Famed Chicago architect Howard Van Doren Shaw was responsible for a number of notable homes in suburban Lake Forest, but perhaps none are as celebrated as his House of Four Winds located at 81 W Laurel Avenue. The roughly two-acre estate was commissioned by industrialist Hugh J. McBirney in 1909 and features European Arts and Crafts architecture with Spanish-influenced vaulting and moldings. The 8,000-square-foot home includes seven bedrooms and bathrooms plus eight fireplaces. The carefully restored home has won numerous preservation awards while the impressive Craig Bergmann-designed gardens have been documented in the Smithsonian Institute.
If this property evokes a sense of deja vu it’s likely due to the fact that it has entered and exited the market multiple times in recent years, often taking a price cut with each reappearance. The property listed in 2011 seeking no less than $5.995 million. With no takers the asking price was slashed to $4.4 million in 2014 before taking yet another cut down to $3.75 million last summer. The House of Four Winds went back on the market earlier this week with the same $3.75 million price tag from 2015. Could 2016 be the year Shaw’s masterpiece finally finds a buyer?
- 81 W Laurel Ave, Lake Forest, IL [Redfin]
- 81laurel.com [website]
- Van Doren Shaw's 'House of the Four Winds' Relists at $4.4M [Curbed Chicago]
- Howard Van Doren Shaw's House of Four Winds Takes Another Big Price Cut [Curbed Chicago]
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