Last week’s real estate listing of the iconic Home Alone movie house left readers with a frosty chill, so we decided to head over to Lake Forest, Illinois today and peek inside an exquisite architectural gem for sale. Completed in 1934, Suffield House is considered one of renowned architect David Adler‘s most important country houses. A collaboration with his designer sister, Frances Adler Elkins, this 15,000 sqare-foot residence completed in 1934 is on 5.4 acres in the heart of Lake Forest. Built for Mrs. J. Ogden Lolita Armour, the entrance is neo-Georgian while the rest of the home was designed in a classical French style.
This interior remains untouched and is loaded with priceless, perfectly preserved architectural features, including imported English paneling, antique Chinese oil paintings, exotic marbles, ornate plaster moldings and decoration, original light fixtures, nine fireplaces, custom millwork, and a handsome Versailles patterned hardwood floor.
While the decor leaves much to be desired, we are hoping the new owners will commission Lake Forest-based Shelley Johnstone Design to transform them with keen eye for historic relevance!
Designed for entertaining on a grand scale, the main level has a series of exquisite formal rooms, supported by a service area that rivals the manor home in Downton Abbey with a butler’s pantry, kitchen, breakfast room, silver vault, and a flower arranging room. On the second level are five en suite bedrooms, including a large primary suite, plus a 1,000 square-foot 2 bedroom, 2 bath staff apartment. The top level offers potential for expansion with another 2-bedroom apartment, a large cedar closet, a gift-wrapping room, an exercise room, and storage. A spacious, paneled rec room with a fireplace is a surprise feature in the otherwise utilitarian basement, including a laundry center, vault, wine room, multiple storage rooms, and mechanicals. Recreational features include a beautiful pool, spa, and pool house with a great room, kitchen, dual baths, laundry, and a huge fenced backyard.
This home was ahead of its time with features including a 4-stop passenger elevator and a sophisticated central heat and air conditioning system.
The property also includes a carriage house that would make a great art studio, home office, or guest suite. Other features include a deep 4-car garage and storage facilities for landscaping equipment.
The brick is whitewashed, with the warmth of buff pink coming through.
Available for the first time in nearly 50 years, this is a rare opportunity to own a truly exceptional home by one of the most significant residential architects of all time!
The Glam Pad hopes the new owner will continue to retain this home’s incredible architectural details and preserve its integrity and legacy for generations to come. And we would LOVE to see Lake Forest-based designer Shelley Johnstone commissioned to work her magic with the decor!
The price is $5,495,000, and you can view the listing here.
Exquisite…..love to see wallcoverings once again.
Who is designing the interiors of these homes?
The home itself is stunning and the wood floors are gorgeous.
Gorgeous Architecture! Needs French interior decorator.
YES, I thought the same thing as I looked through the photos. Likely staged, the modern choices don’t quite sing with the stunning architecture!
absolutely stunning home, built to entertain on a large scale or be comfortable for small gatherings, sadly the stagers and their selections don’t enhance these magnificent rooms. Home needs an avid collector of porcelain, art, and fine furnishings.
Be still, my beating heart. Totally fell in love with the ornate details of the yellow bedroom…
Adore the architecture and really do not like the interior decor for this gorgeous old home. I know some like it but for me, I would fill it with French antiques, comfortable old chairs, and a few cats and one or two big dogs.
I believe the property was listed for sale a little more than a year and a half ago for a little more than $10M — it does not appear to have been lived in for some time. It was built by Lolita Armour, the widow of Ogden Armour (meat-packing), who had made her own very large fortune after her husband’s death. A fascinating history all by itself. The restoration of the rooms, the plaster work, and the gardens is impressive. The staging for the house is another matter – but I suppose it would be a daunting task to temporarily, much less permanently, furnish this house with the appropriate elements. Perhaps that is why it has not sold. A beautiful Adler house. Thank you for sharing these photos!