Mr. T’s former North Shore home hits the market asking $7.5M

While this charming Tudor Revival mansion in Lake Forest mansion may seem unassuming at first glance, the estate has a very fascinating, if not bizarre, history. Like many large estates throughout the North Shore area, this home was built for one of Chicago’s wealthy families and no expenses were spared on its design and construction. According to the listing notes, the mansion was designed by Harrie T. Lindebergh and built in 1910, but later received an interior renovation by the esteemed architect David Adler while famed landscape designer Jens Jensen shaped the seven and a half acre property.

The estate, which is dubbed Two Gables, was owned by meatpacking magnate Laurance Armour and his family for many decades, but the family eventually sold the property to television personality Mr. T in 1986 for $1.7 million. The following year, the A-Team star made headlines for cutting down more than 100 mature trees on the sprawling property. Citing discomfort from allergies, Mr. T hired a crew of landscape workers and oversaw the removal of dozens of oaks, elms and maples that populated the estate.

The incident, which the New York Times infamously titled “Mr. T's Tree Massacre” later led the town to enact a tree preservation ordinance to prevent developers and homeowners from chopping down trees.

• 395 N Green Bay Rd, Lake Forest, IL 60045 [Redfin]
• Revisiting Mr. T's 1987 Lake Forest Chainsaw Massacre [Curbed Chicago]