to several large parlors with original mantels and high ceilings.