College of Surgeons lists its two Lake Shore Drive mansions for $22M

The Gold Coast museum and neighboring mansion are available as a bundled pair

By Jay Koziarz Oct 30, 2017, 3:36pm CDT

The museum’s “Hall of Immortals” contains twelve statues depicting great figures in the field of medicine.

After an unsuccessful effort to sell off a mansion at 1516 N. Lake Shore Drive, the International College of Surgeons has decided to jointly list the property along with its adjacent International Museum of Surgical Science building at 1524 N. Lake Shore. Seeking a combined price of $22 million, the historic Gold Coast structures represent two of just seven surviving, landmarked mansions along Chicago’s N. Lake Shore Drive.

Built in 1916, the 12,000-square-foot building at 1516 N. Lake Shore Drive was previously available in 2015 for $17 million. By late 2016, the price had been shaved down to $13 million. The latest offering bundles the property with the Howard van Doren Shaw-designed building to the immediate north. Modeled off the 18th century Petit Trianon at Versailles, this 30-room structure has spent the last 60 years serving as North America’s only museum dedicated to surgery.

Featuring unobstructed Lake Michigan views, both properties also boast original architectural finishes such as marble floors, grand staircases, rich wood paneling, and ornate plaster ceilings. Crain’s, however, was quick to note that both buildings will require extensive updating—especially with regards to the decades-old bathrooms.

While the joint $22 million listing does include a rear coach house behind each mansion, the price excludes the museum’s large “Hall of Immortals” stone statues, rare medical manuscripts, and historic surgical implements. The collection is expected to follow the IMSS to a yet-to-be-announced new location.