“The house was long abandoned and
demolished in 1965, and the property was extensively sub-divided. But the
water chain leading to the lake, has, in the past three years, been
marvelously restored by its current owners, mostly from original stone
found scattered on the bluff. The twin walkways on either side now lead
again to the lake’s edge, where a ling tunnel (now sealed) once led to an
elevator that carried guests back up to the house from the beach, where a
swimming pool was located. A lily pool to the south of the mansion has
also been restored (though not the lilies), although the sunken gardens
formerly surrounding the lily pool are now gone.”
From Italian Style in the Midwest:
Villa Turicum by Douglas Macdonald; The Weedpatch Gazette
-Winter, 1997
Charles
Platt is a very dangerous man -- he does the wrong thing so well." - Frank Lloyd Wright
I
just received an original copy of the auction catalog for Edith’s estate
put together by Chicago Title & Trust in 1934. The amount of
information is extraordinary, and I will be adding elements soon.
-Todd
12/23/06
We visited one of two available lots
on Circle Drive. The lot I walked (or should I say crawled) through was
sandwiched in between two developed properties that still contain
elements of Villa Turicum. When we made our way to the bluff I was
astonished to look North and see the descent to the beach. The erosion on
the lot that I walked is terrible, and I doubt that anyone will ever be
able to build on it. I intend to visit the other lot soon, as it has
access to the “beach”.
